Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: First Pic of Technicolor's Digital Projector!

This is topic First Pic of Technicolor's Digital Projector! in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=000166

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-14-2001, 03:20 AM:

My spies have managed to obtain the following picture of Technicolor's version of the Digital Cinema Projector:

Although it is a little grainy, you can see that Technicolor will treat their digital cinema projectors just like they treat their film cans, right down to having Airbourne Express ship them to your theater! Will this be a new way of shipping movies? Each film gets its own projector? Maybe when you are done playing a movie, the Airbourne guy will come to pick up the projector(s) at 12:30am and just take it down the street to the next theater. That's my guess. Imagine moving "prints" on Thursday nights! Oy! When the movie is done playing to audiences, then they can be shipped back to Technicolor and new movies can be programmed into them. Then a new sticker gets slapped on and out they go again!

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-14-2001, 07:01 AM:

Joe: What a coup! For those who don't know yet, Joe's private screening room is one of the first sites to receive one of the 1000 free Technicolor Digital Cinema systems. He only has to pay 12.5 cents each time he screens a movie for himself. (Shipping and handling of the digital data is extra.)

------------------
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
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Posted by Dave Bird (Member # 490) on 03-14-2001, 07:27 AM:

Hey, I wasn't sure if they were going with the traditional lamphouses or integrated ones. Looks like I could use my carbon arcs with this beast!

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 03-14-2001, 08:39 AM:

I may be speaking from ignorance here, but why are "all" of the DLP projectors mounted at an angle?

With the exception of the big beasts that look like an overgrown conference room projector, all of the DLP machines I've seen here on Film-Tech and in Boxoffice magazine are mounted to the front of the lamphouse on that funky angle.

Could someone with more knowledge than I explain?

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 03-14-2001, 08:41 AM:

Hey the Projector housing actually looks like Technicolr took some of thier beat up film cans, flatened them out and reshaped them to form the projector housing

Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 03-14-2001, 08:46 AM:

LOL! What I don't understand is how they are going to fix all those pixels that are damaged by going through crimped wires on the way to the projector.

With the technicolor venture into other products, don't you think there could be other popular brandings? A technicolor wastebasket/ashtray set in bent orange would be nice. Anybody got a junker car they want to paint and tag?

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 03-14-2001, 10:06 AM:

No wonder they are trying to give them away. Who would want to buy that ugly piece of crap. I wonder what hill they threw it down. Is it the same one that the orange film cans down. From the noticable paint chips on the head I would say it is.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-14-2001, 10:15 AM:

Darryl: Joe's new projector is an excellent example of the digital manipulation of images.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 03-14-2001, 10:23 AM:

I figured it was.

Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 03-14-2001, 10:34 AM:

"Joe's new projector is an excellent example of the digital manipulation of images."

Harummph! If it had been manipulated using film, you wouldn't be able to tell!

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-14-2001, 11:09 AM:

Aw Joe,
Can you show us what the super deluxe Kodak e-cinema projector will look like. We're assumming that it appears as a large oversize yellow box of 35mm film, but who knows....we're all waiting.
Mark @ GTS

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-14-2001, 12:12 PM:

Mark and Joe: Here's a photo of an early model of the 24 megapixel projector that uses 70mm media. It can also be used in a 12 megapixel mode with the more compact 35mm media. It even has dual frame rates of 24fps and 30fps.
http://hjem.get2net.dk/in70mm/images/projectors/productionpicture.jpg

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-14-2001, 12:21 PM:

John,
I thought that the number of megapixels has steadily continued to grow over the years for these old projectors even though nothing has to be done to the projector itself. A benefit to getting old and mature I suppose.
Mark @ GTS

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-14-2001, 01:42 PM:

My spies within Kodak have said that they will try to get me a pic of their digital projector. Will the projector itself have a digital beard?

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-14-2001, 02:06 PM:

I can't wait to see this one. I wonder it it will be carbon arc based?
Mark @ GTS

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-14-2001, 02:15 PM:

Nah --- it uses one of the new fusion energy devices being developed at the University of Rochester Laser Energetics Lab:
http://www.lle.rochester.edu/external_index.html

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-14-2001, 03:07 PM:

Mark said: "I thought that the number of megapixels has steadily continued to grow over the years for these old projectors even though nothing has to be done to the projector itself."

Answering in "digi-speak":

The data packing density on the media has greatly improved over the years. The new PREMIER media has greater bit depth, allowing a greater gamut of color and tone scale. The new media even has an antistatic backing layer that helps eliminate random bits attracted by static. Optics companies have developed superior optical transfer devices that can be retrofit to older projectors. Compatible new sound systems that potentially allow an unlimited number of channels of digital sound are also available.

Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 03-14-2001, 04:04 PM:

I've got to wonder who is doing the Electrical Engineering development work for Technicolor? I have a hard time believing they have the expertise in electronics or have assembled a large design team to develop the hardware for this effort

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-14-2001, 04:11 PM:

John,
Those were my exact thoughts but you put it all into words that I have never even heard of before

. Didn't this all start back when the pixel grain shape was changed to allow the pixels to be closer together and not so jagged?
The coolest part and the thing that Technicolor will never understand is that with the use of synthetic oils these old projectors now actually require less maintainance than the DLP's do.
Mark @ GTS

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 03-14-2001, 08:21 PM:

JOe... Shouldn'r that thing be bolted tothe business end of a CFS or ORC console rather than a Super-80 and a pedestal?

Aaron

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-14-2001, 08:30 PM:

Mark said: "Those were my exact thoughts but you put it all into words that I have never even heard of before

. "

John replies: I missed my calling. I should have gone into marketing!

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-15-2001, 12:55 AM:

Aaron-

Probably. But when you have to mount and unmount the projector at the drop of a hat (or airbill) for the Airbourne Express guy, it helps when you can just wheel it over for easy access!

Posted by Tom Kroening (Member # 201) on 03-16-2001, 02:39 AM:

Looks like Texes Instruments DLP painted orange

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-16-2001, 11:13 AM:

You mean "digitally painted orange".

Joe is a real artist!

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 03-16-2001, 08:32 PM:

I think the "crowning touch" to that pic is the gaff tape holding the projector head to the lamphouse!

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-16-2001, 08:38 PM:

Joe, Have your spies infiltrated Kodaks secret Projector plant yet? Looking foreword to what your people find.
Mark @ GTS

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-16-2001, 09:14 PM:

Yes, my spies have pics. But due to the high security at the Kodak Military Complex, they have not been able to send them to me yet. Once they do, I'll post them.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 03-17-2001, 05:24 PM:

Joe! I'm rolling here! I'm laughing so hard, my son came in from the other room to see what the commotion was all about.

Wonderful job!

------------------
Better Projection Pays!