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Old 28th Feb 2020, 9:23 am   #1
Keith956
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Default Old movie projector?

Back in the early 60's I recall my Dad had a film projector that had a turntable that was synchronised to the projector so the sound and video were in sync. I believe there was something odd about the turntable - like it played backwards (from inside to out if that makes sense?). It was a big heavy beast, painted pale blue if I remember correctly, and was prewar (my grandfather worked for General Electric before the war in the cinema electronics side).

I'd be fascinated if anyone knows what it might have been - it, like many bits of grandfathers electronics were disposed of in the late 50's / 60's.
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Old 28th Feb 2020, 9:59 am   #2
Ted Kendall
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Default Re: Old movie projector?

This was a relic of the first commercial "talkies", the Vitaphone system, where each reel had its own disc carrying the soundtrack. The choice of 16"/33rpm arose from the need for 10-15 minutes playing time to match the reel duration, adequate groove speed and ease of gearing. The potential for operator error or accident was large - the start marks on tape and disc had to be exactly matched, the needle changed regularly, and of course a jumped groove would cause chaos and ribald comments from the audience! Optical sound-on-film had become the norm by the early 1930s.

A Vitaphone retrieval project has been running in the US for thirty years, searching for discs and films, which by now have commonly been separated, and restoring sequences or complete films.
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Old 28th Feb 2020, 10:37 am   #3
electronicskip
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Default Re: Old movie projector?

Here is the link.
Very interesting.

http://www.vitaphoneproject.com/
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Old 28th Feb 2020, 11:41 am   #4
phildil
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Default Re: Old movie projector?

This sounds like a 16mm domestic "Home Talkies" version of the commercial Vitaphone system mentioned above. in the Twenties, several companies offered 16mm film libraries selling and renting titles to keen (and flush) projector owners - Kodak had the Kodascope Library for example - and some providers added sound-on-disk towards the end of the decade. These films were mostly short subjects and cartoons where the run time would be kept low to avoid reel and disc changeovers interrupting your show.

interesting info here: http://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/...-for-the-home/

cheers
Phil
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Old 28th Feb 2020, 2:46 pm   #5
Electronpusher0
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Default Re: Old movie projector?

Pathe issued discs for film sound that were 16 inch dia, ran at 120rpm and played centre to edge on one side and edge to centre on the other to aid quick turnover. They also used up/down or hill and dale modulation.

They also issued a similar format for music discs that played centre to edge on both sides. I have a few of those.

Peter
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Old 28th Feb 2020, 11:17 pm   #6
Keith956
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Default Re: Old movie projector?

Thanks for the info, I believe it did use 16mm film, I can remember watching 'Lighthouse Keeping' with Krazy Kat which Dad had on film.
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Old 1st Mar 2020, 7:02 am   #7
electronicskip
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Default Re: Old movie projector?

Here is a demonstration of the Vitaphone system entitled The voice from the screen from 1926, there are a few demos to see in fact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ONEdascKQ
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