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Author
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Topic: Newbie questions on optical sound
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Lee Romanow
Junior
Posts: 5
From: Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Registered: Aug 2012
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posted September 04, 2012 12:10 PM
Hi all,
Firstly, I am a new member of the forums. I have not done an exhaustive search of all posts, I was hoping to save some time by just asking some questions directly. a search of "optical sound" did bring results but no specific answers.
Question 1: Has there ever been an external processor for optical sound? Like a device that fits between the supply reel before threading into the projector that would extract optical sound on projectors not equipped to do so. It seems that something like that could be possible and I was wondering if it had been done - this could make even a silent projector usable with an optical film.
Question 2: At some point I'd like to get an optical projector if I could find an affordable one. One of the main reasons is that alot of the optical features for sale do seem to sell at reasonable prices (is this because the projectors to play them are less common?). Aside from the Elmo projectors, what models are available? I have seen a couple Chinon with this feature, any others out there?
Question 3: On ebay, I have observed several Chinon projectors with optical for sale, that do not sell. For example a Chinon 9000 which was offered at $200 did not sell. Are these (Chinon in general) to be avoided for some reason and what prices are reasonable?
Feedback appreciated, with thanks.
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted September 04, 2012 01:01 PM
Winbert is right on nearly every point. I only take issue with one ...
" ps: please be understood that optical soundtrack is less superior than magnetic ones. Plus you can have stereo sound with magnetic which is far upgrade then mono optical soundtrack. "
In general, this is true. However, by the 1980's, the soundtracks, (especially on the US optical sound prints) were quite crsip and clear and had a much higher volume than the UK optical super 8 prints of the same period. One of the probelms with optical super 8 is that, depending on the film stock used, the optical soundtrack can actually fade as well, from a near perfect black, to a light pink, and while you'll still have some sound on that "pink" soundtrack, it can be so low that it's hardly understandable and with the pops and hisses that can accompany an optical soundtrack, impossibloe to enjoy. I had a print of "Hot Millions" (Peter Ustinov) which was an actual super 8 optical print from 1968, (one of the first years for the optical super 8 prints), and while the image had amazingly lost very little of it's color over time, the soundtrack was very pink and was aalmost impossi9ble to listen to.
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Lee Romanow
Junior
Posts: 5
From: Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Registered: Aug 2012
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posted September 05, 2012 10:45 AM
Hi,
Thanks to everyone for the replies so far. This post responds to Maurice's questions.
On why I am inquiring about optical sound: You are correct when you stated that I may be unaware of the magnetic sound films out there. I just don't know. I just know what interests me when I happen to see it. In the last two months since I started looking at films for sale, both here and on places like ebay, I'll see a feature that interests me and sometimes it happens to be optical. A good example was "Gorky Park", listed on this forum at about $60. That's one I'd love to see if I could play it, and its within my budget. Compare that to something that is in great demand, like a Bond film for hundreds of dollars. Maybe I can play that, but it's not something that I can buy - not enough disposable income for it. I'm not a collector and I'm not going to pretend to be one. I enjoy the nostalgia attached to watching a projected film and thats it.
On optical prints selling at reasonable prices: Again, I can only go by what I've seen so far. For under $100, there have been some cool optical sound films I wouldn't mind watching. It doesn't bother me that they are not collectable, or wouldn't have the greatest audio fidelity.
Thanks again to the responders. I'll be watching for a suitable projector.
best regards,
Lee
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