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i1 Beamer Projector profiling - Review

An attachment for the i1 Pro to profile projectors.

The X-rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer can measure reflected light with it's own built in light source, or emitted light, such as when profiling monitors or sampling ambient light.

The i1 Beamer attachment is a holder for the i1 which in conjunction with appropriate software, allows you to profile digital projectors.

Keith has been looking at this part of the i1 family of devices and software.

He has covered all the other parts of the family in other reviews, covering monitor, camera, scanner and printer profiling.

There is a complete list of all his other reviews at the end of this article.

Northlight Images prides itself on its independence when giving advice. We do not sell hardware or software and have no direct commercial links with any of the software or hardware vendors that may be mentioned here. See our Review Policy for more information.

Projector Profiling

When asked about colour management I always tell people to start with calibrating their monitor.

Without this first step you are most likely building your colour managed workflow on sand. If you can't be sure an image looks right on your own monitor, then what can you be sure of?

Let's say that you've some images you want to display to clients (or other member of your photo club) and you want to show them at their best with your new digital projector?

Accurate colour and projectors never used to go together...

Digital projectors are now relatively cheap and of higher performance (brightness/contrast/resolution), so that people are more often looking at using them them for 'serious' use.

Just like monitors, they can be calibrated and profiled, although in this case you are profiling the combination of projector and the screen you are projecting on.

Just in case you are still wondering just what this 'Colour management' stuff is, I've a very short guide to colour management page that might be of help - it includes links to other articles on this site and elsewhere. There are also links to further information at the end of this article.

What do you get

The i1 Beamer is the holder for your i1 Pro spectrophotometer.

It's very easy to clip the spectro into place, and the solid metal base gives a sturdy feel to the unit as a whole.

The flip up arm that holds the spectro can be tilted for when it comes to setting up the device for measurement. The holder fits in a space in the i1 carry case.

The second part of the setup, is the software to carry out the profiling. This is actually the Eye One Match software I've looked at in previous reviews.

Eye One Match already has the required features built in, they just need activating with a code corresponding to the serial number of your i1 Pro

Your software licensing information is actually held inside the i1 device itself.

The i1 diagnostics application is used for updating the license. (I'll have more to say on pricing options and the like in the conclusions)

If you look at the underside of the base, you can see a standard 1/4 inch threaded tripod fixing.

The knob sticking out of the side locks the support arm (folded flat in this case).

Data projectors

The screen shot below shows all the various profiling options available in Eye One Match (V3.6.2 in this instance)

Note that I'm looking at the Apple Mac version of the software. The Windows version looks almost the same and has the same functionality (see also the conclusions for other slight differences)

I've selected projector profiling...

The spectro needs calibrating first of all.

This is where the little shutter in front of the sensor comes in.

If you move your mouse over the image below, you can see how the shutter blocks the sensor view and allows the software to calibrate the spectrophotometer output in complete darkness.

For taking measurements I've mounted the device on a small tripod

The tripod allows you to point your i1 accurately at the screen.

You start the positioning process by pointing the unit at your screen

The screen will flash a few colours and display the view below

If you look carefully you can see a small dot, which marks where the software thinks you are pointing the device

If you move your mouse over the image above you can see what happens as you move where the unit is pointing.

After setting the centre of the screen, some black circles are displayed - there's no reason given but I assume it's part of the software making sense of the data from the positioning step.

Then the screen goes lots of different colours, and after some activity, the software invites you to save a named profile for the projector.

That's it ... your projector is profiled.

Advanced features

There are a few more advanced options available, which -might- produce better results for your particular projector.

You can choose the white point of the setup, and the gamma of the display (move your mouse over the screen to see the options)

Conclusions

The i1 Beamer allows you to calibrate projectors quickly and easily

Default settings are native white point and a Gamma of 2.2

Using native white point generally gives a brighter output, which is more important with projectors than normal LCD monitors (which people often set too bright anyway)

The advanced options have some additional info on choices.

You might well find that with some projectors, the display looks better at another setting.

Another issue is lighting in the environment where you are working. The software suggests doing profiling in darkened surroundings.

One slight issue I've had with i1 Match for some time is that I feel the on-line help could be a bit more informative. Don't get me wrong, it's fine for many people using the software, but I've felt that a bit more effort into providing help and explanation would not be wasted.

There isn't a before/after option in the projector profiling, so you might want to use a known test image for evaluation.

• Do note that although it may be tempting to use your own images to test a projector, wait until you are sure it is OK with known images first - I won't ever test anything with any of my own colour images.

PowerPoint and Windows

Microsoft PowerPoint is well known for having no great respect for colour management. It's perhaps better to say that its approach is poorly understood ;-)

Well, while things are getting better in Vista, it's still not the program of choice for presentations requiring accurate colour. Good PowerPoint use takes care (not to mention the stultifying effect its wanton use has had on audiences the world over ;-)

If you get the Beamer upgrade from X-rite then you can also get the "i1ColorPoint Plug In, which turns PowerPoint for PC into a ICC compliant application."

This from the ColorPoint PDF

Some more info on MS use of Colour

Colour management in Word/Excel/PowerPoint from Microsoft
Windows Image Colour Management - Microsoft

Since Northlight Images is an 'Apple Mac only' organisation I've not had a chance to see just how all well this works...

Summary

An upgrade for the i1 to enable projector profiling

i1 Requirements

Macintosh - OSX 10.2 and above
Windows - 2000/XP/XP64/Vista

There are two parts to this product, the actual hardware in the pictures above (~£120 in UK) and the activation code to unlock the appropriate software module in Eye One Match (~£240 (sic) in the UK or a MSRP in the US $295).

Given the not insignificant cost of upgrading hardware and software, it is probably best to buy an i1 solution at the outset, which includes projector profiling if you need it.

I'll include the chart of options from X-rite that I had in the i1 LT review (which does not include projector profiling)

Note that you don't -need- the Beamer holder for the software to work, it just makes it easier to use.

More Info

i1 LT
i1 Design
i1 scanner profiling
i1 Camera profiling with the SG ColorChecker
i1 printer profiling
i1 profile editing
i1 iO automation of measurements
i1 iSis - advanced measuring device
i1 Display 2 Monitor calibration and profiling device from GretagMacbeth - also allows ambient light measurement.
An Introduction to colour management article by Keith and collection of CM info.
Colour management links on this site
The Viewing page - basic monitor set-up
Spyder3Elite - monitor and projector profiling
Reviews - Other equipment and software reviews by Keith.
Why don't my prints match my screen?
A short article showing why there is more to getting your prints to match your screen, than just calibrating your monitor. It's the vital first step, but you do need to consider some other factors for best results.

Other areas of our site that may be of interest...

NEW -- Create your own customised A3 size wall calendar from a choice of 90 of Keith's images. Choose your own images for your own custom printed calendar - 12 months starting any month of the year - many all new images not yet in our main gallery.

Digital Black and White. Keith was recently interviewed about digital black and white photography for a magazine article. We have an expanded version here covering some of his thoughts, techniques and tips for those thinking of trying black and white.

As well as our Commercial Photography services and Training there is a growing collection of photography Articles and Reviews on the site aimed at helping you get the best out of your own photography. We also have a growing collection of Photography related information and links that we hope you find useful.

New site features and some of Keith Cooper's latest work are always covered in the What's New page.

Visiting Leicester or wondering where it is? We have views from the Leicester traffic cameras.