Fabricating a Custom Anamorphic Lens Solution for the Xgimi Titan Noir Series

Original Post: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/fabricating-a-custom-anamorphic-lens-solution-for-the-xgimi-titan-noir-series.3350983

It has been close to two years now since the conception of the initial idea of creating a custom Anamorphic solution for a worthy projector came to be. The road proved to be long and twisty, but with the support and enthusiasm from a myriad of enthusiasts, the concept became reality, and dozens of Spexman Anamorphic lenses are currently being enjoyed worldwide in various home theatre set ups. Recall, these were the goals: to create a custom lens that is easy to use/set up, exhibits excellent image quality via cylindrical optics, and is affordable. Creating a custom lens is desirable as it complements the projector and produces optimal optics. During the course of evolution of the Spexman, other ‘worthy’ projectors came to be, and we were ‘flattered’ by enthusiast feedback and demand asking us to consider fabricating Anamorphic solutions for those projectors as well.

Anyone reading this thread is certainly aware of the buzz the Xgimi Titan Noir Series has created and the success of its Kickstarter program. Thanks to the gracious support from enthusiasts, Xgimi listened to your requests, contacted us, and sent us a Noir to work on(a big thank you to Xgimi for both listening to your requests and for sending out a unit to perfect our design on). And so, our work began with much ambition. Our goal was to create a sliding mechanism/mount such that it would satisfy both ‘camps’; those who prefer to keep the lens on permanently and those that prefer to ‘slide it out of the way’ for non 2.39:1 material. The inclusion of lens memory in the Noir series particularly makes the slide in/out modality a win-win(and allows 16:9 screen users a more convenient way to enjoy the benefits of an anamorphic lens too). Another goal was to make the Noir compatible with the Spexman Modular system recently introduced on the Valerion Max such that the ACE for the Max can be used for the Noir, and vice-versa. For those that have not read about our ACE, information can be found on our website, Spexman Anamorphic - Cinematic Vision, and on this post: https://www.avsforum.com/posts/64779403/

Finally, we thought it appropriate to design a custom ACE barrel to compliment the lines and aesthetic of the Noir.

Below are photos and a small video of our progress so far, which is very close to final production(permission for the use of the Xgimi logo was granted for this prototype and may not appear on the production run):

Video Link:

As you can see from the video, we have tried our best to design it as per our mission statement--easy to set up and use. The mount snaps into place and stays permanently mounted. The lens is inserted into the mount and stays there. Then, the user simply slides the lens in and out of the way. Easy peasy.

Just like the Valerion Max, it will come with two mount options: ‘Straight on’ for those that mount their projector near the screen’s vertical midline, and ‘Vertical Offset’, for those that mount their projector near the top of the screen(ceiling mount).

Ben and I would really appreciate if we can gauge the interest for this product such that we can be prepared on our end. Please follow the link below to show us your level of interest. Again, we thank the community for their camaraderie and support.

Survey Link: XGimi Titan Noir Interest Survey