Business screen magazine (1946)

and-piclurc presentation using twelve projectors, prouraninied for automatic projection, in color. The Bureau of .Advertising followed AT&T's presentation with an IS-minute show explaining the specifics of good classified advertising, with emphasis on the important role played by the adtaker, or "ad-visor" as she is now called. Both presentations have been converted to lilnistrips for singlescreen projection, and are available from the Bureau of Advertising. Light, Compact Front Projection Unit for 16mm A self-contained front projection unit so compact it can be shipped by air. land or sea to any part of the world and set up in a matter of minutes has been developed by industrialist Sherman Fairchild and Hollywood engineer Bill Hansard. Called FPC 101, the machine now is being marketed on a sale or rental basis through Fairchild's wholly-ov\ned Front Projection Company. The System's versatility already has been demonstrated on the big screen in Paramount's forthcoming Catch 22 and on the television screen in "Beverly Hillbillies" episodes and Raleigh cigarette and other commercials. An adaptation now has been perfected for use of the equipment in 16 mm. educational and industrial films. Front projection has been attempted on an experimental basis for some 30 years, but not with any degree of success until several vears aco when it was used in sequences of Stanley Kubrik's 200 1 : A SiHice Odyssey. The results won the film the Academy Award for special effects. But it remained for Fairchild and Hansard to refine the process into a compact 1 .500 pounds ( against 4.000 pounds for previous eciuipment), give it a crab dolly mount and simplify tU; operation so that it requires only a two-man crew (eventually this will be cut to one) instead of the four needed for earlier systems. The FPC can be set up in five minutes, according to Hansard, in a gymnasium, vacant store or any such area, thus making it useable as a "cover" set when location photography is halted by bad weather. The unit can operate on AC lines as well as DC. and gear ratios can be set to accommodate the varied power sources of foreign countries. The old triple-head rear projection process equipment required five copies of background plates (three in the machine and two as spares) but FPC 101 needs only two plates, an important cost-reduction factor. Hansard states the new machine is superior because it does not lose focus nor develop hot spots or "halos." It permits a bigger background picture, as wide as 50 feet compared to a 24-foot maximum for rear process, and only two cables are needed against lO-to-15 for the old systems. The FPC already is capable of pan shots and Hansard is working on zooms. The key to the development of the Front Projection Company refinement was a reflective ma terial created by Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company, similar to that used on highway signs. There are about 1.000.000 reflective grains or beads per square inch of screen and each bead functions as a reflective lens. Compact FPC 101 is mounted on a crab dolly, weighs just 1500 lbs. and can be operated by two men. AVCO TV Cartridge Plant Begins Operation 1 he lirsi production facility in this country designed to manufacture magnetic tapes for cartridge television use has begun operation in San Jose. California, according to Frank Stanton, president of Cartridge Television, Inc.. a subddiary of Avco Corporation. The $2 million, 145,000 sq. ft. plant, which will employ 250 technicians and electronics specialists, will begin mass producing blank and pre-recorded tapes for the firm's new home cartridge color television system later this year. The new home cartridge color television system was recently introduced to the public at the Consumer Electronics Show in New York. Called Cartri vision, it will be the first American set to play pre-recorded cartridges in full color with high quality picture presentation on a television receiver, as well as to automatically record television programs off the air, with instant playback and no processing. The system is also designed to make and play cartridges of "home movies," including sound, on blank video cartridges through use of a special camera featuring Instant Replay"^*'. Normal television viewing, of course, will be available when the cartridge system is not in use. The Cartrivision sets, which will be on the market in the spring of 1971, are expected to sell in the S800-$900 range for the combination recording unit and the color television receiver. Admiral Corporation of Chicago recently became the initial television set manufacturer to adopt the new Cartrivision tape deck system. Cartridge tapes to be processed at the San Jose plant will be in 1 5-minute. ."^O-minute, onehour and two-hour formats. Blank cartridges, which will be sold in a distinctive yellow package, can be erased and used again. They are expected to be priced at $24.98 for the two-hour cartridge, $16.98 lor one-hour, SI 2.98 for 30 minutes and $9.98 for 1 5-minute cartridges. No processing is involved. Hundreds of pre-recorded, full length movies will also be made available for rental for as little as $3 in red-coded packages for home viewing. Arrangements have already been made to tape films produced by United Artists and Avco Embassy Pictures, and discussions are under way with other American and European major and independent distributors. In addition, a wide selection of special interest cartridges featuring sports, how-to-do-it projects, business, education and industry topics, documentaries, cartoons and other subjects will be made available for rental or sale. These pre-recorded cartridges, which will be coded black, are expected to retail for from $7.98 to $24.98, depending on length, content, artist and subject. Quality-Bilt Film Shipping Cases • Best quality domestic fibre • Heavy steel corners for added protection • Durable 1" web straps • Large address card holder v/ith positive retainer spring • Sizes from 400' to 2000' OTHER "QUALITY-BILT" ITEMSt Salon Print Shipping Cases Sound Slidefilm Shipping Cases (for Transcriptions & Filmstrips) Filmstrip Shipping Cases (hold up to 6 strips plus scripts) K'rile direct to manufacturer tor catalog SCHUESSIER CASE CO. Div. of l.uduig Ificiustries 2020 W. St. Paul Ave. Chicago, III. 60647 Phone: 312-227-0027 SEPTEMBER, 1970 43