Author: DOuG pRATt

Getting In Tune

I’m listening to TuneIn…

… I’m reading Tune In…

… and I’m watching Toon In.

Toon In with Me deserves attention and praise for multiple reasons. The show appeals to kids and adult animation fans alike. Although most of the cartoons are from Warner, Fleischer, and MGM, they dig fairly deep into those catalogs. Obviously offensive titles are avoided, so you won’t see “Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips”.

New viewers will quickly learn the names Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, and Chuck Jones. Helpful historical context is provided for cartoons that go as far back as the 1930’s. Each episode of Toon In has a theme, and there are plenty of hokey comedy bits between the cartoons. All that’s missing is a studio audience.

Projecting into the Past

The least expensive video projection system with a laser light source is from Epson.

The most expensive digital projection systems with a laser light source are, of course, in movie theaters. I lost track of this link to a story that I meant to post ages ago. When the Covid pandemic hit, Sony decided to abandon the market, rather than pursue lasers as a light source.

https://www.digitalcinemareport.com/news/sony-stop-manufacturing-digital-cinema-projectors

Sony’s home projectors were also affected by the problem of UV light damaging imaging devices. The technology is called LCoS. It’s an LCD variant where light doesn’t pass through the panel, it’s reflected.

UV comes with the visible light from the UHP lamps found in every video projector before LED’s and lasers. When first reading about this problem I panicked, because my JVC projector uses LCoS. JVC issued a statement that their proprietary LCoS panels are not affected. Whew!

After ten years, my JVC DLA-HD750 is halfway through the lifespan of its third 2,000-hour UHP lamp, and I continue to be impressed with the image quality.