Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1951)

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF Theatre TV Equipment —explained for managers and projectionists in a series of articles By AARON NADEL 4. Simplex Direct TV System THE NUMBER and variety of equipments capable of delivering a large-screen television image have become considerable. Those theatremen who are not very close to large-screen TV developments may find the multiplicity of apparatus somewhat confusing. It may be well, therefore, to review the situation. Three general types of theatre TV equipment are on the stage at the present time. Two of these types are on sale. The third has been impressively demonstrated, but is still in the development stage, though expected to be ready soon. The foregoing statements refer to black-and-white equipments only. Apparatus for putting full-color TV on large theatre screens is another matter and will be dealt with later in this series. Considering black-and-white only for the present, there are, as said, three general types of equipment. And one of these types must be sub-divided into two different varieties. First of these three black-and-white types is called “direct” theatre TV and may be understood well enough for practical purposes by regarding it as an ultrapowered, ultra-refined home television receiver equipped with special projection optics that enable it to throw its picture onto a large theatre screen. “INTERMEDIATE” SYSTEM Second of the black-and-white types is called “film-intermediate.” In this type the whole of the video apparatus constitutes only one component. Additional components are a motion picture camera, an automatic and fast-acting film developer, and a motion picture projector. The video image is photographed on moving film. A continuous strip of film has previously been threaded through camera, developer and projector. The TV program, photographed Projector of Simplex Model PB-600 direct system. as it is received, is projected before the audience a few seconds later. The time lag is too short to be of any practical significance, being always less than one minute. A third type of theatre TV equipment combines direct projection with the carbon arc. The image is not formed on the face of a cathode ray tube. It is forced on a surface of oily material. Electronic bombardment of this material by the TV cathode ray results in momentary warping of its surface. The surface thus presents an everchanging corrugated pattern, corresponding to the pattern of the TV image. An arc light shines through this corrugated surface to the distant screen. Corrugations deflect the light to the bars of an intercepting grill, absence of corrugation allows the light to reach the screen. Thus a TV image is projected with arc-lamp brillance. The complete equipment includes a vacuum pump for maintaining the vacuum in which the cathode ray functions. This vacuum cannot be factory-sealed, as in an ordinary cathode ray tube, because of evaporation of the oily material. It must therefore he continually renewed, and a vacuum It’S Movie-TIME U.S.A. TIME TIME to start Merchandising! to learn about Panorannic Vision! TIME to spread the Gospel to the Exhibitor! • AT LITTLE COST the Exhibitor can make a dramatic improvement in picture presentation — with a new larger Pantex Screen and new projection optics superlite lenses! SCREEN CORPORATION 165 CLERMONT AVENUE * BROOKLYN 5, NEW YORK DEOLL Processed Carbons — a continuous trim that burns the entire carbon. Available for these H.I. trims: NEGATIVES POSITIVES 6 mm. X 9" 7 mm. x 12" and 14" 7 mm. X 9" 8 mm. x 1 2" and 1 4" and 13.6 mm. x 22" (machined for adapters) to provide 20 minutes more burning time. Shipped PREPAID at regular carbon list prices, plus $1.15 per hundred for milling, drilling and clips (on 13.6 mm. x 22", $1.50 per hundred), less 5% on carbons, 10 days. IV rite today for literature. G. C. ANDERS COMPANY (Formerly Droll Theatre Supply Company) 317 S. SANGAMON ST. CHICAGO 7, ILL. BETTER THEATRES SECTION 31