I figure variable density will be OK, I just need to put it in mono. Same with regular variable area and others of it's class. OTOH, push-pull tracks will be trouble, unless a CP650 will reverse one optical input (which I doubt.) I've run variable density before, but many years ago on a mono sound system. I've heard of push-pull variable density, but never saw one.

What about EQ'ing? I guess acadamy curve is all you can set it to, since there's no other reference. (Some prints may not be from the US, so the acadamy curve may not have been used.)

Lastly, what non-magnetic films had release prints that ran at 25 fps? The installers added the ability to run a 20, 24, and 25 fps. 20 will be for some silent films, but 25fps? Or, is there some other reason?

Jess Daily, Chief Projectionist at the UCLA Film Archive, may be able to help with the question on how best to play old analog sound formats. Is anyone else from a film archive a participant in Film-Tech and able to help? (e.g., George Eastman House, AFI, Museum of Modern Art, Library of Congress, National War Museum, British Film Archive)?

------------------
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

My cinema hosts the Gloucester Film Society, who often like to programme older archive material, and on occasion I've looked at a soundtrack and seriously doubted if I'll get anything from it...

So far, and we've been running for 13 years (nine of them in Stereo), I've had no problems running older archive material in Mono.

The problems usually occur with the physical condition of the print, which may have shrunk, and be full of old dodgy splices...

In countries with 50Hz power 25fps can be used. In fact, Kinoton for quite some time has a 24/25fps position on their projectors right from the factory...I think all of the "D" series projectors have the option of 24 or 25fps (they used to include 18fps as well). On the "E" machines they also have the 24/25 push button. In the PK-60D, at least the ones I have worked with...all had a toggle switch on the inside of the projector for 24/25fps selection depending on the country it is installed in. In short, it does come up but most people without the option of changing speeds, run the film at their country's standard speed since the pitch/speed change isn't considered too critical. Heck, with async motors the you might have been running at 25fps or 23fps anyway depending on how your projector loaded the motor, line-voltage, and such.

For special venue, we generally either have variable speed and/or a wide speed selection that includes, 16fps and even numbered speed jumps to 24fps and then 30fps. Silent speed is all over the place and sometimes changes during the show...if synced to live music, the speed might actually be dictated by the conductor. I set up one show at the Library of Congress where we were adjusting the projector speed down to .02fps (that is right 2/100ths of a frame per second) increments in order to get the film to play a certain set of segments in the proper length of time....I forget what the final speed was but it was something like 19.18fps for one of them!

Anyway...back to 25fps...clearly it is an issue for some countries or it wouldn't be catered to by anyone but I must say I personally haven't run any films that were designated 25fps. The AFI can run 25fps but not accurately at the present time (older system), the LOC and Archives can "dial-a-speed".

Steve