8mm Forum: Dual 4K Projection

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Topic: Dual 4K Projection

Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted November 20, 2017 03:34 AM

On a long drive yesterday the car radio was continually putting out ads for Cineworld cinemas. They mentioned "Dual 4K Projection".
So, I have just looked up details on my computer. It appears that it means that they run two 4K projectors simultaneously.

What goes round, comes around. [Smile]

I remember the days when the 3D "House Of Wax" was run on two interlocked 35mm projectors, using 1 hour spools (6000ft) and having to get special permission to have so much film in the projection box at the one time. This was in 1953 when old nitrate films were still being used for shows on a Sunday.

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Maurice

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Bill Phelps
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1482
From: USA
Registered: Jan 2009

posted November 20, 2017 07:19 AM

Did you have the fire extinguisher at the ready? Were you ever worried of a fire?

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Allan Broadfield
Master Film Handler

Posts: 452
From: Bromley, Kent
Registered: Nov 2010

posted November 20, 2017 07:42 AM

Being an ancient projectionist myself, I recall an old timer telling me that during two projector 3D showings the more unscruplulous among them would use up carbon rod ends, therefore intermittently losing the 3D effect in the cause of economy!

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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003

posted November 20, 2017 08:47 AM

Theatrical Dolby Vision uses 2 x 4K Projectors.

https://www.dolby.com/us/en/cinema/index.html

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted November 20, 2017 08:58 AM

Bill
The spool boxes had a switch if the door was opened whilst running the projector would shut down.
Each spool box had a thin narrow guide-way which would prohibit fire entry.
There were two guillotine blades ready to cut the film between the two spool boxes. They were spring assisted to close. To remain open there were pins into which a strip of nitrate film was positioned. In the event of a fire the small strip of film was severed and only the remaining short piece around the gate and sound assembly would be consumed by fire
The projectors were BTH (British Thomson Houston) SUPA (Single Unit Projection Assembly).
There was an asbestos fire blanket, a large foam extinguisher, a small handy fire extinguisher which contained carbon tetrachloride. Red coloured buckets of water and of sand.
The Chief Operator always reminded us that water and electricity do not go together and sand on the projector could ruin it anyway. The small hand-held extinguisher apparently was OK on an electrical fire, and the foam extinguisher would be ideal to smother any fire.
Only a small amount of film was allowed in the box at one time, the main part of the programme was in the separate rewind room and contained in steel fire proof cabinets.
Happy days.

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Maurice

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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003

posted November 20, 2017 09:28 AM

"Being an ancient projectionist myself, I recall an old timer telling me that during two projector 3D showings the more unscruplulous among them would use up carbon rod ends, therefore intermittently losing the 3D effect in the cause of economy!"

Again, nothing changes...modern theatrical 3D projectors being run with well below recommended luminance levels to save money...

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted November 20, 2017 09:38 AM

Rob
Using up bits of carbon rods in economiser holders was usually confined to the afternoon shows. But even then, the total amount of burn was carefully calculated.

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Maurice

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Bill Phelps
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1482
From: USA
Registered: Jan 2009

posted November 20, 2017 09:53 AM

Well it sounds like there were enough precautions in place to avoid disaster. Sounds like it was quite the job to be in the projection booth back then. [Smile]

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted November 20, 2017 10:16 AM

We were a team of professional showmen. That's more than can be said today.
If you click on the attached you can then scroll down to a movie showing the BTH SUPA projectors.
http://www.chestercinemas.co.uk/projection-the-works/

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Maurice

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Bill Phelps
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1482
From: USA
Registered: Jan 2009

posted November 20, 2017 10:23 AM

Thanks Maurice I'll check out the link.

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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003

posted November 20, 2017 12:13 PM

"We were a team of professional showmen"

That's what we all aspire to here, Maurice, I'm sure.

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Claus Harding
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1149
From: Washington DC
Registered: Oct 2006

posted November 20, 2017 01:46 PM

Since we are on the subject of nitrate, here's what was left of a reel of "Lady from Shanghai" when it caught fire on the machine at the American Film Institute in 1975. This was with all safety precautions current and in place, so it could have been a lot worse, but still....

C.

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"Why are there shots of deserts in a scene that's supposed to take place in Belgium during the winter?" (Review of 'Battle of the Bulge'.)

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Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1785
From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014

posted November 20, 2017 02:24 PM

The NFT (last time I did a tour of Southbank) has projectors in NFT2 with the cutters mentioned by Maurice also a CO2 fire extinguisher built into the projectors that would trip with the guillotines. I don't know if it would help put out a fire but it would definitely cool the mechanism as it expanded from its compressed state. Also the projection ports and viewing apertures had spring-loaded metal covers that would close in case of a fire.

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