Year book of motion pictures (1950)

sealed compressors, condensers, fans and blowers, heat transfer surfaces, washers, dehumidifiers, electronic air filters, motors, motor control and safety switches. The electronic air filter is the newest design and has recently been installed in some theaters to reduce air-borne dust particles, resulting in definite saving with respect to redecorating, cleaning of drapes and rugs. Combined with germicidal lamps, the electronic filter with vear-around air conditioning creates safe and healthful atmospheric conditions in the theater. SOUND EQUIPMENT THE THEATER equipment section of RCA last year came out with a new line of weatherproof in-car speakers and junction boxes that made available to drive-in operators an unusually wide variety of high-grade equipment. Of special interest was a junction box featuring dual-beam roadway and post lighting designed to expedite the movement of traffic. To protect the eyes from glare the light sources are hooded. An additional feature is a concession signaling light. The speaker retains individual volume control, high-quality tone system, and extra-strong case. The housing cannot be tampered with. Thirteen different sound systems with power ratings of from 70 to 1000 watts and the same number of projection systems were included in the 1949 drive-in line. RCA’s 1950 line of in-car speakers and junction boxes revealed a touch of the glamor achieved in indoor theaters by soft lighting effects and sparkling decorative finishes. Housings sport a new finish that, be| sides improving the appearance of the speakers, dramatically adds to the night-time visibility of speaker locations. For the budgetconscious drive-in operator there is included a "cast-in hanger” design for junction boxes offering an alternative to the rubber-covered wire or aluminum basket-tvpe speaker receptacle. WESTREX CORP. augmented its line of theater equipment bv a 100-w'att amplifier system held capable of providing an abundance of power for very big houses. What is reputedlv the first 100-w'att theater 1 amplifier built as a single unit without linking smaller amplifiers inefficiently in parallel is a feature of the system. The company holds that crystal-clear and undistorted ■ound will be reproduced even at full power. MOTIOGRAPH. INC., of Chicago, announced a new extremely lightweight in-car speaker featuring great strength, attractive appearance, improved sound, long life and low' maintenance cost. The round housing is in two pieces of moulded plastic 1 with a flexural strength of 10,000 pounds per square inch and a tensile strength of 9,000 pounds per sauare inch, permitting unusually rough handling. The housing encloses a large five-inch weather-proofed speaker unit. Independent consultant’s report shows that the speaker housing will withstand 100 per cent humidity and 200-degree dry heat tests. the equivalent of three years’ outdoor exposure, without warping, chipping, cracking, or marring the lustrous mahogany-colored finish. Rain, snow and extreme temperatures have no effect on the housing, which can be disassembled by the simple removal of two special patented screws, making for easy servicing. Moulded into the front of this speaker housing is a large handle which makes for ease of handling. The hanger, also an integral part of the housing, permits hanging the speaker on the door or window without marring the car or speaker. THE BALLANTYNE Soundmaster in-car speaker came into being in 1949. Improvements in the 1950 model include heavier speaker cone and voice coil with heavier magnet, extended louvers on the speaker face and a rubberoid-covered speaker hanger that will not mar or scratch an automobile when it is hung inside the car. Simplicity of design, durability in the field and nominal maintenance costs are credited to the new' Ballantyne 1950 MX-40 Series speaker. The internal speaker cone, voice coil and volume control are exactly the same as those in the 1949 Soundmaster. The only difference is in the case, which, instead of being cast aluminum, is a smooth, lightw'eight heavy-gauge steel press job to which has been applied a high-gloss, baked-on enamel finish. The internal speaker cone is fully water-proofed and the voice coil completely enclosed. AL BOUDOURIS, president of Theater Equipment Co., Toledo, announced that his firm’s in-a-car speaker for drive-in theaters was available for national distribution. Thousands of "Teca” speakers have been installed and in use for two years in the Middle West before the expansion of distribution. The average parts maintenance cost per season is said to have been less than one cent per speaker. “Teca” speakers are built for all weather conditions and have a cast aluminum case which is so strong that it can be run over by a car without damage to either case or mechanism. They are equipped with a built-in volume control. The “driver unit” of this speaker has been carefully engineered and designed to assure a natural tone and give highest power sensitivity. Speakers plug in and lock, making if difficult for anyone to steal them. The cast aluminum junction box clamps on. 707