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Author Topic: Who produced the most 70mm projectors? David Kilderry Master Film Handler Posts: 355 From: Melbourne Australia Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-09-2003 08:43 AM                        It just occurred to me whilst reading the Simplex 35/70 topic that it would be interesting to know which company produced the largest amount of 70mm (5/70) projectors. In Australia, the Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 would be the most common 70mm machine, followed by the Philips DP70/AA11/EL 4000, Bauer U3 and DP75 in similar numbers. Others exist here, but not in large quantities. Thomas Hauerslev's excellent DP70 site documents this machine, but what about the Century JJ, Cinemeccanica Victoria 10, Toshiba, Simplex, Balantyne, Philips/Kinoton DP 75? Does anybody have production figures on other brands, what is/was the most common 70mm projector in your part of the world? David Kilderry  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-09-2003 08:34 PM                     In the states I would guess its the DP-70 by a large margin. There are alot of JJ's here too. Also, Sillyplex Odeon bought a large number of the 35/65mm Simplex's in the mid to late 80's for what ever reason. Most have straight gates for 35mm and curved 65mm gates to run 70mm on..... We are about to put a rather large number of DP-70's back into service for 35mm operation mainly. These will all have a DTS "Attic" mounting plate which we designed to go in place of the original mag penthouse and will accomodate both the 35mm and 70mm DTS readers. Of course the mag stuff can be reinstalled if needed at any time but we feel the addtition of the DTS plate will allow the machine to keep up wuith the times for both 35 and 70mm film. The film path will be very similar to the old mag path and will utilize both the upper sprockets, one 35/70 giude roller and the original tensioning arm and pointer. This will provide the most reliable film flow through the DTS readers and high reliability TC playback. Mark Sorry for the mag stripe film here...its all there was floating around the shop at the time.....  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-09-2003 09:28 PM                        So, I'm guessing there's probably a good reason why nobody mentions Christie when talking 70mm projectors. Didn't Edwards Theatres deploy quite a few Christie 35/70s in the 80s?  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-09-2003 09:57 PM                        Christie makes (made?) a 35/5-70 projector? Around here (Boston area), Norelcos and JJs are the most common. I do agree with Brad, BTW, that JJs seem to give a steadier picture with 35mm than 35mm Centurys. As a side note, I don't think I've ever personally seen a Simplex 35/70 anywhere, though I know a theatre (the Naro in Norfolk, VA) with a pair of Bauer 35/70s.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-09-2003 10:51 PM                     Christie distributed the Westrex electronic 35/70 (5-8perf) projector under the epic badge In canada the largest installed base is Vic8's followed by Simplex then ballantyne then DP75's then DP70's then VIc10's then JJ's and Prevost tied for last place  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 05-12-2003 08:44 AM                    Does everyone agree with Mark's assertion that the DP70/AAII was the #1 70mm projector in the USA? I'm not in disagreement; I would just like to see some discussion. Thomas' site says 1500 were made; I don't know how many of those came to the States. What do we know about serial number counts on the JJ? And the machines converted to JJ's from Cinerama heads must be included too. Is it safe to presume that JJ's outnumber everything except the big Norelcos (if not them as well)?  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-12-2003 09:12 AM                     In the US I would think think that the simplex 35/70 would have the largest installed base since they were the standard machine installed during the 80's  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-12-2003 10:55 AM                     If I were to hazard a guess, I would have bet on the JJ having the largest installed base in the US. Norelcos are sure popular but I don't believe they out number JJs. Worldwide, that is another story...with Bauer, Cinemeccanicca, Prevost...all cutting in the the pie in significant numbers, I would find it odd for a dominant projector manufacturer except in certain countries...like Italy where Cinemeccanicca would surely be the most popular. Steve  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 05-12-2003 11:35 AM                     In the uk, it's almost certainly Cinemeccanicca Vic 8s, mainly because Rank installed them in just about all of the Odeons at one time, late '60s/early '70s, I think. Many, possibly most, of them never ran a foot of 70mm. In many of the installations it was simply not possible, no mag heads were fitted, no six channel sound installation, and, in later days, 35mm only platters, rollers, etc. A few Vic.Xs were installed by Odeon, Leicester Square had three of them when I visited the place, one of which is now at the Projected Picture Trust's Enigma Cinema at Bletchley Park. At the same time ABC, the other large British chain, were using DP75s, But I'm sure they installed far less than Odeon. Gaumont had been taken over by Odeon by this time. There were some smaller chains, but very few of their houses would have had 70mm. American machines are not common, I don't think I've ever seen one, but I think the BFI IMAX has a pair. Projection box visits don't seem to be possible there, so I've never seen them. There was no British made 70mm machine, there hasn't even been a 35mm one for many years, there were rumors that Kalee were working on one at the time of their demise in 1958, but an advertisment for the new Rank Kalee 70mm projector, which I saw at Bletchley Park shows what is clearly a Vic.X; the ex. Leicester Square one was standing just a couple of metres away. Rank were the uk distributers for Cinemeccanicca equipment. American 35mm machines were not so uncommon at one time, but most new installations today are Cinemeccanicca or Kinoton. The older installations, from the '50s and early '60s were normally DP70s, but there weren't as many of them. My one experience of running 70mm was on a pair of DP70s, or rather half a pair, we were using two operators, so I only got to run one machine. For some reason, the print came in on loads of small reels, from memory, I think some of them were only about a thousand feet, so we had changeovers every few minutes  |  IP: Logged Per Hauberg Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 883 From: Malling, Denmark Registered: Jul 2000 posted 05-12-2003 01:01 PM                        Yeah, Steven - Not only did Rank install Vic 8's in great numbers - As far as i know, they even took out DP 70's to put in the Vic's (Dominion among others), just because they should really show their own import. p.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 05-12-2003 02:15 PM                     Per wrote: quote: Yeah, Steven - Not only did Rank install Vic 8's in great numbers - As far as i know, they even took out DP 70's to put in the Vic's (Dominion among others), just because they should really show their own import. Vic 8s also replaced DP70s a few years ago at the former MOMI cinema, now NFT3. I once heard it said that the reason Rank installed dual gauge machines in so many of the Odeons was to get round some sort of import restriction (tariff or quota) which applied at that time to 35mm machines but not to 70mm, which were treated as a special case; a bit like the Astoria running Around the World in Eighty Days in 34mm to get around some British films quota on 35mm. I don't know if this is correct, but they certainly installed many Vic. 8s on which they never intended to run 70mm. Does anyone else know?  |  IP: Logged Darren Briggs Master Film Handler Posts: 371 From: York, UK Registered: Dec 2001 posted 05-12-2003 03:09 PM                        Rank installed may 35/70 Vic 8's as it was cheaper to import the 35/70 machine into the u.k. than buy a 35mm only mech form the U.K. As no one in the U.K. made a 35/70mm mech, you could do the imort and have a TAX break. If someone did make a british 35/70 mech, the Vic 8's would of been very expensice to import compared to a British made Mech. I guess many DP's were taken out and replaced by Vic8's, as the VIc 8 is more friendly for automation use, as on a DP you can't change apperture plates without stoping the mech. One major diss-advantage i say. I was told the NFT put Vic 8's into NFT 3 as NFT 2 had them and it made sence to keep the machines the same, and the DP's in NFT 1 were on the cards to be replaced too. The BFI IMAX has 2 Century JJ's, serviced by Future Projections of London. A very nice IMAX box indeed. Even has a Leather sofa!! Darren  |  IP: Logged Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 05-12-2003 03:18 PM                     Was the Westrex 5000 not 35/70 and built here? At any rate, up here the Fedi 35/70 XT was popular, but only really because Scotlands largest chain, Caledonian Associated Cinemas, had a quantity of them. Outside of CAC you had Odeon and ABC, and you already have the Odeon and ABC history with Cinemec and Phillips/Kinoton. All the 70mm installs we've done in recent memory have used the Century JJ. Save for the 8/70 stuff which is Balantyne. The Westrex/Christie Epic was trialled in that application but proved to unreliable.  |  IP: Logged Darren Briggs Master Film Handler Posts: 371 From: York, UK Registered: Dec 2001 posted 05-12-2003 03:33 PM                        Think your right about the Westrex, must of not been around when rank were buying the many Vic 8's though. Have Fun Darren  |  IP: Logged Ben Wales Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 602 From: Southampton. England Registered: Jul 99 posted 05-12-2003 04:55 PM                     Yes there was a British Built and Designed 35/70mm Projector in the late 60's This was the Westrex 5000 (owned by Litton Industries) in 1968 (approx). We belived Westrex produced this projector with the aim to stop Rank importing the RK60 (Victoria 8) into the UK as the home market with many independant cinemas were looking to install 70mm in the late 1960's, but only Star/Classic Cinemas and a hand full of Cinemas had the full Westrex 70mm installation, I belive that were about 12 sets built in the Uk and several were in the US were the full 70mm kit.  |  IP: Logged

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