PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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THE PROJECTION EQUIPMENT When the ABC Plymouth Cinema reopened on Thursday May 5th 1977 as EMI's 40th triple screen cinema, it had new fully automatic projection equipment. This consisted of Philips projectors and non-re-wind systems and Kinton sound machines. It was no longer necessary to rewind films after only 20 minutes as now a full 4 hours 20 minute programme could be put on. The equipment would raise the house lights and put on a tape recorder. After 10 to 15 minutes the show would be started. It would switch down the house lights, start the projector, switch on the Xenon lamps (which had replaced the carbon arc lamps), change the sound over from tape recorder to the picture, the special effects projector being switched off as the feature started. At the end of the film it would automatically change to a wider screen ready for a sales trailer and when that was finished it would raise the house lights and transfer the sound to the tape recorder again for special messages. After a sales interval of only five minutes, it would take down the house lights, transfer the sound back to the film and change the screen back. At the end of the main feature film it automatically set it all up again. All the projectionist ever needed to do was to re-lace the machine at the end of the show.
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