Constant Image Area Thread...

This won't be a very big thread for a while, but I had an epiphany reading a comment from Art in the 2.35 forum, which is very true. People with scope screens are beginning to discriminate (for lack of a better word) against 16/9 and vistavision content. The width of the image portrays more spectacle in cinemascope. It is true. If for any architectural reason you are doing a servo zoom installation, in a retrofit condition and your position for the lens when in HDTV aspect ratio memory is right there at the end of the barrel , and when you macro to CINEMASCOPE you still have some range in the lens the focal superiority will apply to the cinemascope making it appear sharper. That was the case with helene. In my case I too prefer 2.40 cause it looks so darn good like - 70 mm.

HDTV just started a few years ago, now we are getting bombarded with CINEMASCOPE titles but in the near future there will be saturation, both of the ubiquitous HD format AND the CINEMASCOPE, at that time the post houses will start cranking academy ratio content en Masse- there are hundreds of classics from the forties , fifties, and sixties that will become available. What is the videophile to do?

Use Servo Zoom Lensing and multimasking screens to create a new generation of Constant Image Area home venues.


The one problem I see is the limited range of the latest first batch of servo zoom lenses. Barco only has 5, the upcoming other has a few more:

SuperKontrast MKI/II

0.98” DC2K (1.2-1.8)
0.98” DC2K (1.4-2.05)
0.98” DC2K (1.6-2.05)
0.98” DC2K (1.9-3.2)
0.98” DC2K (2.4-3.9)

(if any good )The Farbenmeister

Motorized Auxilary Lens Mount
1.05:1 Zoom Lens
1.30-1.75:1 Zoom Lens
1.39-1.9:1 Zoom Lens
1.5-2.2:1 Zoom Lens
1.75-2.40:1 Zoom Lens
1.9-3.0:1 Zoom Lens
2.40-3.90:1 Zoom Lens
3.90-6.52:1 Zoom Lens
Wide Converter Lens (WCL)

With this other projector you can use the servo zoom to handle 2 aspect ratios and then swing in the WCL wide angle adapter to increase another aspect ratio as needed. Cause these servo zooms only have enough range for cinemascope and hdtv/vistavision.

For those that do not want to use the WCL or those with a Superkontrast another solution is to mount the projector on a unistrut mono-rail system and push the p[rojector back and forth so that in combination with the servo zoom the stricktest possible CIA is maintained.

Lon, I had never thought of the need for equal area on cinemascope and hdtv, interesting point.

The current and upcoming slate of Blue Ray movies is just a sampling from the bottom half of all the great films out there, I am very dissapointed in the quantity of quality offerings. Turner Classic Movies, and Fox Movie Channel one day will start transmitting in full hd. At that time I suspect you will see a scramble for CIA.

Congratulations for being ahead of the pack.

While I see where constant Image area can be done with an anamorphic lens, with some skillful programming it is safe to generalize the following:

In the late 20th century 3x4 image panels gave us CONSTANT IMAGE WIDTH.

The introduction of both HDTV shaped panel sources coupled with the advent of the 1.33x anamorphic lens has brought us CONSTANT IMAGE HEIGHT. For this the projector lens has to be centered with the screen.

Now (and perhaps a sign of things to come during the next 10 years) the advent of the servo zoom/shift/focus lens not only brings us the capacity to do all three approaches CIW, CIH, and Constant Image Area, but it also permits creative new advanced imaging options with the introduction of SIDESHOOT PROJECTION. This type of projection widens and narrows sideways IN ONE DIRECTION. Who wants that you say? Artists and other folk that do not like to be confined by conventional thinking, or seating convention restrictions.

For example LOFT TYPE environs require clean open spaces with minimalist interference from things like hanging projectors and multiple rows of cinema chairs. These spaces often have off center floating closets, a very practical way to conceal a digital cinema video projector. Many condominiums have restrictions as to what you can hang form slabs and comon walls to so these closets become the most logical option.

With SIDESHOOT PROJECTION on a SERVO ZOOM/SHIFT/FOCUS projector, a white wall can be used to create many a shape and size projections that dissapear in stealth modus (when turned off).

What can I say? Great minds think alike. In the BARCO zoom world the frequent limitation I am finding with CIA is wall size or room height, too often both of these force the cinema designer's hand towards CIH. Wall size because of screen dimension restrictions but room height because it limits the stadium seating like platform requirements of CIA.

We need bigger theaters, I believe a proactive approach should be taken in designing these new homes around the properly spaced cinema space. Right?

3-D and 4K will change all that. What really facilitates the promulgation of CIA nowadays is the smart lens and that is a new trend that will continue to grow because it is the simplest solution. Throw in the fact that 3-D and 4K require more intimacy, taller aspect ratios and larger screens and I see it as the predominant option 5 years down the line. Like CIH now and CIW 10 years ago.

Well how to train your dragon was scope. I had to leave the theater because of too little light output did give me a headache in a packed RealD room, combined with a kid screaming "papa" "mama" in my ear for 45 minutes....

Truly a horrible experience for me being such a 3-D fan, it looked so fake.... ... light output is a huge issue in the realD theaters there is not enough series 2 3-D projectors to feed the pipeline.

..but in general getting back to your question if 3-D survives (meaning we get more Avatar content and not just CGI cartoons) it is much better in 1.85, as cinema-scope generally undercuts the effectiveness of 3D due to lack of height. You need a taller image to fill immersed in 3-D.