[Gary Lightfoot]

Just seen this thread over at avs:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=349644

And info at Sim2:

http://www.sim2.com/index.php


Details:

January 2004 - SIM2 USA, Inc. announces the newest addition of a flagship product to the renowned Grand Cinema HT line.

This product is new for its brightness, contrast and absence of artifacts and it is built for “real” home theater installations where the screen’s dimension is consistently greater than standard home theater screens.

The HT500 LINK is equipped with three high definition DMD chips by Texas Instruments and a second generation remote DigiOptic™ Image Processor (DOIP) to provide the new HT500 LINK a great installation flexibility and a wide choice of inputs. This advanced and unique technical solution, already successfully adopted on two other SIM2 products, provides quality connections to video sources that can run up to 1600 feet.

The Grand Cinema HT500 LINK is SIM2’s new flagship DLP™ High-Definition projector. It delivers remarkable color fidelity, sharp details and superb picture quality unlike any other single or 3-chip DLP™ projector currently available. Moreover, thanks to the unique and successful DOIP, the HT500 LINK will allow for pure installation ease and flexibility. The HT500 LINK also features both an HDMI™ (including HDCP) and DVI input that allow a complete digital connectivity to an increasing amount of video sources equipped with digital outputs. This guarantees a perfect reproduction, without any loss of information or interference in the signal.

The HT500 LINK uses fiber optic cabling to allow for one connection from SIM2’s proprietary DOIP to the projector. The rack-mountable DOIP features a wide choice of inputs (including HDMI™) and can be connected through a single fiber optic cable, coupled with a system of three high-speed laser beams, to the projector for a loss-free and interference free signal. The thin fiber optic cable can be run through the wall and hidden easily for a seamless installation, most of all in large rooms where the distance between the sources and the projector can be big.

Using three separate DMD chips, the HT500 LINK does not need to be equipped with a color wheel, delivering outstanding colors and purely deep blacks. Without a color wheel mounted in the optical path, the HT500 LINK eliminates completely any kind of acoustical noise related to the color wheel’s spinning frequency. Also, the usage of three DMD chips and the absence of a color wheel (which is replaced by a prism) allows the displaying of larger artifact-free images.

Due to the various applications and installations that this new product is capable of, it is possible to choose from five different zoom lenses that deliver a grand variety of throw ratios to fit the customers’ necessities (ranging from 1.2-1.44:1 to 2.6-5.6:1). Thanks to a new sophisticated optical design (sealed) and the high quality zoom lenses, the HT500 LINK delivers perfect color reproduction.

The HT500 LINK utilizes three Texas Instruments HD2 chip sets. The HD2 chip delivers a High-Definition resolution of 1280 x 720 and micromirror tilting angle of 12°. The new HD2 3-chip solution and new light engine, allow the SIM2 HT500 LINK to reach the highest contrast and brightness for a real cinematic experience.

The HT500 LINK shows once again that Industrial Designer Giorgio Revoldini is capable of delivering elegance and aggressiveness in the HT500 LINK’s newly designed cabinet sporting smooth curves that make this product a high-class focal point of any décor.

On-board second generation DCDi™, powered by Faroudja, applies video enhancement and motion adaptive deinterlacing to prevent the introduction of motion artifacts and jagged edges from video signals that originated from video cameras. The DCDi also features patented 3/2 pull-down with advanced edit detection for exact reconstruction of the original film frame. For ease of use, SIM2 has equipped the HT500 LINK with a backlit remote control for easy access to product commands and OSD functions in dark environments.

The HT500 LINK will be available from the end of January 2004 in an elegant Dark Gray cabinet color.


Technical features:

Light Engine
DLP™ Type: 3-chip DMD (HD2 chip).
Resolution: True 16:9 (1280 x 720 pixels)
Lens: High quality, high resolution improved optics for higher contrast and better black level with both motorized zoom and focus adjustments
Lamp power consumption & life time: 250W UHP; 1500 hours (*)

Installation
Shift: +100%, -50% vertical, +/-20% horizontal
Keystone: 22° max.
Picture size: 50-300 inches diagonal
Aspect ratio: 4:3, 16:9, Anamorphic, Letterbox, 3 custom-user (H&V) adjustments, panoramic and pixel-to-pixel

Lens options
Throw ratio 1.44 - 1.8:1 zoom
Throw ratio 1.2 - 1.44:1 zoom
Throw ratio 1.8 - 2.4 :1 zoom
Throw ratio 2.4 - 3.6:1 zoom
Throw ratio 3.6 - 5.6:1 zoom

Electronics
Horizontal & vertical scan freq.: 15-80 KHz / 48-100 Hz (max horizontal freq. corresponding to UXGA, 60 Hz)
Video standards and graphic resolutions: PAL B,G, H, I, M, N, 60, SECAM, NTSC 3.58 & 4.43 automatically selected; HTDT ATSC (480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p) PC graphic standard up to UXGA (1600 x 1200 pixels).
Deinterlacer & processing: On-board DCDi™ by Faroudja. 3:2 & 2.2 pull-down sequencing automatically detected
Colour temperature: 3 preset colour temperatures + a RC user adjustment acting directly on each colour (R, G, B)
Special video adjustments: noise reduction, Luma-chroma Delay, high and low brightness, fleshtone regulation, Y/C delay, gamma correction, Microvision Anticopy Pulses Cleaner, Image panning and zooming.

General Specifications
Control: control software upgradable via RS232 serial interface
Power Consumption: 170W
Mains voltage range: 120-240 Vac, +/- 10% (48/62Hz)
Cabinet dimension (WxHxD): 537x235x631 mm

DigiOptic™ Image Processor: Inputs/Outputs
2 x composite video via RCA connectors
2 x S-VHS via mini Din-4 pin
2 x RGB via DB15 HD connector
3 x RGBH/V YCrCbH/V via RCA connectors
1 x RGBH/V YCrCbH/V via 5 BNC connectors
1 x DVI via DVI-D connector
1 x HDMI™-HDCP
1 x optical S/PDIF audio output from HDMI™
2 x 1394 Firewire (optional to DVI - AVC protocol compliant)
2 fibre optics links via RJ-45 type LC connectors
1 x RS232 on Dsub 9 pin connector
2 x jack 12V power outputs
Cabinet dimensions (WxHxD): 435x55x285 mm

Supplied Accessories
DigiOptic™ mage Processor, fibre optic cable (20 m), backlit emote control, AC power cords (EU, UK, and USA); length 2 m; HDMI™ cable, DVI-HDMI cable, installation and user manual


Looks good.


Gary.

[RTFM]

Gary,
Sounds like the Dog's Whatsits.
I will call Alan on Monday and see when he is expecting the first unit.
Jeff

Does this mean that this projector will not display RAINBOWS of any kind?

[Gary Lightfoot]

Jeff,

More importantly, when will you be getting one?


Legend,

In theory, no.

In practice, some previous 3 chippers from other manufacturers used some form of chip modulation that some people claimed still showed rainbows. That was with previous chips from TI though, so this model could well be different with the HD2 chips

Gary.

[RTFM]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Gary Lightfoot
[B]Jeff,

More importantly, when will you be getting one ?

Gary,

Very soon I hope.

Jeff

[Edgeyboy]

Any idea on price?

Tom.

[TopMeTom]

If the HT300 link is 12K I would expect this one to be over that,or could I be wrong?

Phil

[tbrar]

Id guess that as a 3Chip DLP pricing would be somewhat more than the current HT300LINK, say £20-25k ???. Reading the details on Sim2 site it looks as though it will have TI HD2 chipset, not HD2+. Is this right ?. Also I cant see any specific figures on contrast ratio, brightness etc, though it is Sunday morning - the brains not in "engaged" mode at minute ...

[RTFM]

Originally posted by Edgeyboy
Any idea on price?

Tom.

Hi Tom,

Circa £20k plus lens.
I'll speak to Alan to see if a price has been set yet.

Jeff

[AD Roser]

Hi Jeff,

The HT500 will be around the £25K mark including lens, final performance specs are not ready as final measurements are yet to be finalised.

We are exhibiting at the Northern Home Cinema show on the 7th & 8th Feb 04 at the Raddisson - Manchester airport and of course at the Bristol Hifi show we plan to show the projector at both events.

The first HT500 features the Link concept therefore you have the possibilty of 12 inputs ranging from the latest HDMI digital input to the basic Composite Input.

At this moment in time there are no 3 chip units featuring the HD2+ chipset.

Regards

Alan Roser
Managing Director
SIM2 UK Ltd

[The Nightfly]

there are no 3 chip units featuring the HD2+ chipset

Ah, that'll be the HT500+ then

Allan

[AD Roser]

Allan,

You are probably right, but we only have what Texas Instrument give us

Regards

Alan Roser
SIM2 UK LTD

[sneaky]

Hi all,

Where can I find details about the Northern Home Cinema Show.

Thanks

Chris

[AD Roser]

Hi Chris,

The Northern Sound & Vision Show is at the Radisson SAS Hotel at Manchester Airport on the 7th & 8th of Feb.

Regards

Alan Roser
SIM2 UK Ltd

[IanW]

So I had to sell my car for my Domino 20, what would I have to sell for a HT500?

Ian.

[RTFM]

Originally posted by IanW
So I had to sell my car for my Domino 20, what would I have to sell for a HT500?

Ian.

Ian, pick one option from the following list

1) Your wife/girlfriend
2) Your soul to the Devil
3) A kidney (preferably someone else's)

Do NOT sell your house, projectors are not at their best in a tent

[IanW]

Originally posted by RTFM
Ian, pick one option from the following list

1) Your wife/girlfriend
2) Your soul to the Devil
3) A kidney (preferably someone else's)

Do NOT sell your house, projectors are not at their best in a tent

RTFM,

1) This is looking more and more likely, the more grief I get over the HC!
2) I think that I may have already done this?
3) But if I did this, I could have a HT500 and maybe another Scoobie again!

Guess I will just have to put up with the Domino 20 for a while longer.

Ian.