(Topic ID: 125979)

Which is a better mod for the money ... ColorDMD or Invisiglass?

By gweempose

8 years ago


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  • 159 posts
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  • Latest reply 8 years ago by Riffbear
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    Topic poll

    “Which is a better mod for the money?”

    • ColorDMD 205 votes
      83%
    • PDI / Invisiglass 42 votes
      17%

    (247 votes by 0 Pinsiders)

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    There are 159 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 4.
    #51 8 years ago

    I find both invisiglass and color DMd to be two of the best upgrades around for pinball machines, But being you can do two machines in invisiglass for the price of one color DMD it makes it more bang for your buck to me.

    Invisiglass is very addictive. Having one with it next to one that doesn't you can really tell the difference. I have two machines with color DMD and eight with invisiglass.

    #52 8 years ago
    Quoted from o-din:

    being you can do three machines in invisiglass for the price of one color DMD

    Where are you finding Invisiglass for $133?!?

    #53 8 years ago

    In Ca we have to pay sales tax on color DMD, not invisiglass. A color DMD costs around $450.

    #54 8 years ago
    Quoted from o-din:

    In Ca we have to pay sales tax on color DMD, not invisiglass. A color DMD delivered is in excess of $450.

    Do you get tax breaks for buying Invisiglass, because I'll take a road trip out there if 3 sheets are $450.

    #55 8 years ago

    You're right! I got my math wrong. It is two pieces of invisiglass when they are on sale. Buy one get one half off. I wish they had such a deal on color DMD.

    #56 8 years ago

    I really like both mods...both make major, noticeable improvements.....only " clear" advantage PDI has over ColorDMD.....it's available for ALL my machines .....( feeling a little TZ scorn at the moment...)

    #57 8 years ago

    I finally got a good look at invisiglass on a WOZ my buddy has last weekend. I asked him, what is going on with these 'green' streaks on the glass after he windexed it? "that's 150$ invisiglass bud"...I just laughed and thought it looked worse than the metallica glass right next to it.

    COLOR DMD ALL DAY.

    #58 8 years ago
    Quoted from Ballsofsteel:

    I finally got a good look at invisiglass on a WOZ my buddy has last weekend. I asked him, what is going on with these 'green' streaks on the glass after he windexed it? "that's 150$ invisiglass bud"...I just laughed and thought it looked worse than the Metallica glass right next to it.
    COLOR DMD ALL DAY.

    I believe Windex is corrosive to the coating on Invisiglass and PDI glass.
    I don't use Windex and don't have any "green streaks".

    #59 8 years ago
    Quoted from The_Dude_Abides:

    To be fair I get invisible type glass on sale usually comes out to $150-200...

    Where can these "on sales" be found? Thanks.

    #60 8 years ago

    I feel that glare reducing glass is a necessity if you have ceiling light over your games or a lighted topper where glare becomes an annoying problem. To me the annoyance of glare problems outweighs the ColorDMD benefits. You also have to factor in the price of glare reducing glass is quite a bit less than ColorDMD. Only if you don't have those light set-up issues would I say ColorDMD is the better option.

    I do vote for both if you can swing it.

    #61 8 years ago
    Quoted from DCFAN:

    I believe Windex is corrosive to the coating on Invisiglass and PDI glass.
    I don't use Windex and don't have any "green streaks".

    I thought it looked 'shitty'. I guess this would explain that.

    #62 8 years ago
    Quoted from kmoore88:

    Where can these "on sales" be found? Thanks.

    Invisiglass had a sale a couple months ago 3 sheets for $600. The only PDI glass sale I've found was a while ago and it was $50 off widebody glass. I don't think these fantastic deals everyone speaks of come up often or that low. $150-200 sheets of glass are a LOT easier to swallow than $300, even for a major improvement.

    #63 8 years ago
    Quoted from DCFAN:

    I believe Windex is corrosive to the coating on Invisiglass and PDI glass.

    Correct. You should never use Windex on PDI or Invisiglass. I use Sparkle. It's cheap, and it works great.

    Sparkle.jpgSparkle.jpg
    #64 8 years ago

    I'm actually pretty shocked that PDI/Invisiglass isn't getting more votes. I bought 10 sheets of PDI at once, so I got mine for around $250 a sheet (it helps that I was able to drive down and pick them up).

    PDI glass works on any game (even EMs), can be moved to a new game in seconds, and makes a HUGE difference to the clarity of a game's artwork, even in a dark room. A ColorDMD costs more, and only works in some games. If you want to sell the game without it, you have to spend an hour swapping the old one back in.

    The best way to "get" the difference that PDI glass makes is to buy 1 sheet. After a while the difference will be very evident. I would sell one of my games before selling my PDI glass.

    #65 8 years ago

    BTW, I was a PDI glass skeptic for a long time, until I bought 1 sheet and used it for a while. Here's a good pic for showing the benefit.

    Avatar-before-after.jpgAvatar-before-after.jpg
    #66 8 years ago

    They're both mandatory for me. These plus ledocd and Giocd boards add $1k to each machine. Ugh....

    #67 8 years ago
    Quoted from swampfire:

    Here's a good pic for showing the benefit.

    The PDI Glass allows your camera to focus on the playfield and not make the picture blurry?

    #68 8 years ago
    Quoted from DCFAN:

    I believe Windex is corrosive to the coating on Invisiglass and PDI glass.
    I don't use Windex and don't have any "green streaks".

    Yes its important to get Ammonia Free cleaner and use a good micro fiber cloth. Here are two glass cleaners that work pretty well with the glass.

    http://www.amazon.com/Sprayway-S50-Glass-Cleaner-Pack/dp/B001G0RWSG/ref=sr_1_8

    http://www.amazon.com/Funk-Co-Commercial-Original-33-8-Ounce/dp/B006FQQ0/ref=sr_1_1

    Quoted from kmoore88:

    Where can these "on sales" be found? Thanks.

    Usually at Expo's there will be sales and you save from the shipping as well. I got a sheet last year from the BAA open house last CAX. I hope they have it available again!

    #69 8 years ago
    Quoted from swampfire:

    I'm actually pretty shocked that PDI/Invisiglass isn't getting more votes.

    Cuz...it's glass. I can see through my glass just fine. *shrug*. I'm guessing many feel the same. Color DMD is a more unique, cool, and visually satisfying upgrade.

    #70 8 years ago
    Quoted from Rarehero:

    Cuz...it's glass. I can see through my glass just fine. *shrug*. I'm guessing many feel the same.

    I get if it's not your cup of tea but I think many that have tried invisible type glass would agree it definitely is not the same thing as regular old glass. It is an upgrade.

    #71 8 years ago

    Color DMD without question.

    #72 8 years ago
    Quoted from swampfire:

    PDI glass works on any game (even EMs)

    PDI won't fit some bingo machines! Although if I put a sheet of PDI glass resting on top of one, I would instantly quadruple its value.

    #73 8 years ago
    Quoted from TheLaw:

    The PDI Glass allows your camera to focus on the playfield and not make the picture blurry?

    Yes. The camera auto-focused on the reflections in the glass in the "before" picture, but it had no problem correctly focusing on the playfield with PDI glass installed. If I repeat this setup, I'll remember to use manual focus.

    #74 8 years ago
    Quoted from Rarehero:

    Cuz...it's glass. I can see through my glass just fine. *shrug*. I'm guessing many feel the same.

    I accept that some people won't see the benefit. My wife can't see a difference between DVD and Blu-Ray, even on our 120" screen. She's not wrong; she just perceives things differently than me.

    [EDIT] ColorDMD is steep, but I just realized I can sell my old DMD for around $100, so that helps. I'm pretty sure I'm in for a MET CDMD, and maybe JM (loved seeing that one at the LAX).

    #75 8 years ago
    Quoted from swampfire:

    I accept that some people won't see the benefit. My wife can't see a difference between DVD and Blu-Ray, even on our 120" screen. She's not wrong; she just perceives things differently than me.
    When ColorDMD comes down under $300, it will be easier for me to compare its value to my PDI glass. For now $400 just seems too steep to me. I know a lot of my friends agree.

    On a 120" screen should be easy......gets harder as the screen gets smaller, for sure...

    " better" is sort of subjective, kind of like art and science......hard to compare the mods....do different things, and costing isn't equal, either.....the right answer for me is " both".....

    #76 8 years ago
    Quoted from Rarehero:

    I can see the playfield just fine with normal glass. I love DMD animation, and I'd rather have color animation than a sheet of glass that offers a solution for a problem I don't see.

    I find it so strange that there are people like this (and there are plenty).

    The difference to me is absolutely night and day. This is why I have it on all of my pins now..

    And I'm going to go against the grain here, if I could only have one or the other, I'd take my PDI glass over the Color DMD.

    Thank God I don't have to make that choice though, because I love both!

    #77 8 years ago

    I voted for the glass too, because honestly, it's what I look at when playing the game. The honest answer is same as the last few posts though...it's both. Thankfully, I won't have to think about the glass for a while though because my only game that had it is gone now.

    #78 8 years ago

    I'll never purchase invisible type glass unless the prices go way down on them, like under $100. As some others have mentioned, the glare is minimal (I play in the dark) and the glare guards are good enough (for me). However, I'm positively sold on Color DMD for all my games that accept them. Color displays are easily one of the best mods you can buy. I see details in the animations now that I never knew existed with orange.

    #79 8 years ago
    Quoted from swampfire:

    I accept that some people won't see the benefit. My wife can't see a difference between DVD and Blu-Ray, even on our 120" screen.

    She should probably get her vision checked (seriously). Though that's actually kind of an apt comparison because the amount of difference you see can vary depending on the content and the environment. Something like Planet Earth benefits from HD more than something like The Simpsons.

    Most of the time I have no issues with glare, but I played a South Park on location once where the glare from the backbox was just awful. I had to squat down and move my head around to try and see the ball when it was in the back of the playfield. I wonder if using darker colors and backgrounds is something the artists take into consideration when designing a translite.

    I could definitely see a large difference between a WOZ with Invisiglass and one without when they were side-by-side at a show. It helps prevent reflections from the LCD, also.

    So I can appreciate the difference, but I think $300 is pretty steep unless it's a game with particularly bad glare, or your room has lighting issues that cause glare.

    #80 8 years ago

    I do know the first mod that will be in the shop waiting on my AlienLE ( unless Andrew offers as an option)!!!!!

    #81 8 years ago

    I have PDI and invisiglass and just ordered a few ColorDMDs before I saw this thread. In fact, I only learned about colorDMD a couple days ago! That being said, if colorDMD is as awesome as you all say then I can't believe I waited this long. PDI or Invisiglass are awesome. ColorDMD should make these even more awesome!

    #82 8 years ago
    Quoted from The_Dude_Abides:

    I get if it's not your cup of tea but I think many that have tried invisible type glass would agree it definitely is not the same thing as regular old glass. It is an upgrade.

    This is a "showdown thread" so I'm justifying why I'd pick one over the other.

    Quoted from RobT:

    I find it so strange that there are people like this (and there are plenty).
    The difference to me is absolutely night and day. This is why I have it on all of my pins now..

    I think environment is a big factor. I've had plenty of people come over and say "OMG, this is Invisiglass, right!?". I'm like "No, there are just no lights on overhead and the glass is clean".

    I'm happy with the regular glass, my guests are happy with the regular glass....so there's really no way I can justify spending crazy money on new glass for all of my games. I'm already crazy spending what I do on pinball...but $6000 for f*cking glass? Can't do it.

    #83 8 years ago
    Quoted from Rarehero:

    I think environment is a big factor. I've had plenty of people come over and say "OMG, this is Invisiglass, right!?". I'm like "No, there are just no lights on overhead and the glass is clean".
    I'm happy with the regular glass, my guests are happy with the regular glass....so there's really no way I can justify spending crazy money on new glass for all of my games. I'm already crazy spending what I do on pinball...but $6000 for f*cking glass? Can't do it.

    I agree that the environment is a big factor. 3 of my pins have canned/recessed lighting right above them and the glare from regular glass is just terrible.

    Still..I also have pins in other locations with no direct overhead lights, and the PDI/Invisiglass still looks way better to me. The clarity and 3 dimensionality just can't be beat.

    #84 8 years ago

    Yep. Environment is MASSIVE factor for the glass mods... in my condo where there are overhead lights and the games back up to slatted blinds/windows invisiglass is huge. At TPF, where my games have gone every year, invisiglass is still really good.

    In a dark arcade room, eh...I'd live without it, or at least get it second.

    #85 8 years ago
    Quoted from Rarehero:

    This is a "showdown thread"

    .....too funny

    I will admit, when I bought your SM, I even asked you if it was PDI because it was so clean and looked great in a dark corner....

    Then I actually bought my first sheet of PDI ( for TZ) and realized what the fuss was about...now, even Spidey looks better....

    Makes sense to me because I wear glasses...I know first hand how the different coatings make a huge difference in viewing quality for me ( my eyes suck)....

    The only time you get pissed that you bought PDI is when you drop and break a sheet.....one of the worst pinball experiences I've had ( but a great lesson)....

    #86 8 years ago
    Quoted from Rarehero:

    This is a "showdown thread" so I'm justifying why I'd pick one over the other.

    I think environment is a big factor.

    Oh it's all good I was just saying I thought you were wrong and it was an upgrade. Your opinion is just as valid as mine we just see it differently. I think environment does have an impact but even in low light situations the benefit of invisibile glass is a very noticeable upgrade. Have you even tried one sheet? I had your exact same stance but got a good deal on a sheet and I was shocked that I instantly said I will soon but more.

    #87 8 years ago
    Quoted from The_Dude_Abides:

    Have you even tried one sheet? I had your exact same stance but got a good deal on a sheet and I was shocked that I instantly said I will soon buy more.

    Same thing happened to me, and that's why I'm afraid to buy my first CDMD.

    #88 8 years ago
    Quoted from The_Dude_Abides:

    Oh it's all good I was just saying I thought you were wrong and it was an upgrade. Your opinion is just as valid as mine we just see it differently. I think environment does have an impact but even in low light situations the benefit of invisibile glass is a very noticeable upgrade. Have you even tried one sheet? I had your exact same stance but got a good deal on a sheet and I was shocked that I instantly said I will soon but more.

    I have 25 games. I'm not going to put it on one because then I'd have to get it for all. And since I don't even feel the need for one - I'm happy to leave it alone.

    #89 8 years ago
    Quoted from Rarehero:

    I have 25 games. I'm not going to put it on one because then I'd have to get it for all.

    Nah. All you need is one sheet. Then you just move it to whatever game you are playing ...

    #90 8 years ago

    My machines don't like it when I rob them of their invisiglass to put on another. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

    #91 8 years ago
    Quoted from gweempose:

    Nah. All you need is one sheet. Then you just move it to whatever game you are playing ...

    You can save a bundle by just not using the glass at all. Open field for the win! Okay. Maybe with Metallica's airballs.. maybe not.

    #92 8 years ago
    Quoted from MinusWorlds:

    A lot of people use Invisible Glass cleaner.

    I used to use Invisible Glass cleaner.
    But I could never find it after I set it down someplace.

    #93 8 years ago

    Definitely color dmd my games are perfectly fine with a new regular piece of glass with a dmd glare guard

    #94 8 years ago
    Quoted from swampfire:

    Same thing happened to me, and that's why I'm afraid to buy my first CDMD.

    I already made that mistake (installing ColorDMD) on AFM. Now every pin supported by full color that I own will likely have one in them. Costly for sure, that extra CA tax puts an extra little sting to it.

    #95 8 years ago

    It's not just glare that's reduced on pdi glass. It's the absence of nearly any reflection to the glass. It is startling in its effectiveness. I'm wondering how many in the glass doesn't matter camp are judging it off of seeing invisiglass and have not seen PDI glass first hand? The reason being is there is an appreciable difference between PDI and invisiglass. That said, I perfer not to choose so my option is both.

    #96 8 years ago

    Just looking at the poll results.

    If this were a fight, the ref would have stepped in and stopped it long ago.

    (Unless it is one of those terrible refs in the Rocky movies. I mean, dear lord...how many unblocked and undefended shots to the head in a row are you going to allow? And, it wasn't like those hits were weak jabs...it's always multiple haymakers that Rocky can only seem to block with his face).

    Pete

    #97 8 years ago

    I used to think color dmd but I have 3 out of 8 pins with pdi glass and its spectacular. Look at it this way, what do you look at the most when you are actually playing pinball?
    I think the colordmd adds more value to the game but once you start on the invisiglass it's very difficult to go back. Its like playing with no glass. Really.
    Remember when you got your first HD 1080i TV? Would you ever go back to the old SD TV?
    Colordmds are still really cool but for my money I'd take the glass.
    Final conclusion: buy both

    #98 8 years ago

    I track what I have invested in my games, and the PDI glass is not included - I track that separately. The reason is that I consider PDI to be tied to my gameroom. I would only sell the PDI with the game if I HAD to, in order to sell the game.

    #99 8 years ago
    Quoted from gweempose:

    I can't believe this thread has been up for 30 minutes and Neo hasn't popped in yet to expound upon why he thinks non-glare glass is a ripoff.

    I'll do it for him

    I've got 2 games in my house right now with special glass. One is invisiglass and the other is PDI.

    While there is a difference, I still do not find it to be a $300 difference. Ironically enough I feel there is a greater difference when the game is off. When they are on that difference is reduced. Don't know if it's just my playing height as I'm kind of short.

    If I could get in on some sales for it for $100-$150 then I'd get some. At $300 I still feel it's a not a good mod for the money it cost so for me I'd go with Color DMD as the better mod.

    #100 8 years ago
    Quoted from Rarehero:

    I have 25 games. I'm not going to put it on one because then I'd have to get it for all. And since I don't even feel the need for one - I'm happy to leave it alone.

    Cmon Greg.

    $7500 worth of clarity or JUST another pin in the lineup! Fox Studios needs to pay better!

    There are 159 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 4.

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