Sony G90 manual Connections, Scan Rates, Installation and Set-up, Operating Functions

Page 73

The G90 comes with two manuals. One is an

operator’s manual that describes the basic user

controls and the other an installation manual.

The manuals are reasonably good but they could

have done a bit better job explaining the basic

memory system concepts. The service manual

also left out a key point, failing to note that the status mode

must be on before a specified series of keystrokes will enable

the service mode. I began setting the G90 up on a Saturday

and was stymied by this omission. Fortunately, a quick query

to an Internet newsgroup brought several correct solutions.

Many thanks to those who responded.

I/O Connections

The G90 includes the usual composite, S-Video, and RGB

inputs. It also includes YPbPr component video inputs for

standard-definition and high-definition sources with both bi-

level and tri-level sync capabilities. This means it will be com-

patible with virtually any video source existing or announced.

There are also two slots on the rear panel for additional I/O

modules, so it can be upgraded for any digital video interfaces

in the future.

The rear panel has an RS-232/422 interface. I put this to

use during my evaluation. The projector I was sent arrived

with version 1.02 firmware, which was missing a grayscale

calibration feature. I received the latest firmware version

(1.11) by email from Sony and downloaded it to the G90 in

less than 30 minutes.

Scan Rates

The G90 is compatible with just about any video format that

exists, including the most advanced scalers and upconvert-

ers. The horizontal scan frequency range is 15-150 kHz, and

the vertical scan range is 38-150 Hz. This also accommodates

a wide range of computer graphic resolutions. The RGB

bandwidth is 135 MHz for displaying the highest resolution

graphics.

Installation and Set-up

I always recommend that ceiling mounting and initial pro-

jector set-up be done by professional installers and calibra-

tors. There are serious safety issues when mounting heavy

objects overhead on ceilings, and lethal voltages are

found inside projectors and remain stored there even after

they have been unplugged for long periods.

So never open a projector case for any reason.

In addition to safety reasons, projectors should be pro-

fessionally installed because positioning distances and

angles are critical to getting the best performance, indeed

even proper functioning. In ceiling-mounted installations,

it really pays to get it right the first time. It is also essen-

tial that the grayscale color temperature be correctly

adjusted. It’s ludicrous to spend a large sum on a projector

and then try to save a few hundred dollars by avoiding this

critical calibration step. It is pure fantasy to do this adjust-

ment without a sophisticated color analyzer, so be sure

your installer or calibrator has the proper electronic test

equipment.

Your installer will be able to make many mechanical and

electronic calibration adjustments to optimize the picture.

Beyond the standard CRT-Lens alignment and focus adjust-

ments, Scheimpflug adjustments are included for each CRT.

These mechanical adjustments alter the horizontal and ver-

tical tilt of the CRTs to alter the focal plane with respect to

the lens assemblies. This provides optimum focus at all

edges of the picture. After all of the mechanical focusing is

complete, an extensive array of electronic magnetic-focus

adjustments are made from the remote control for nine sep-

arate screen areas. Sony’s new hexapole focus adjustments

produce the small spot size and round shape that are so cru-

cial to the ultra high-resolution performance of the G90.

A complete professional calibration should be done at

the time of installation. That way you know that everything

involved in the installation process has been done correctly

and you are getting the best picture possible from your pro-

jector. Most current projectors provide picture geometry

and convergence adjustments using a remote control. It will

reward owners to learn how to make those remote control

adjustments to keep the picture in optimum shape, since

some drift is inevitable over time, particularly during the

first year of any projector’s life.

Some High End projectors are available with small

cameras that provide automatic adjustments, but manual

controls must generally be used to fine-tune the results.

The Sony G90 has no automatic adjustment capability, but

its geometry and convergence controls are among the eas-

iest to use and provide a versatile array of capabilities to

get near-perfect results. All the necessary test patterns are

built in, and skew, bow, size, linearity, pincushion, and

keystone adjustments are available for each color and for

different areas of the screen. Then each color can be fine-

tweaked for horizontal and vertical registration at 25 dif-

ferent locations on the display using the Zone adjustment.

The variety of controls, their effectiveness, and ease of use

are exemplary.

Operating Functions

The memory model for accessing different sources and dis-

play formats on the G90 can be a bit confusing at first

glance. The projector has 150 input memories, each storing

identification and calibration information for a particular

type of input signal. An input signal memory is selected

based on the signal scan-rate, signal type (S-Video, RGB,

YPbPr, etc.) and the input signal port. All signals from a line

quadrupler use one input memory, S-Video signals another,

and so forth. Separate geometry, convergence, and grayscale

information is stored for each input signal type. Then 10

video memories store specific aspect ratio and picture con-

trol information (brightness, contrast, color, etc). When a

signal is input to the projector, the appropriate input memo-

ry is selected automatically. The user then selects one of the

10 video memories for the aspect ratio desired. The 10 video

memories are selected with numbered keys on the remote,

but can be named for on-screen identification with up to 18

characters each. Memories can then be selected by name

using the on-screen menu.

I set up a variety of input memories, including standard

NTSC through the S-Video input, and line-doubled and HDTV

signals through RGB and YPbPr inputs. I created video mem-

ories for 4:3, 4:3 letterboxed, and 16.9 enhanced aspect ratio

formats.

Other features include a picture-orbiting function to

help prevent CRT burns, which can be disabled if desired.

The user can also select between a 3-line-adaptive comb fil-

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Contents Sony G90 Size Does Matter Than ever we needed in strange, dark caves Ingly just beyond reachExperience before he finds a little of It Sound and vision at the same time every timeBergman’s The Seventh Seal DVD Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut HPBarco Vision Watch Follies & FrolicsCan All That Counts Be Counted? a Forum Begins Editors will respond next issueII Janet’s Index EditorTargeting 14-Year-Old Boys? Problem with DVD Digital ArtifactsIf The Perfect Vision is to push At all. So it doesn’t take Hdtv or Down Primrose Path Toward Perfect Vision Forever?Azine Widescreen Review perhaps? Digital Cinema The Good Bad of It What Not To See on DVDJohn Eargle Lossy Data Compression & DVD Sound TV Is TVSeries such as Star Trek The Next Generation . Each I L L E RDVDs Gaining Momentum Movie TriviaE G E G S a N D O W S I C & M U L T I M E D I aViaTV VC 105 Videophone Panasonic DVD-L50D PalmTheaterM M a R T I N Encountered R R Y R a W L I N S O NInfocomm World of displays Significant New Products and TrendsReport Ogy near its limit and its days are numbered. The display To recreate the theater experience in the homeLight projected on the screen. These considerations have Tunately, there are trade-offs for the small size of ultraAn Ideal Cinema? Ometimes I think that every position on a Real movie where there was none before, or at leastMoviemaking crew comes with its special privi Leges, its perks, as it were. If you’re the script superIty between when they are and when One way or another when it comes to working withAssistant directors, service people, FootageMovies Certainly a serviceable way to editLikely to get you Directors seem to trust me to use my Into any troubleTakes and setups meaning the master Allowing for camera setups, lighting, and rigIt’s a funny thing about matching in editing. Most lay Enjoy prelaps to pull the narrativeSion? In Understanding Media, McCluhan Sonic Flavors To Slake Every Thirst Lexicon MC-1 ControllerR L E Y Lexicon’s Music Surround Modes Logic 7 Digital Signal Processing for Movies and MusicListening to Movies Listening To Music Surround Ing the Denon Anechoic Orchestral Music Recording CD ConclusionControllers Surround Decoding and Digital Signal Processing DSP Two-Channel Bypass ModeDSP and the Future-Proof Controller Bass Management THX-Certified Controllers…the controller represents High-Resolution Digital AudioRadical new path to Future…InterFacing the User After DSP Digital to Analog ConversionEpisode One The Ancient Enemy Revel Ultima Speakers From 2 to 7.1 ChannelsMeet My Enemy M M I I L L E R59 by Deploying the Troops RPG Room Optimizer SoftwareStart and go get a beer, or two Revel Ultima Salon Noble WarriorYou wanted to cross over your subwoofer at 40 Hz Tion coefficient for the surfaces that is comparable toLikewise for the 15-inch woofer in the Sub-15 Our noble warrior against the ancient enemyEssary to achieve the Revel design team’s led by Kevin Research effort to quantify in-room speaker behaviorBy Keith Johnson for Reference Recordings Direct radiator to bloated. The Salon’s soundstage comNal processing in controllers hadn’t made subwoofer Speaker? Removing the bottom octave from the Salon’sCians often use emphasis in the intensity Woofer, when it is well integrated with your main speakersFormance. Orchestral music, for example, is performed Battle Summary Stand-off Cy, phase, and time. It then develops adaptive filters thatEpisode Two a War On Two Fronts Get that the fight for the lowlands was far from overSearch of the Mythical Beast LINN-AV5103 Aktiv Multi-Channel SystemQuest Begins Company of the BeastRemote Interface Working the EnvironmentJust the Basics, Done Well NAD T770 Audio-Video ReceiverSumming Up I L G a D E RGaines’ Stormy Monday I’ve Got the T-Bone Walker Das Boot, The Director’s Cut Wolfgang Peterson, directorManufacturer’s Corner Steering in DD mode is precise and smoothRPG Diffuser Systems Inc., Room Optimizer Designs go, the NAD T770 is all steakMajor Labels’ Plans for Classical Music on DVD Want My DVDI D I W a L E S O N Tan Opera Guide to Opera on Video and executive direc Tion from the main mikes as well as the spot mikes Audience, he says. We fed that information to the rearFrom the two main mikes and brought it to the rear ones Have been considered typical indeed, good for aQuering technology issues, Moorhead says. Most of our See review, this issueFall was so high. This was an elaborate joint Computer and TV combinedOriginal, so they’re not going to fake it for DVD Made for DVDStars. God, was I skeptical Must answer three riddles. If his answers are correct, she Dramatic confrontation, in the second scene of Act TwoTo Turandot’s collection the Chinese nation, ruled by an Ple either turning cynical, or lusting for more bloodPreoccupation like that made more sense, but Turandot. And why would there be? Yes, Puccini conscienTucks into a tiny corner of the staging. Hordes of Chinese Moon onstage we see a corps of Chinese dancers, wearingDVD-ness Classical DVD SamplerWith the sound either way, or with the sound of the Scala Ment of that, and when I listened, I found I’d chooseFull of pomp and circumstance, but much less lifelike PerformancesStart of each one, there’s Karajan on screen, his face Role mostly as a force of nature, powerful but blankLike institutional persona, Herr Music Director of All That’s simply ravishing This performance is broadSurrounded Roger Reynolds Watershed Mode 70, DVDJargon Experiment in a New MediumThough, is that Reynolds is way too impressed with Are so new that we all need orientationYes, theorists can find all sorts of relationships among Areas of music rhythm, loudness, and tone color, forMaybe, succeeded by metallic effects Musical scoreBut in rhythms he himself creates. In practice, these, to That, while Otto is allegedly creating syntax by movingB G E N D R O N Pop With a TwistMents of a Clockwork Orange What Ever Happened to Baby Performance we see on DVD begins with a filmBelow-average vocal performance Perfect timing and careful choreographySon’s Dead to the World. Nope Horizon, probably to his death. It is a scene that demandsTabloid, because of its sensational pur DVD, with its digitally clear resolutionInsignificance of the media and with a Ly slurs the tune’s climactic line,WhatGodzilla, Armageddon, Instrument is better than Dent films Gods and Monsters, Cookie’s Fortune thatWith 1991’s In on the Kill Voices of Light/The Passion of Joan of Arc Close EncounterD R E W Q U I N T Special presentation of Voices of Light/The Passion of Joan Other instances, were not merely happy coincidences, nor Obvious. The movie is about as complete as it can be.Each other. Seen together, they seemed inseparable yet By much of the sound reinforcement heard in BroadwayPart 2 Video Color Concepts An Introduction to Digital VideoPhysics of Color Human Color PerceptionColor Concepts for Video Additive Color ColorblindnessLuminance Hue and SaturationDisplay Color Accuracy RGB Primaries The Color Triangle CIE Chromaticity DiagramGrayscale Color Temperature White Reference Color TemperatureColor Measurement Color Bars Color errors. Other color signals will alsoAre used in some circumstances Instrument known as a color analyzer or a spectroColor and Hue AdjustmentsAvia Guide to Home Theater pro Physical Sony VPH-G90U Multiscan ProjectorE G R O G E R S Connections Installation and Set-upScan Rates Operating FunctionsSummary PerformanceRunco DTV-930 Multiscan Projector SpecificationsDescription Inputs/Outputs Formats can be selected directly from the remote Convergence Labs Test Report Greg RogersBe noticed Horizontal and vertical scan frequencies and other sourceRange Combination is about the reasonable limit to achieve anIEV Turboscan 1500 Line Doubler Remote ControlLine Doubling = Deinterlacing Creates progressive video without deinterlacing artifacts Video outputs. As a progressive video reference, I used aIcs-grade front projector 3Dfusion do each in different ways. The TurboscanLook and Feel Pioneer Elite DVL-91 Combination CD/LD/DVD PlayerL L C R U C E Meaning clear Up menus allow you to configure such things as onscreen lanLD Performance DVD PerformanceLy, the remote of the DVL-91, like that Wrong one in the darkDvdo iScan Plus Line Doubler Celebrate Film L M & M O V I E S Classic Comedy’s Second Coming Roberto BenigniQuently escape was Benigni’s first American and English Though a number of films in which BenigniRoberto on the Internet Aspect ratio and running time incorrectly Cute cameo which perhaps hints at a sequelSound Original Pink Panther film go figure. Sad to sayFirst wave of anger and incredulity. The DVD set was Special Editions Kubrick and The Space MonstersNo thanks to Warner’s folks Small wonder Set consists of Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001 aBoth Clockwork and Full Metal Jacket exhibited pinkish What Dreams May Come Special Editions Few Weird ThoughtsNavigator a Medieval Odyssey, the other is Map Human Heart Worth a Look Relatively Recent ArrivalsMovie would have had the solid foundation it needed How beautiful she was when she was married to RogerTo say that the film is developing a cult following some Smooth as could be and given the importanceLove.1 As Biopics Three British RoyalsOtranto Old Dark House 1932, The Invisible Man Man in the Iron Mask 1939. But it is hisHP Comments You have an idea of what’s really going on in the film Ic in this context in cloud cuckooland, with theirMon with The Shining than with any other Kubrick opus Food-storage roomN a T H a N V a L I N From Art to CultSuch blatant symbolism can sustain an entire movie Only later goes on to give them human dimensions. EvenNot content to present us with an allegory of the eternal Face the questions that vexed and hauntedIssues 111 Questions About Your Subscription Back Issues Website Change of AddressLetters to the Editor Editorial SubmissionsName Company Address CITY, State , ZIP A S S I F I E D a D O R D E R F O R MVision Watch
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