Marquee HD Mods by Draganm

We are proud to offer these special Marquee HD mods for you to bring your Marquee CRT projector (or clone) back up to spec and offer even greater performance.

These upgrades are offered for the Marquee series of CRT projectors and clones. These machines are 10-14+ years old now so some preventative maintenance will insure continued reliable operation. If your machine is an un-touched (unmodified) original you will also see a performance increase from this upgrade: 10-20% resolution increase for Blu-ray, better colours, and less smearing/streaking.

This is a CurtPalme.com recommended and approved service.

Which projectors are included with this service?

The following Electrohome Marquee CRT projectors and clones are covered under this service:

• Marquee 8000, 8110, 8110+, 8500, 8500LC, 8500LC Ultra, 9000, 9500LC, 9500LC Ultra
• Accurate Imaging Technologies Accurate 8, 9, XL
• Accurate Imaging Technologies Integrated 8
• Accurate Imaging Technologies Modular 8,9
• Accurate Imaging Technologies Ultimate 8-X, 9-X
• Crystal View CV-1, CV-2, CV-3
• GTT Audio Video HT Reference 8, 9
• Madrigal MP-8, MP-9
• Reference Imaging CinePro 8x, 9x, 9x Elite
• Spatz Tech RE8000, RE9000, RE9500
• Theater Automation Wow (TAW) HD-800, HD-900
• Vidikron Vision 1, 2, 3
• Visual Dynamics Reference 8/9

Which boards are modified?

The following critical boards are modified:

• Convergence
• Stigmator Amp
• Vertical Deflection
• Horizontal Deflection
• Focus Module
• All 3 video neck boards

There is approximately 10 hours of labour involved. It is slow, precision work requiring extensive before and after testing.

This modification brings the following improvements to your Marquee projector:

• Sharper focus
• Reduction in video streaking/smearing
• Increased colour saturation/more accurate colours
• Increased convergence stability (less drifting)
• Lower running temperatures for improved reliability and longer life span

If your trusty Marquee is drifting a little bit and requires regular touch-ups (even after warm-up), then it's likely there's some tired parts on that 10+ year old projector.  An improperly running projector will have more problems over the long run. Just like changing your oil, certain parts should be replaced in your Marquee projector to ensure a long, trouble free life span.

On our test bench we've now seen many times now how a stock machine has very poor spot-size capability: Test pattern grid lines are simply too fat. After the modifications the focusing and spot size are much better. We would go as far as to say that an original 10+ year old Marquee fed a native Blu-Ray HD signal is losing at least 10-20% of the picture quality and resolution without these Marquee HD mods.

Pictures

Below are pictures of some of the boards that are modified. Not all boards are shown.

Horizontal deflection board:

Convergence board:

Stigmator Amp and Vertical Deflection boards:

Video RGB neck boards (x3):

How long does it take to have my boards modified?

Typical turn around after the boards are received is usually 2 weeks assuming multiple orders aren't all received at the same time. There is approximately 10 hours of labour involved. It is slow, precision work requiring extensive before and after testing. Contact DraganM with any questions.

Do the boards have to be in working condition? Do you fix boards?  

All boards must be in working condition. This is not a repair service. The boards will be tested both before and after the modifications. If your boards are defective (your projector does not power up) you will need to contact Curt Palme (curt@curtpalme.com) first to have the boards repaired. Curt can repair your boards. He does not offer this Marquee HD mods service.

How do I remove and package my boards for mailing? How do I re-install the boards?

These modifications requires some very basic ability to follow instructions and remove/re-install your boards.
See this document for detailed instructions with pictures: Marquee Board Removal and Re-Installation (500Kb PDF file).

What is the High Performance Bellow Replacement service you offer?

This service is for people who do not want to undertake replacing tube bellows themselves. For complete information on what bellows are and when/why they should be replaced see the Marquee High Performance Bellows order page.

FAQ

How do I know if I need this done to my Marquee?

Generally speaking, after 10 years (check the date on the sticker next to the power cord) they all need it but here's a simple test: On a 16:9 widescreen projection turn on your video source at 1080i or 720p for a Marquee 8110/8500 or 1080p for a Marquee 9500. Now pull up the jail-bar (pluge) video test pattern by pushing the # button a few times on the remote. Look at the squares in the center of the screen. If your set-up is done well you should clearly see scan lines at both 1080i and 720p on an 8110/8500 and at 1080p on a 9500. If not, then your machine is probably running out of spec and will benefit greatly from the modifications.

I already have the Mike Parker video chain upgrade done, do I still need this modification done?

YES, even more so than a stock machine. A hot-rodded video chain is only good as the deflection and focus circuitry it relies on to control the electron beam and "paint" the raster on the tube face. By upgrading the video chain and ignoring the rest the machine (weakest link), you place even more strain on an already tired projector. Note: If you have the MP mods then I do NOT need the 3 neck-boards and you will be refunded $50 after payment and you do not need to send in your 3 neck-boards.  

My projector has problems currently, every once in a while it shuts down. Will this service fix my machine?

No. This type of problem is usually caused by a fault in the low or high voltage power supplies, or possibly by a leaking high voltage wire. If you hear an occasional SNAP inside your projector and the set shuts down you need to repair this ASAP. Contact DraganM for instructions and do NOT run the machine in this condition.

My marquee has very high hours on it. Are the mods worth it? Are they any other mods that need to be done?

The service listed above is most definitely needed for high hour machines. In addition, if you have over 15,000 hours on your machine you may benefit from some modifications to your Control Module (CLM) as well. Contact DraganM for more information and pricing. If you have a high hour machine that is unable to maintain sync at higher frequencies (ie: you are able to display 480p but are unable to display 720p or higher for any length of time) then this extra service is for you.

Reviews/Testimonials

"Hi Dragan, I received them on Friday and installed them back right away. The picture looks very good. Contrast is much better and 1080P black looks close to when I set it up at 960 x 1440. No more black tinted with slight gray tone. I don't know why but I think color saturation has also improved. Now I see excellent color depth and tone. I also think the resolution has increased a lot when watching movies, though I can't verify it on my computer screen (I am using an HTPC). Thanks for your excellent work! I think it's worth every penny and I recommend it to any marquee owner." - Steven

"It's been mentioned many times on the AVS forums that you simply cannot get 1080P on a Marquee 8500 but since the projector now has 44,000 hours and getting on in age, at least I can get it rebuilt and enjoy what the projector is capable of doing. I purchased Cox HD cable service and a Samsung 1400 Blu-Ray player and set both for 1080i. Stunningly beautiful picture. Along with a new Moome HD internal card with Gamma Correction this setup up blew away my old Home Theater computer in all ways I can think of. Clearer, brighter, vivid, 3D. I was really happy with my home theater but was a little frustrated that I paid for a 1080p Blu-Ray player but was not able to enjoy 1080p. I believe this is one of the reasons why the projector fan base is fading in the last year. So, I called Dragan and we discussed doing these projector upgrades. I agree'd to have him upgrade every board in the projector. A short few weeks later I got all my boards back and put it all back together. First thing I did notice was his superb packaging. No doubt that when he ships something it will arrive safely. Definitely saving this packaging to re-use someday. Examining the boards, I must say, really good solder work. Very clean and professional. It's amazing how many capacitors and resistors he replaced. Glad I didn't have to do it. WOW, You know how you can't see anything can be better until you see it. This is definitely the case here. Originally I didn't think my projected image could be bettered. These upgrades didn't just improve the image quality 20%, I would say it was 200 to 300%! It's a funny thing about percentages, 100% means its double the amount. Well, I have to say, being a subjective thing, my image quality is 3 to 4 times greater in clarity, resolution, and vividness. Now I can truly say my picture is 3D. It's like I got an entire new projector. Convergence is rock solid, test patterns are razor sharp. Spot size is exact. Scan lines are easily seen. Before, I could not see scan lines at 1080i easily. Dragan from the beginning advised me that something was wrong. The boards were getting old and I should be able to see scan lines easily at 1080i. After the upgrades, not only was scan lines at 1080i are easily seen but also at 960p. But that is not the biggest news. My projector does 1080p !!!!  No, I do not see scan lines very easily at 1080p. They are there, but hard to see. But! Doing an A/B back and forth between 1080i and 1080P on my Blu-Ray player is an amazing difference. The picture is so much more sharper. Now we are strictly watching all movies in 1080P. Now of course, when we have guests over to watch a movie they are properly amazed. Even those snooty un-educated 1080p LCD owners are impressed. Where before they only focused on picture sharpness and turn their noses up at the "softer" image of a CRT projector. I can't say enough how happy I am with these upgrades. Highly recommended. Here is a link to my project website with Pics of the earlier stages of my home theater." - StylinLP

"Here are my impressions after installing the Dragan HD Marquee modifications (6/24/09): I have a 1996 Electrohome 9500LC, currently at 4000 hrs on original tubes with Mike Parker ‘Micron’ mods (-03VIM & NB’s) installed in January 2009. For a while, I have been considering Dragan’s Marquee HD board modifications mostly from a reliability and stability standpoint for my aging Marquee. I was not really looking for further PQ improvement, as I have been very pleased with the image quality from MP’s latest mods. However this month, I had Dragan go ahead and update the deflection, focus, Stig, and convergence circuitry (5-boards). Upon re-installation, I was presented with a noticeable sharper focus and more 3-dimensionality, better resolution of detail in both the foreground and background, and silky smooth images with reduced noise in the picture overall. Furthermore, the picture seems more transparent, like a thin layer of film was removed when looking through a glass window. Blacks seem blacker, shadow detail more defined and color saturation more intense. This is all discernible with scaled video, but when viewing a native HD source these improvements really standout. It’s funny many of the same improvements I noted after installing the MP mods have been further enhanced upon with Dragan updates. So, in terms of value, it’s a winner for the improvements yielded in picture quality, and the rear heatsink definitely runs cooler after the upgrades to the boards, another good benefit. I highly recommend Dragan’s Marquee HD modifications, his soldering work is top notch and his turn-around time was excellent, I had the boards back in the projector in less than a week. Once installed, only a minor touch-up of convergence and greyscale tracking was required." - Mike in CA

"Ever since your maintenance work my 9500LC is working very solidly and trouble free, and the picture quality is just amazing ... Nowadays, I am watching more Blu-ray movies than ever before! Thanks for your help in achieving higher performance in home theater setup." - Steve

"At last my theater is close to completion. The picture looks great. I did a full set up over the weekend ... I got great results ... the color looked great. Thanks for all your help, I feel that I am an actual CRT tech all over again. Interesting comparison to a digital projector (older Sony LCoS unit that was suppose to be pretty good for its day did not even hold a candle to the CRT).
Very happy with the results." - Stephen (Vidikron Vision 1 owner with full HD mods and CLM rebuild)

Need more information? See the official 'Marquee HD Mods by DraganM' thread in our forum.

Questions? Email us at: draganm@curtpalme.com