Those letterbox black bars still got you down? Try an anamorphic alternative that blows the bars off the screen and blows up the image to eye-popping size.

SIM2 Multimedia has expanded its 2.35:1 theater widescreen projection lens systems with the new Home Cinema “Flex” system, a more affordable alternative to the company’s recently introduced flagship Home Cinema “Scope” system. The “Flex” system consists of a high-quality anamorphic lens attachment that allows the company’s projection systems to display movies filmed in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio at their full width without the black bars typical of “letterboxed” systems. It is available with or without a motorized sled to allow remote and automated activation of the lens.

While most high-end home theater displays feature 16:9 widescreen aspect ratios, these systems are still significantly narrower than the 2.35:1 aspect ratio preferred for the finest cinematic releases. To display the full frames of these films, the video system must display black bars on part of the top and bottom of the screen in a process commonly known as letterboxing. Nearly 1/3 of the projector’s resolution capabilities are wasted, and there is decrease in brightness of as much as 20 percent, SIM2 says.

SIM2’s theater-wide “Scope” and “Flex” systems correct these deficiencies through a combination of internal image processing and external optical adjustment. By adjusting one of the projector’s custom user settings, the unit’s scaling can stretch 2.35:1 images vertically, cutting off the unused “letterbox” portions and using the full DMD chip resolution for image reproduction. When this image is projected through the Home Cinema “Scope” or “Flex” lenses, the image is then stretched horizontally to restore the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio of the source material, providing the highest quality image possible using conventional projection systems, says SIM2.

When displaying source material created in other common aspect ratios, such as 1.85:1, 1.78:1 (16x9), or 1.33:1 (4x3), the projector processing is restored to its normal setting, and the anamorphic lens is removed from the projector output. Both the “Flex and “Scope” systems are available with optional motorized sleds that are capable of inserting or removing the anamorphic lens when triggered by IR remote commands, or a whole-home control systems. Each lens system is also available as a standalone unit that is inserted and removed manually.

The Home Cinema “Flex” system is compatible with the D80, Grand Cinema HT3000, and C3X projectors, and is currently available at a suggested retail price of $3,195 for a static system, or $5,995 for motorized system.

SIM2’s Home Cinema “Scope” System, which employs higher quality optics than the “Flex” system, is compatible with the Grand Cinema HT5000 and C3X three-chip DLP projectors only. It is currently available at an MSRP of $8.995 for a static lens system, or $11,995 for motorized system.

Go to www.sim2.com for more. 

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Arlen Schweiger - Managing editor of Electronic House Magazine

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