The worst projector EVER is the Christie 35mm. It was designed to be
"maitenence free" but in reality requires more maintenence than any other
projector that I have ever seen. First off are the belts. They don't last too long and
are finicky and unreliable. They also shed immensely and the shutter belt loves to
break. perfect belt tension is always difficult to achieve and varies from projector
to projector. Then there is the Ultramittent which really isn't very ultra at all. The
picture is never steady and is always moving around somehow, even with a brand
new intermittent. They can also become so noisy that you can hear them chattering
away inside the auditorium during the movie. Chrsitie says this is "Normal and no
cause for concern". Yeah right!

Then there is the lens turret. This also helps with the image unsteadiness. Simply
opening and closing the lens turret to thread can knock the lenses out of alignment,
and when the movie starts the image is way too high or low. Only cycling a lens
change or messing with the manual toggle is this fixed. Of course, let's not forget
the Christie Dolby Digital basement reader. It is pure crap. It would work fine if
the projector itself did not cause so much vibration!!! Christie will not admit that
this is a problem, just that they require a bit more tweeking. I have also been told
by Christie that the LED's drift over time, and I must constantly check and
increase their voltage. What good are LEDs if they drift down like exciter bulbs? I
think Christie is just using this as a lame excuse to cover up the real problem with
their basement reader--the projector itself and it's poor design! Christie must have
the worst designers in the world!

For all of the troubled projectionists out there cursed with Christie P35GP
projectors and basement readers, there is a fix for the vibration problem, but it is
not too pretty. Fortunately, it is extremely simple. Just get a bunch of napkins.
Thread the film normally with just 1 perf of tenion on the sound drum. Now take
the napkins and fold them up and tape them so that they remain folded. They must
be pretty thick---thick enough to pad the arms of the sound drum. Now take 1
foled napkin an slide it between the lower arm of the sound drum and the reader.
Do the same with another folded napkin. This way the arms are padded from the
vibration and the show should run perfectly provided that everything else is set up
correctly. You may see some slack in the film going into the sound drum, but that
is OK. Maybe all Christie projectors from now on should ship with a box of
napkins.

The worst? Oh there are so many...only one??? Ballantyne comes to mind. But
then so does the early Simplex units.

Currently there are four main projectors on the market to choose from. Century,
Simplex, Christie, Cinemecannica. Obviously there are others, but these are the
four you will see everywhere. If you are speaking "worst for all time" then I am
really going to have to think about that! But if you are speaking "worst currently
readily available" then may I strongly agree with you on your views toward the
Christie machine.

This machine has such great intentions and could've been a fantastic piece of
machinery. Unfortunately, it is a piece of...

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Christie...just their projectors. Christie
makes the best platters and the best projectors money can buy! Unfortunately,
they must've run out of money in the R & D stage when they were designing the
P35GP.

My biggest beef with the Christie is the shaky image. These units shake so bad, it
actually blurs the image on screen. Is it the gate/trap design? Perhaps it is the
physical vibrations of the machine itself. Who knows? Christie sure doesn't. And
no, changing the gate bands does not help.

My other big beef is the constant maintenance these machines require. No matter
how good a deal the initial cost is, you will spend far more money on the upkeep
than if you went all out for a Century JJ in the first place.

If you look at the new theaters being built today, you will typically see an "all
Strong package" or an "all Christie package." I've come to the conclusion that
Christie must throw in these projectors free with the purchase of the lamphouse
and platter. After all, they'll make their money back on parts.

The 5th paragraph should read "Christie makes the best platters and lamphouses
money can buy."

35MM Worst Projectors:
Ballantyne Pro-35 (couldn't project a steady picture or hold focus if life depended
on it)
Christie Gearless (should be called WORTHLESS)

16mm Best Projectors:
B&H 567 Arc Lamp with easy CHANGEOVER SYSTEM
B&H JAN Xenon Conversion
B&H 140 Carbon Arc
RCA Port-o-Arc
Eastman model 25

You forgot Norelco AA2 on the "Best" projector list.

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Most of the problems people seem to have had with the Christie projectors was in fact that exhaust blower in their lamphouse. After Sean James of Christie recommended I remove them, 90% of my problems went away and soon after mentioning that on the forum, I got many emails from people who did the same and most of their problems were gone as well.

I will however stand behind my Centurys as the best all around projector. Norelcos and Simplexes are also excellent, but Norelcos are too damn big and too expensive to service (in that occasional instance when they need it) and Simplexes have that roller in the soundhead which embedds dirt into the emulsion and are generally rougher on film. For size, cost, ease and cost of maintenance and frequency of maintenance required...the Century keeps winning out. But that's another thread.

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From what I have seen of Christie projectors, my opinion is that they are the Spawn of Satan....sent only to reap havoc and destruction on our industry. But then, they are cheap, and that's what the big chains want (especially American ones at that)....spend $$$$'s on rocking chairs/big popcorn machines and pennies on projection gear. Most cinemas here in the UK seem to favor Kinoton, Cinemecannica and Strong/Century machines. Christie aren't really up there.....yet! (thank God!)

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