Can an older platter be made to work in this manner?

Anyone have a picture of one setup?

THanks for any info.
 

Strong also makes an Endless Loop Platter System: http://www.strong-cinema.com/

Endless loop platters rotate at a constant rate of speed, and "scallop" the film so the inside "circumference" matches the outside "circumference" of the roll. This results in a loose "pack" of film. They tend to be more sensitive to variations in humidity and static. Even though rethreading is not needed between shows, care should be taken to clean and inspect the projector during the day.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
 

1. they're film killers. The elimination of the projectionist, which invariably leads to projectors not being cleaned, usually results in prints that get trashed quickly, especially if somthing in the film path goes awry and there is nobody paying attention to the operation of the loop.

2. They are a LOT of extra work (the 'extra work' that some operators are trying to eliminate by replacing the projectionist with the ELP and a timer-based automation) if you were in a situation to have to move several prints to different screens in a multiplex (having to convert the loop into a standard platter pack (or having to break the print down before moving it), or changing trailers, etc...

3. They are usually more expensive than a comparable platter system.

bottom line: if you are doing standard cinema [read more than a single screen and you can handle film yourself] operation, go with standard platters.

Aaron

 

Aaron

 

Do you know my friend Clark Crites, who received an Academy Technical Achievement Award for for his development of the Christie ELF 1-C Endless Loop Film Transport and Storage System in 1997?:
http://www.oscars.org/scitech_db/index.html

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

The system worked very well with two exceptions: The drive clutch slipped on a session of Aliens that meant I had to hand spin it for two hours! A poor condition, oily print of Crocodile Dundee resulted in a cancelled session as there was no way the film wanted to separate over the ridges as it moved towards the centre payout!

We trialled it without a film cleaner so were required to un-thread each session to clean it! A PTR system would assist but you need to clean the PTR's!

You can forget it if you want to move shows around, but in certain situations they are a genuine option.
 

The Endless Loop serves a purpose in certain applications, but I'll generally remain a platter guy I think. Still, the loop is an interesting piece of equipment...

Pat
 

At one point all 5 were running regularly, then the ORCs died and were replaced with AW-3s....the ELF and Potts continued for some time...then the ELF turned back into a regular AW-3 after it wore out leaving the two Potts running loops....then polyester hit and that was the end of the endless loops...shortly after that, the whole theatre closed to be redeveloped into a Circuit City. The Westview people keep a close eye on the humidity of the booths to ensure smooth operation. They even vented the lamphouses in the booths if needed to keep the humidity in range. They had intermission black leader so the projectors NEVER stopped once started for the day.

In today's electronic world, with a pair of Kinoton FP-30E-R projectors, you can have the benefits of the endless loop without the humidity concerns or the film rubbing.

Steve

------------------
"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
 

Tim Sherman
Aut-O-Rama Twin Drive-in
North Ridgeville, OH
 

Aaron

 

If you want to give the customers something to marvel over while waiting in the lobby, give them a platter.
 

While you may be correct in some people 'assuming' that we can just 'rewind the film' (i get 'rewind the VCR or Laser Disc' question more often, however) I feel that it would be better to use a *VINTAGE* (a word I should have used in the previous post) projector with a converted carbon-arc lamp (like a Strong X-16-no 'modern looking' xenon lamps) with a lobby card or poster nearby explaining that this is how it *used to be done* (this might eliminate *some* of the 'assumptions' that we still use reels and have an option to rewind). As far as the issue of having to rewind and rethread 6000' reels and hampering the operator's efficiency, there's two ways to overcome this: Use two 6000' trailer reels and as one runs out, change it out with the second reel and go upstairs and rewind the first one, etc etc... or train someone on the floor staff (or management-especially if its someone that 'wants to learn' projection but you wouldn't get them within 1000' of the 'real' booth) to thread and clean the vintage machine as part of their duties when they are free to do so, Unless you are running a 30-plex with 5 minute staggered showtimes just about any projectionist should be able to handle running both the multiplex booth and the trailer projector. Anyways, first impression notwithstanding, platters and 'modern'projection equipment look pretty dull, at least the vintage machine does have the 'antique' flair to it. We plan on doing just that once we get a place with enough lobby space to make it possible.

Just a thought...

Aaron

Some Regal theatres do this, although it's usually a rear-projection setup, with the actual equipment (usually a Simplex XL or Brenkert, with regular platter and 1kw lamp) in the regular booth.

The idea of having the equipment in the lobby itself is pretty intriguing, actually, if it can be positioned so that curious and annoying customers can't walk right up to it and start playing with it (or so that annoying people like me won't be tempted to fix focus or framing!).

The "vintage" idea is a good one and is probably a great way to re-cycle some older equpiment that wouldn't be appropriate for the "real" booth. There could be several 6000' reels which could be changed as required (and a simple automation system with just and "end of show" cue to cut the sound and close the changeover before the tail runs through. This would take up less space than a platter system and the reels could be rewound in the regular booth to avoid the "why can't you rewind the _regular_ movies?" question.

I've never given a tour in a platter booth...I do know that customers generally like to see older equipment, though, and carbon-arc lamps tend to be a particular favorite since relatively few people have ever seen light produced with two carbon rods. I agree with Brad, though, that platters do look pretty cool. It's the kind of thing that is somewhat counter-intuitive, in that you wouldn't think it would work until you actually see it working. Changing out trailers on a platter in the lobby would be a real pain, though.
 

The Kinoton uses delrin skates and pad so the filth associated with conventional gates isn't there...also on reverse the gate pulls back to the tension isn't there. Lastly, Kinoton has a custom bracket for the Kinetronic's film cleaner so the film would be clean twice per showing.

It is the best system out there.

Steve

------------------
"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
 

Platters may be a bit more difficult for people to learn how to operate, but platters do not scratch film, careless or unskilled projectionists do.

Would that theatre with the projectors on the platform have been an old Mid-States built in the mid 70's? There was one in Columbus, and the prints were always filthy. They had some kind of space-age automation console that never worked attached.

This theatre even ran 70mm in the open. Smoke and popcorn grease were just sucked over to the film.

Mark Lensenmayer
(Apologies for being off topic.)

------------------
"As a moral to young men who come down to the city, don't go round breaking people's tambourines."
 

You know how you usually find little problems right while you are threading? With c/o's you have time to stop threading and fix, clean, adjust, or whatever. With platters, often there's little time between shows for maintaince.

The most I ever did was a 4-plex (8 projectors) I don't know how many more I could do. I mean, I wouldn't want to do a 20-plex with c/o. But, for smaller theaters, it might work out OK if they can afford the extra machines, the labor to install them, and a reasonably-qualified operator to run them (all a rarity nowadays.)