CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

**kal**

The new EyeOne Display 3 colorimeter: A true game changer!

dis·rup·tive tech·nol·o·gy: "a new technology that unexpectedly displaces an established technology by providing substantially new or improved functionality or similar functionality at a significantly lower cost."

The new X-Rite Display 3 colorimeter is truly groundbreaking and certainly disruptive: It performs three times faster and is able to read lower light levels than our previously recommended general purpose meter, the Chroma 5. Better features, better performance, and at a substantially lower cost as well!

Sorry Chroma 5, but the new Display 3 is our CurtPalme.com recommended best sub-$1000 meter for video calibration on the market today.

The new X-Rite Display 3 offers near professional performance at a price affordable to any enthusiast. In fact, its performance is so close to professional colorimeters, such as the Klein K-10 or X-Rite’s own Hubble, than it has become extremely difficult to justify purchasing such devices that come in at 10-20 times the cost of the Display 3.

When it comes to home theater calibration, the color analyzer is often the weakest link in measuring and adjusting a display device. Because of the unprecedented price/performance ratio of the Display 3, it is most certainly one of the most important products ever developed for display calibration. Technology marches on!

For complete details on the performance of the new Display 3 including videos, see our new Display 3 order page.

A new Display 3 PRO is also now available for order that takes the meter one step further and offers substantially enhanced accuracy across multiple display types.

More information: http://www.curtpalme.com/ChromaPure_EyeOneDisplay3.shtm

Kal

WTS · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1276 Location: Calgary

HI Kal,

Now that sounds like a winner - the pro version that is. Hmmm I'll have to think about getting one these.

**kal** · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:51 pm Post subject:

Yup. The fact that it's $140 cheaper than the Chroma 5 and is x3 faster, reads down to 10% stim without problems, *and* is non-contact.... makes it a no-brainer!

Check out the speed video on our order page that shows how much faster it reads than the (already fast) Chroma 5. Frankly I'm shocked. It reads more like a Hubble or K-10 than a $299 device!

I've been in the market for a new meter for some time now... my others are getting a bit "long in the tooth" and it was also time to upgrade to something better. The Chroma 5 was the obvious choice but I kept putting it off (too much other stuff on the go) and figured I'd purchase it once I get the HT back up in the new house.

Then earlier this month I find out about this unit (couldn't say anything) and I was frankly shocked that the manufacturer would increase performance so much in one unit and *drop* the price as well. Normally these sorts of performance increasese would be included in 2-3 models over many years to get people to spend more. Wink

IMHO they could have easily doubled the MSRP price of this thing around $600 and it would have sold well and been a good deal.

Tom's mentioned that this thing is "disruptive technology" which is a term I really like. It fits. This thing is basically going to squash any meter sales in the $300-$1000 range. The Display 2/LT will probably still exist at the really low end in terms of price. When you go higher in price however there really isn't anything until you spend closer to $3000 for something like a Hubble. It's a very large gap and the difference in performance frankly isn't that great (there are other intangibles like a laser guided sight, more robust case, etc. but hard to justify the x10 price difference).

Kal

WTS · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1276 Location: Calgary

So is the PRO version only available when used with Chromapure software? Meaning is the enhanced version (PRO) done through software in Chromapure or can it be used with say HCFR too?

**kal** · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 5:49 pm Post subject:

The PRO version is software based and can only be used in ChromaPure. Same as the Display 2/LT PRO, the Chroma 5 PRO, and the DTP-94 PRO.

Kal

P.S. I've also updated the the FAQ "Which meter is right for me?" to put things in perspective a bit. See: http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=126927
I'm sure there will be tweaks over time...

WTS · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1276 Location: Calgary

Thanks Kal that's what figured. As long as this new Display 3 retains it's cal longer than the other lower priced units it's a good deal.

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Lets see what it can do down to 5% on my blend. Down low is where the issues of blending lie. I watched the video so this might be the probe I need.

I have the CP pro version, can you E-mail me the price for the probe alone Kal.

Athanasios

**kal** · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:17 pm Post subject:

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Got it!

Athanasios

Phil Smith · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 7717

I can't find this unit on the web. Is it a forum exclusive?

**kal** · Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 2:28 pm Post subject:

Official X-Rite page is here: http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?id=1454

Doesn't really talk about home theatre however, best you refer to my page here if you want details. Wink

: http://www.curtpalme.com/ChromaPure_EyeOneDisplay3.shtm

Kal

dochlywd · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:55 pm Post subject:

Is this supported by the calman software? And if so, do you need to have an Add on license?? I have the v4 Enthusiast software currently and only use it once or twice a year so I don't want to into anything too "heavy" as far as new software and all.

Thanks!
Doc

**kal** · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 6:07 pm Post subject:

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

The Spectracal unit comes with a tripod extender, head and special case according to Haflich.

As soon as Nash tests this unit and gives the thumbs up, then I will either buy this or the i1 Pro bundle.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

Nash is taking his sweet time, but its not like he's an agent for us. Very Happy

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

**kal** · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:28 pm Post subject:

If you guys want to speed up Nash doing his testing, buy some of his bellows! Wink

Link: http://www.curtpalme.com/MarqueeBellows.shtm

Kal

bobkatz · Joined: 03 Jun 2009 Posts: 2 Location: Orlando, FL

I got real excited about the new Eye One Display 3, I salivated, and I ordered one just 3 days ago. Then I had a rude awakening. Maybe there's an answer to my dilemma. Let me tell you my story.

I think there are three kinds of video geeks:

1) The ones who are interested in calibrating their home theatre monitor.
2) The ones who are graphic designers or work with graphic designers who wish to produce a color profile for their reference computer monitor.
3) The ones who belong to both groups!

I belong to both of these groups! My wife is a graphic designer who needs a good monitor profile, and I also have a high-quality home theatre with a monitor that needs to be calibrated. Why should I need two different colorimeters? But it appears that I do have to spend unnecessary money on an extra meter, unless there is a solution. Let's see if there is.

I assumed (wrongly) that the Eye One Display 3 came with the MacIntosh software for creating a color profile. I was wrong.
The rude awakening came when yesterday I asked your Chromapure calibrator a related question prior to his calibrating the meter and sending it to me. Is it against the rules for me to mention his name? He's a wonderful, talented person, well-respected. I learned that the Eye One Display 3 which CurtPalme sells is an OEM version which only works with ChromaPure and does not come with Profiler software. Unfortunately, the OEM meter does not come with the profiler software that normally comes with Eye One products. So I had to cancel the Eye One Display 3 Pro order and ask for a refund on my Credit Card...

There are a couple of lesser quality meters that come with the profiler software that can also be used with the ColorHCFR program (such as the Eye One Display LT and the Spyder). But the Eye One Display 3 is a breakthrough and so affordable that I can't see compromising the quality of measurement with the lesser meters. X-Rite sells the retail version of the Display 3 called the "i1Display Pro". This meter only comes with the profiler software and is not intended to be used for an external home theatre monitor. I wonder, though, if the .dll file that comes with this software will be readable by ColorHCFR, much as the .dll files that come with the Display LT and the Spyder. This seems to be my only possibility, short of my clobbering my own program to read the Colorimeter's output. What a waste of a good meter, not to be made available for external device measurement.

Anyone have any ideas? What are the chances of this meter's .dll being readable by ColorHCFR?

bobkatz · Joined: 03 Jun 2009 Posts: 2 Location: Orlando, FL

I just found a related thread in the AVS forum about this issue of retail vs. OEM:

"Based on my own previous experience with an OEM I1 Pro, the answer is likely to be "no". I had to purchase a license key from X-Rite to allow my spectro to use I1Match for monitor profiling (this was years before CalPC was available). The key was written to the meter using I1 Diagnostics software. The same type of setup would have to be available for the Display 3."

Would anyone have any experience in how I can get through the quagmire of the XRite site to see if possibly I can purchase a license key to use the i1Match software with the meter that KurtPalme sells?

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

Right now it looks like a cluster mess. I think it will take a couple of weeks for this to sort out once the meters start shipping. Calman has said that CalPC should work with it, but I would hold off till there is a bunch of people (guinea pigs) to test these. I plan on looking at these and asking questions at Cedia. Hopefully Tom will be available.