International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1949)

©C1B 198474 UM2719-;9 INTERNATIONAL R0JECTI0NIS1 With Which Is Combined Projection Engineering HENRY B. SELLWOOD, Editor Volume 24 JUNE! 1949 / Number 6 Index and Monthly Chat 3 Distortion Factors in Sound Reproduction 5 Robert A. Mitchell Nylon Gears on the RCA '400' 16-mm Unit 8 Addenda: 'Matched' Projector Optics 11 R. H. Cricks Robert A. Mitchell 'Stilb' and Other Irritants Reduced to Americanese 12 The Effect of Carbon Cooling on High-Current Arcs 14 Wolfgang Finkelnburg Letters to the Editor 17 In the Spotlight 18 Polarity Is Strictly Relative . . 20 A. Buckley Book Review 22 Harry Shiftman, Student of Labor Relations 23 IA Election 27 News Notes Technical Hints Miscellaneous Items Published Monthly by INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST PUBLISHING CO., INC. 19 West 44 Street, New York 18, N. Y. R. A. ENTRACHT, Publisher SUBSCRIPTION REPRESENTATIVES AUSTRALIA: McGills, 1^3 Elizabeth St., Melbourne NEW ZEALAND: Te Aro Book Depot,\Ltd., 64 Courtenay Place, Wellington ENGLAND and DOMINIONS: Wm. Dawson ksons, Ltd., Macklin St., London, W. C 2 Yearly Subscription: United States and possessions, $2.50 (two years, $4); Canada and foreign countries, $3; single copies, 30 cents. Changes of address should be submitted two weeks in advance of publication date to insure Veceipt of current issue. Entered as second-class matter February 8, 1932, at the Post Ofi\ce at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Entire contents copyrighted 1949 by International Projectionist Publishing Co., Inc. International Projectionist is not responsible for personal opinions appearing in signed articles in its columns. MONTHLY CHAT Not So Random Thoughts: When Tv penetrates into towns such as Syracuse, N. Y. (with other locales of 150,000 population that lie on the coaxial cable line due to debut within the next few months) the conclusion that there must be "something" there for the Tv boys is inescapable. Without regard to the quality of Tv images at present, one's thoughts inevitably hark back to the era when radio and dog tracks and Bingo were regarded as the prime opposition to the theatre box-office for the almighty dollar which keeps you, and you. and us and a lot of other people in the exhibition field going along. Nobody knows at the moment just how the theatre box-office will fare when 100 more Tv outlets are spotted in Syracuse, in Hartford, in Indianapolis, in Columbus, in Portland and in like towns. But that such Tv outlets are definitely opposition to the theatre box-office may not be reasonably denied. We commend to our readers, and particularly to those forward-looking individuals who can see beyond their noses, the lead item of "In the Spotlight" on page 18 of this issue. Tv activity is certainly not going to sponge-up all the losses certain to be incurred by the theatre field as a result of the incursions of Tv within the next year, but it cannot fail to provide a cushion for the terrific impact which IP thinks Tv will exert against the motion picture theatre as presently constituted. Half a loaf . . . ARTICLES appearing in recent issues of IP have lately been the focal point of interest for motion picture technicians the world over — with particular emphasis upon those cinematicians in the British Isles, who not only are convinced that post-war British projectors are the "last word" in design and performance but also refuse to accept the IP conception of the ideal projection optical setup. For all too long now projectionists have extended varying degrees of acceptance to those equipment units -^hich, issued by a reputable manufacturer, were purchased upon the basis of representation rather than performance day-in and day-out. The time has long since passed when projectionists need accept any equipment other than on the basis of detailed data, supported by impartial performance records, of not only what but how; in other words, how does a given unit get that way. IP has ever sought to be provocative in terms of providing food for thought, as opposed to the mere ladling-out of data which is more or less the sugarcoating on fundamentals. The hackles rising on the neck of our British and other contemporaries merely serves to prove that IP still is in there serving up those data which best serve to advance the interests of the art and the craft. INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST • June 1949