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I just have to interject here----After operating a 2 projector, 2000 foot reel system for 20 years and a platter system for 16 years--I much rather have a 2 projector system. I, as Roxy, have never lost a showing when we had the 2 projector system--can not say that with platter. My platters are well maitained, most have wrap detectors and experienced operators and still have lost shows.

I do have to agree that this will be a moot point once digital takes over except for the future threads about how we miss platter and film due to how many shows we will lose with digital as that equipment ages .

In my opinion; it is wrong to post an opinion as a fact. So if Roxy did do that, any taking to task is deserved in my opinion.


Opinions can be debated, but must be tolerated and respected.

NSCInemas

When you e-mailed me, it was my first intent to e-mail you back with my thoughts about your comments, but then I thought... WHY? What would that accomplish? You feel that my personal choice for a reel to reel system is unfair to new folks looking for accurate information. How would a discussion between us help them? They can only benefit if the discussion is brought before them.

Out of respect, I did not mention your name or handle. Therefore, you would have stayed incognito, had you not let the cat out of the bag.

Why did you attack me in the e-mail with comments like "cant help but notice the biased and inacurate information you have posted regarding platters" and "My point is that you are giving faulty information to people who don't have experience to know better." You make it look like I deliberately and knowingly gave out false information. No such thing occurred. The information that I gave was based on my personal experience and of others that I know. You are obviously a better platter operator then I. So why, if you are truly concerned with the information that gets out to newbie's, didn't you post here your comments in a friendly non-combative way?

You could have easily stated that you recently read some posts that you disagree with and explained why, and therefore let the readers make judgments for themselves.

I have no problem with platters. I have stated in other posts here that I believe that platters are the best way to go in multiplex theatres, but I feel that they are not the best for single screen, or possibly twin screen theatres. I still believe that for many different reasons.

And, by the way, I didn't say that trailers or shorts or whatever CAN'T be changed on platters... I said that "What if FIVE MINUTES before showtime an important trailer arrives... can you EASILY add it to your platter before starting...NO!, What if you receive a new trailer JUST MINUTES before showtime that should go on screen for that showing. Can you change it in just a couple of minutes? NOT EASILY." and "What if at the LAST MOMENT you want to change a trailer, add a short or a cartoon, or skip one of those to make up some time...what do you do then with a platter. You don't do it." All of these comments were in regards to last minute changes which would be difficult for most people. I publicly admit I can't do it on a platter in just a few minutes, and no one that I know well can either. That doesn't mean others can't, obviously you can, and you have taught others to do it as well. That's good. However, my comments were made on my personal experience and of others that I know.

Please keep in mind that replacing trailers or fixing splices (now how would you do that quickly?)are not the only reasons that I prefer reel to reel over platters. If you lose a show at a megaplex, it's not the end of the world, not good, but you still have the income from all of the other screens. At a single screen if you lose a show, you lose all of your income. With that 2nd projector, the show can continue to go on. And as I mentioned on a previous posting, with a platter you will have a difficult time getting good prints of classics from most of the studios.

NSCInemas, I believe that your concern is genuine, which is good, but I also feel that you went about it in the wrong way. Don't be so quick to condemn others.

The important thing is that you learn from your mistakes. Even after all these years, I still make mistakes, and I continue to learn from them. You can too. You'll be a better person for it.



[This message has been edited by RoxyVaudeville (edited January 27, 2008).]

Thank you for the direct reply Roxy, I am sorry that I came off combative towards you in my email I did not intend that but re reading it now I can see how it would be taken that way. My concern was to let you know that it can be done and to do it privately so that someday down the road someone else wouldnt make a public comment about it, but I can see that I did not word my email in the right way. I have no problem at all with your preference for changeovers, I have serviced many changeover booths and ran one once and I thought it was the funnest time I ever had in a booth, I can also agree that if you only have 1 or 2 screens changeovers are probably the best way to go as you'll almost never lose a show. You said that I may be a better platter operator than you but I am sure that you could run circles around me in a change over booth, everyone has thier own skills and one isnt any better than the other. Again, I want to send you my sincerest apolgie for the tone of my email it wasnt what I had intended.

Hey Roxy:

Most of my career has been spent in two projector changeover booths. But I have run single machine platter booths both for the corporate big boys and an independent. Give me the two projector system anytime. It's much easier to makeup and tear down a trailer reel that to try to pull something out of the center of a platter. I have had platter rollers fail and had film jump off platter rollers, had static electricity cause brain wrap on a platter, had platter motors fail had a fail safe fail and dump about 10 minutes of film on the floor. I never had any such problems with the two projector system. I will stack up a two projector system with a projectionist in attendance against a platter system with an absent button pusher anytime and give the audience a superior screen presentation every time.

The one projector platter system was developed for only one reason, not to give the audience a superior presentation but to cut overhead costs by eliminating a full-time projectionist (primarily union operators).

And when I open my next house it will be a two projector system.

---

Bob Allen
The Old Showman

Imn the old days the 2 projector system was better.WHY? Because there was only 1 screen and operators were trained on them.
Any new theater today would be crazy to start with a non platter house.There are so few people that could train someone reel to reel properly.

NSCInemas

No apology is needed. I am now convinced that your intent was sincere. Let's just bury the hatchet, shake hands, and continue to work for the betterment of this industry that we all love.

Bob,

5 years from now you wont be able to get a print for that two projector system.

Richard

I have been around movie theaters since 1981 and i cant wait for digital.Most people my age hate to see film go .I look at digital as new and improved time for our industry.
I STILL USE FILM IN MY THEATER BUT WHEN DIGITAL IS PERFECTED FILM IS GONE!

Can someone explain how a platter system gives a worse presentation (if presentation is defined as what the customer see/hears) than reel to reel or changeover?

I have only been in this business for 16 mos and I have only seen platters.

We have lost shows twice for one night due to bad diodes in the power supply. Film damage caused by faulty platters has occurred once and it ended up being bad for about 12 seconds. All in all I am quite happy with platters.

I have fixed bad slices in a couple of minutes and removed/added trailers pretty easily (the trailers are added for the following show), can't see any reason to add content at the last minute.

Hi Richard:

If they send it to me on a disc that I can pop into a digital player without any "makeup" involved then I'll be perfectly happy. But I don't think we'll ever see film go out of existance. You can still get a copy of just about everything on 16mm.

---

Bob Allen
The Old Showman

Studios aren’t paying VPF for the digital transition out of the kindness of there hearts. In three years the big three will be digital along with most of the mid-sized circuits. I've begun converting our circuit to insure survival as I don’t see studios continuing to strike prints. Right now I have 29 digital screens and will have the remaining 85 converted in the next two years.

Richard

I stopped reading half way through all that..sorry but it was too much reading...but.. isn't Roxy a lady?? I thought Years ago when I first started reading bigscreenbiz that Roxy came on and said she was female??? No relevance..Just curious as everyone keeps saying he and I always pictured Roxy as female...FYI..Im also female..even though my screen name says man on the end..when i was looking for a screen name the local bakery had just won some prize with their pies and the paper headline had pieman in it..i liked it..i used it!!!

Nope, Roxy is not a lady. lol. Roxy is the name of my theatre which was a combination vaudeville/movie theatre in it's early years. It, and all the other Roxy's were named after Samuel Lionel Rothafel, America's best know showman back in the twenties. He built the 6000 seat Roxy Theatre in New York City and named it after the nickname "Roxy" that he had recieved when he had played minor leauge baseball in his younger years. He was definently a guy, and so am I.



[This message has been edited by RoxyVaudeville (edited January 28, 2008).]