|  IP: Logged

Likely that anything wider than 100 feet would need a larger lamp to get enought light on an outdoor screen that has low gain.

Perhaps John Wilson or others with IMAX theatre experience can add to the discussion.

Has 15-perf or 8-perf 70 mm ever been projected on an outdoor screen? AFAIK, 5-perf 70 mm has been used at some drive-ins, and outdoor venues with good results.

How would the cars get up the stairs?

Would you look at the film through the sunroof?

IMAX is only 1.4-1 ratio? Must be able to put alot of light through it.

 |  IP: Logged

Okay, I've seen a lot of places that have flea markets and such during the fall or on Sundays but what about the middle of February?

Do they just depend on making as much money as they can in the summer and maybe put some money into investments to tide them over till the summer? I'm sure that D.I. owners aren't depending on just that income. They have to have something else, right?

Also one of Imax's main features is that the image on the screen fills the end wall of the theatre and almost fills your field of view with the minimum peripheral interference.

Sitting in your car peering out through the windscreen hardly satisfies this requirement.

As regards lamp size John P is right.

The largest lamp that Imax use is a 15kW watercooled xenon. This is used in most of the dome/omnimax thetres and on the larger vertical screens . the big screen 3D theatres use a twin rotor twin lamp (2 x 15kW) projector.

The most unusual proposal for using a 1570 projector I heard of was a suggestion by the staging company that put together the sets for Pink Floyd concerts.They came to me to discuss the possibility of synching the projector to their effects track just after we ran the Rolling Stones Imax movie in 1991.

They wanted to buy/rent two Omnimax projectors and put them in 40 foot trailers and use them to project in to a dome screen suspended above the musicians heads.

The trailer would be backed into the forward portion of the stage with the trailer roof level with the stage floor.

In most parts of the world, like here in Australia, drive-ins have always run all year round. I could not imagine how drive-ins survive just in the Summer.

Over half of the 23 drive-ins Melbourne once had (now only one triple screener that can run 70 on its screens), were equipped with 70mm facilities. The light did improve, but only a little. The largest screen at the Coburg triple is over 110 feet which is wider than the indoor IMAX screens here that use the 15k lanmps. I would sure like to see 15 put onto our drive-in screen!

All the 70mm drive-ins here that i know of were/are either Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 or Norelco EL 4000 (Philips DP70). All machines I worked on were water cooled and ran Ashcraft Super Cinex or Corelites or were later converted to 5k xenons.

I have a recording on CD that was recorded straight out the back of the rack at a drive-in with 6 track magnetic sound. It contains most memorable 1950's/60's musicals scores.

We just opened a new multi in Tasmania where the largest screen is over 55 ft in width and the light is good. It is amazing what a 7k lamp can do - scope is just brilliant. We are running Kinoton FP50 with 7k lamp at 165 amps, Kinoton water cooled head runs nice and cool all day. Platter is Kinoton ST200E - best platter I've seen, Dolby CP500 D in all screens and Pennywise CA 100. A great place to see a movie.

I was projectionist at the Grandview Drive-In in Angola NY, about 50 miles up the road from you when you lived in Erie PA. I worked my way through college, 1967-1970. Happily, the Grandview is still in operation

We typically opened in mid April, and closed in early October. We didn't have in-car heaters. I remember a few nights with snow on the ground and only a handful of die-hards watching the movie, (or cuddling to stay warm ) risking asphyxiation in their running automobiles.

We were located in a resort area along Lake Erie, with lots of summer cottages. So the summer months were busy and very profitable. Although the drive-in owner had a "day job", he loved "show-business", and treated his employees well .

------------------
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 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

 |  IP: Logged

 |  IP: Logged

Imax do run an 18kw lamp in some locations, but there is a problem with this from overheating the image. It's at the extreme.

IMAX would have to make a movie of feature length with a real story to make it work in a DI. A journey to Alaska or Egypt won't cut it.

Interesting thought though...

You might have thrown me out of the booth there in NY!

When I was a kid, my parents had friends in NY and we went to visit them once in a while.
I would always go out to get popcorn but would spend most of the time trying to sneak into the booth.

Debrean always knows where to find me when I get lost. After waiting about a half hour without any sign of me, she usually heads straight for the booth to remind me that she's still waiting for her food. Of course there are also times when she beats ME to the booth. I sure am lucky, our marriage was a match made in heaven. Fortunately for me she's just as passionate about the biz as I am.

Small world!!! So you were that pesky kid! .

You may remember we had Century C projectors, RCA soundheads and sound system, and Ashcraft 11 mm carbon lamps. The screen was 42 x 100 feet. AFAIK, we had the first radio sound drive-in in New York state --- I built the AM transmitter myself.

I worked at the Grandview from May 1967 to June 1970, until I graduated from the University of Buffalo and began working at Kodak. The other projectionist was Carl S., who fancied himself a cool dude, and always dressed in black from head to toe. His day job was as a MOPAR (Chrysler) auto mechanic.

Lost track of Carl S. in the early 80's. Has anyone seen a 57 year old "cool dude" who likes to wear black in the booth? Probably driving a Dodge Viper, if I know Carl.

------------------
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 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com