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Lumagen Radiance Pro Video Processors

cinelife

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Can a Radiance Pro really improve the image of a Strato that much? I've been getting this question a lot recently, and while video quality is to some extent in the eye of the beholder, the short answer is "yes," absolutely, especially given the way many displays are delivered these days, and then you factor in HDR tone mapping, and getting the most out of that tech, and with proper calibration there is certainly an improvement. That's just a start, there are other improvements the Lumagen can bring to your setup, i.e. switching, co-star capabilities, etc..

Although we are a Lumagen dealer, I HIGHLY recommend you consider reaching out to Chris Deering, his service is excellent, and anyone playing around this industry or hobby knows his skill set is second to no one. He sells, programs and calibrates the Radiance line, and he is a great resource for any AV related calibration work. You can find him on this forum, and on AVS. There are of course many excellent dealers, and if you have one you regularly work with, then by all means, give them a call.

My apology if this sounds like influencer marketing, that's certainly not intended, I just want to be sure that if a member is considering a Lumagen Radiance, they get the most out of that purchase. (Besides, I'm no influencer, I can't even get my kids to clean their rooms!) To be clear, no one, no person or company, is paying for these comments in any way, they are solely my personal opinion.

Jim
 
Can only echo above comments Jim! Allow me to add that for those living in Europe or ME(I am sure @Ahmad78 will agree with me) Gordon Fraser in the UK is the one to reach to. He did miracles with my system and he is always helping when I ask for advice or adjustments!
 
Yes agreed! I hear great things about Gordon as well!

Jim
 
I went to Kris Deering to purchase a Lumagen Radiance Pro, Panamorph DCR lens, and calibration of my JVC NX7 projector. The combination is superb, especially with content played from my Strato S.

This thread is about the Lumagen Radiance Pro, but the addition of the DCR lens adds to the image enjoyment, and the Radiance Pro deftly handles the anamorphic elements as well as automagically switching SDR/HDR and aspect ratios. This increase in convenience and picture quality adds to the value of the Radiance Pro. I mean to convey that the Radiance Pro adds to the DCR lens, as well as the DCR lens adds to the Radiance Pro, and the value of each is more together than each has on its own. I'm struggling to phrase this, but the combination is terrific.
 
I have a very complex video chain with multiple different (and uncommon) video formats such as (Japan only) Hi-Vision Laserdiscs (1035i Analog), PAL and NTSC Laserdiscs, D-Theater/D-VHS (1080i Digital tapes), VHS tapes, HD-DVDs, HD-VMDs(HD format war had this third competitor too), Blu-rays, 4K UHD Blu-rays, and now Kaleidescape downloads. I have been using Lumagen video processors for over 10 years from their Vision HDQ days. I have used many other video processors such as Crystalio II, DVDO VPXX (almost all of them), Algolith Mosquito Faroudja NRS and alike over the years. After countless hours of testing over many years with many different player/display/video processor combinations, I settled on the Radiance Pro 5348 and Radiance 2144 to process all these formats to 4K.

Newer displays are pretty accurate out of the box. 4K content is near perfect too. What the Radiance Pro adds is subtle in many cases but you realize its absence once its removed from your system. You can find a lot of opinions on forums on its upscaling, HDR tone-mapping and color management system, I want to mention a couple of much less talked about functions. Most modern displays aren’t true 10 bit. They use something called dithering to replicate the 10 (or 12 bits) look. The dithering on the Radiance is amazing. The audio signal is buffered and dejittered on the Radiance. If you have a revealing audio system, it will improve imaging and the detail. Oh and as a bonus, you get the best support ever from Jim and Patrick. Although I must say Kaleidescape team is pretty awesome too.
 
Kris calibrated my Sony projector and my Lumagen Pro. He has even done remote tune-ups when there were major changes in the Pro. Highly recommended! Also support from the company has always been great. Just upgraded to the 5348 model. SJ
 
Can only echo above comments Jim! Allow me to add that for those living in Europe or ME(I am sure @Ahmad78 will agree with me) Gordon Fraser in the UK is the one to reach to. He did miracles with my system and he is always helping when I ask for advice or adjustments!

Definitely agree with that Kostas. A wealth of knowledge and AV related stories.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I echo the sentiments expressed here. It absolutely elevates the viewing experience. The Dynamic Tone Mapping and aspect ratio management alone justify it's price in my opinion, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. CMS, 3D LUTS, sharpening, unique 3D applications...there are just sooo many capabilities! When you pair a Kaleidescape system with a Lumagen Radiance Pro processor, you end up with the best signal your display can possibly receive.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
I've owned Radiance XS, XE and the Pro, upgrading over time. I found they added a level of complexity I didn't need. Especially now that I have a JVC video projector its free auto-calibration software produces an excellent image I have no need for an external video processor. So I sold the Radiance Pro and connect my Kaleidescape player directly to the projector. It is also a far more reliable experience, it works every time with zero effort or frustration and the resulting picture quality is good enough for me.
 
If you have a projector and big screen, especially like I had (Sony 5000) and like I am probably getting (Christie Digital Griffyn Ultimate AV Edition), the Lumagen Radiance Pro is a must. And if you are a total crazy audiophile like me, the new even more expensive one, the Radiance Pro 5348, is great because it has special low jitter that will give you better HDMI audio (this only applies probably to a minority of us who have played with HDMI vs other digital audio inputs and heard the difference in that HDMI is a more jittery and worse sounding digital interface). I gotta give Jim/Cinelife so much credit - he does this forum and other stuff for us that NO ONE else does.

Now if you have a late model flat panel tv, say 75" or less (I have those and have tested), unless you are the most most finicky, you will find the tv's tone mapping will be fine. Kris Deering has tested this on late model LGs, and I have tried and found this out for myself. I have used Kaleidescape Strato C with my 65" 2019 LG OLED and my 75" TCL Series 8 and the tvs' built-in tone mapping is fine. But with my Sony 5000 what a difference, night and day. And Alan Gouger and Nigel Archer, distributing the Christie projector, also sell and highly recommend the Radiance Pro with their projector as well.
 
Hey B, that's the benefit of being half-blind......😄

Seriously, that does work for many/most folks, especially with only one source, so nothing wrong with that setup, and in the end it's always personal choice. I think another benefit of the Radiance is as a switch for those of us that have many sources in our systems.

Jim
 
Let me add I've owned Lumagen video processors as long as they've been in business!

Also, even with a projector, if you have a small enough screen, you may get away without needing dynamic tone mapping feature of the Lumagen Radiance Pro. I sold my Sony 5000 to a buyer who had for years a Vidikron Vision One CRT, which finally crapped out, so they bought my Sony 5000 - theory being brighter is better. But their beach house has the drop down screen, 76" wide, in a multifunctional living room with views of the ocean on all sides - they can't go wider with the screen. I don't know that dynamic tone mapping would make much of an improvement in the picture on such a small and bright screen!
 
Hey B, that's the benefit of being half-blind......😄

Seriously, that does work for many/most folks, especially with only one source, so nothing wrong with that setup, and in the end it's always personal choice. I think another benefit of the Radiance is as a switch for those of us that have many sources in our systems.

Jim

Absolutely, Ever since Lumagen started, I've used their video processors for switching many different sources as well. And my understanding is that in recent months Lumagen has either implemented or is implementing some sharpening and a 12 bit pipeline which with the right projectors and even flat panels may improve the picture in its own right - I haven't tried this out as my theater is down for upgrading, so I sold my Radiance Pro 4444 and will be getting a 5348 when I get my new projector!

Also, just like "our" Jim is so helpful administering this forum and doing free favors for folks, Lumagen's Jim (Peterson) is fantastic at customer service. He will get on the phone with you as he has for me many times to assist in troubleshooting and working out settings and issues with customer service as good as it gets in the AV industry.
 
Glad to see the lumagen works well. I have one going into my new system and I believe (but maybe be wrong) that Gordon is going to be doing the calibration.
 
I purchased my Lumgaen from Gordon last year, great chap and a real professional in his domain. Unfortunately I didn’t keep the 4120 for too long as my lens to screen throw is 3m and the screen dimension was 21:9 85”, resulting in zooming to the max via my projector and then the lumagen stretching the image to 21:9 to fit my screen. My distance limitation impacted the full lumagen experience.
I certainly miss the tweaking available on the lumagen but I found my panamorph lens provided more light output and smaller pixels (minimal zooming) providing a better picture.
Hopefully down the road I’ll combine both but would rather invest in a terra for now.
 
All—I’ll be shooting a YouTube video comparing the 4-series Lumagen Radiance Processors to the 5-series processor. I will be focusing primarily on the audio differences but will be looking for video noise reduction as well as a result of the improved circuitry.

If there’s anything you’d like to see in the video, let me know. I’ll be shooting this video over the weekend.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Am I correct in thinking that this new model does NOT support all the “new” HDMI 2.1, HDCP 2.3, VRR, ALLM, 120Hz blah…? Am thinking specifically latest gaming consoles
 
It officially has HDMI 2.0 inputs and outputs. Jim at Lumagen mentioned on the AVSforum that 18GHz input/output cards on the 4XXX units and the 5348 supports one or two of the HDMI 2.1 features which would technically qualify it as a HDMI 2.1 device. I don’t recall which but I think it was some low latency mode??
 
There have been revisions to the 4xxxx boards and the 18Ghz input/output cards over the years. Most of these were not publicly explained unless you followed Jim at AVSforum or you often chat with him. Later boards have revised board designs and improved regulators. The capacitors are upgraded too. If you own a 2U unit, you likely own the older boards and potentially the older 18Ghz cards (unless you recently upgraded the cards). The audio (and potentially video) improvements from an older 2U 4xxx to a 5348 would be greater. I don’t believe the 9Ghz input/output cards have been revised.
 
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