Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Schneider purchases Isco.

This is topic Schneider purchases Isco. in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Alan Gouger (Member # 543) on 08-22-2008, 08:57 AM:

Looks like Schneider purchases Isco.
http://www.gafno.com/2008/08/19/schneider-group-acquires-isco/

I heard these were two brothers that split off into two companies at one time is that true.

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 08-22-2008, 09:55 AM:

I too was under the impression that at one time these two were one company.

Q> Where do old lenses go?
A> To the old focus home..... [Big Grin]

Posted by Robert Minichino (Member # 3495) on 08-22-2008, 10:24 AM:

I remember reading somewhere that ISCO was an acronym for Jos. Schneider & Co. with the J changed to an I, ISCO being Schneider-Goettingen.

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 08-22-2008, 10:32 AM:

It seems they are keeping the ISCO as a brand though

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-22-2008, 11:07 AM:

Thank God... Now there is finally a chance that the stupid lock ring on the Isco Anamorphics will get the proper overhaul it needs!

Mark

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 08-22-2008, 12:08 PM:

isco: International Schneider Corp ('bout time!) Louis

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 08-22-2008, 12:25 PM:

So now there is no competition in this market? [Frown]

--jhawk

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-22-2008, 01:20 PM:

Sure there is....there's Sankor. [Big Grin]

Oh, wait...you mean in the QUALITY lens market; your'e right -- no competition.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 08-22-2008, 04:28 PM:

Have a cup of Sankor... it's decaffinated. [Razz]

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 08-22-2008, 04:40 PM:

..And Sankor is good to the last drop... [Smile]

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 08-22-2008, 05:08 PM:

I think you're thinking Maxwell House

My favorite coffee is FOLGER'S

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 08-22-2008, 08:40 PM:

The market for 35mm lenses has dropped, so it makes sense to pool resources. I know they make lenses for other applications, but motion picture lenses were most likely the biggest part of each company's business 10 years ago. But today .... !

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-22-2008, 08:50 PM:

Schneider has always been diverse (as has ISCO). I think the realitiy of the situation is that neither badge was developing new Cinema lenses (for film). They had competed each other to the current crop of Ultra-Star Plus and Cinlux Premiere. Note the features are similar though the latter, the Premiere has variable iris for f/1.7 - f/4...ISCO required one to remove/install f-stop rings to attain f/1.7, f/2.1, f/2.4, f/2.7.

Personally, I think this is a good thing. As Mark said, maybe they'll put a proper locking ring on the Blue-Star, add the ISCO line of lenses to the Scheider Lens program, drop the "ISCOMOT" anamorphic lens from the Ultra-Star Pluses (Integrated anamorphics) and use the Schneider ES anamorphic instead....etc. There are definitely some things they can consolidate on and there are definite strengths that the other didn't have. It maybe just me, but I think the more recent ISCOs have had some manufacturing inconsistancies. They definitely have not improved since their bankruptcy.

I hope things work out for the best.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-23-2008, 10:58 AM:

Be it known that the glass factory that produced Konica-Minolta's glass is in the earthquake region of Shengdou, China. The glass factory survived the quake but the power plant didn't and it's expected to be out of operation for at least a few years. This gives Schneider who is in the midst of a DLP lens program time to catch up. The majority of the lenses being designed are all based on 1.2" DMD optics, not so much the .98 stuff and I have to wonder if the purchase of ISCO has something to do with producing these optics. Keep in mind that Cinema Lenses are but a tiny corner of soemeone's desk at Schneider... their Government contracts being the largest part of the optics biz. The designer at Schneider I know told me that since the intro of the faster DMD's to allow full frame 3-D they feel the need to concentrate primarily on optics for this size DMD... ya still can't put over a 3kw lamp on a .98" chip so there is still a huge linmiting factor there for ultimate screen size and 3-D brightness capabilities.

Mark

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-23-2008, 12:03 PM:

I just installed a Barco DP-2000 with a .98 chip and takes a 4k bulb.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-23-2008, 02:42 PM:

quote: Sam D. Chavez
I just installed a Barco DP-2000 with a .98 chip and takes a 4k bulb.

You have my extended sympathies on the Barco! The engineer at Schneider who was one of the original optical group engineers at T.I. told me they have trouble with any more then the heat from a 3kw lamp. Perhaps a shorter life on the DMD's but I can only speculate on what the actual effect is. This is one of the main reasons that Christie has stuck with the 1.2" chips, and the new faster generation of 1.2" DMD's have added a much longer life span to the whole 1.2" system overall.

Mark

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 08-23-2008, 08:16 PM:

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
Be it known that the glass factory that produced Konica-Minolta's glass is in the earthquake region of Shengdou, China.

Not to be pedantic but it's Chengdu. Though the main reason I know that is that a few of my teachers at the acupuncture college are from there and at first were really worried for their family back home.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-23-2008, 08:41 PM:

Your post is even more sarcastic than usual and you are incorrect on your facts to boot. You said there are no 4k bulbs on .98 chips and I showed you there are. Quoting ex engineers of TI without a name is not a good practice. Let's have a name so I can ask him directly.

Everyone knows you need all the light you can get with 3D but there is no reason to run the bulb any harder than needed to accomplish the desired light level. So you might end up running 3.2 K. Big deal!

This thread is not supposed to be about trashing a first rate company in D-cinema. It's very early in the game and we'll all be around to see how it all shakes out.

You are correct that the new 1.2 chips will run fast enough to use the whole chip for 3D. Trouble is they are not out yet. So you lose 34% of the available pixels running the 1.2 chips in flat ratio 3D. One of the jobs I'm doing is 100% Dolby 3D for a museum so the difference in resolution shows.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-23-2008, 09:05 PM:

quote: Sam D. Chavez
This thread is not supposed to be about trashing a first rate company in D-cinema. It's very early in the game and we'll all be around to see how it all shakes out.

Thank you Sam.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-24-2008, 11:35 AM:

Note, there IS to be an upgrade path for Christie brand projectors to the newer 1.2" chips...it is likely NOT a cheap upgrade path.

I have not had the prbolems with Barco that Mark has seemingly had though I'm not going to say everything is always rosy either. I can honestly say, there are very definite strengths to the Barco over the Christie in some applications.

Whereas ISCO has already developed Anamorphics for DLP, this gives Schneider some extra strengths too.

BTW...thanks Sam for your comments.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-24-2008, 01:40 PM:

Sam,

I was just poking fun at you... not insulting you... geez. You are the last person I'd try to insult and I think you do know that. I will e-mail you this week with the engineers name, my conversations with him have been extremely interesting and enlightning. Without his permission first I will not post his name here, he does not work in any of the Schneider office locations anyway.

Now I've never said the BARCO is a poor performer, it does ok... but the CP2000SB does have quite a bit higher inherent contrast ratio and it also beat the comparable model BARCO at a recent test at Malco Theaters by 15-20% in the brightness department, both projectrs running the same size lamp!

As for the new chips... Since Christie builds it's own light engine they can perform a simple swap out of the Formatter/DMD's and do it as a R/A or exchange unit. They are supposed to be setting up a Light Engine repair facility in Cyprus in the very near future. I agree, cheap it will not be but it's not going to be anywhere near the price of a new light engine either.

quote: Steve Guttag
I can honestly say, there are very definite strengths to the Barco over the Christie in some applications.

HAving worked with both Christie and BARCO other than the easier GPIO automation interface of the BARCO (if you use it) I can't think of one. Barco is also reportedly moving away from the sealed light engine. Also, no real advantage on the lamp module either except that it costs a fortune. A lamp explosion is still more than likely going to damage the R.A. mirror so getting back on screen after an explosion isn't necessarily going to be quicker than any of the others.

Mark

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-24-2008, 07:50 PM:

Mark, not insulted, just annoyed. You seem to get yourself into these situations quite a lot.

Like I said, we'll all be around to see how it all works out.

Christie certainly has a very good head start in North America and are doing a very good job building their infrastructure for the future.

I visited the Cypress facility a few weeks back and saw the whole place including the NOC and the light engine repair facility. Kudos for sure are in order.

Christie's other inherent advantage is that they are a cinema products company, first, last and always, while Barco has a D-Cinema division as it were.

It's a bit ironic that Christie, who struggled with the various problems of the Christie projector, learned how to give very good customer service, in part because of these aforementioned issues.