Bit of a scilly thought this but i'll have a play,
My 23 year old Daughter had a record player for Christmas, nothing spectacular but she really loves it and is now enjoying my 70s and 80s singles which i myself havnt heard played for years. Obviously a record player is nowhere near as complicated as a projector,but,
i wonder if one day,some company somewhere would want to revive the manufacturing of a projector, no recording facility, nothing complicated but just something to revive retro film. Records and players seem to be fast becoming very popular.
personally i dont think it would happen simply because films are a hell of a lot more expensive and complicated to produce. Good thought though.
BTW, my own records will only be allowed twice on the record player, i love my vinyl's and they need a decent quality player, these ones there selling now for a hundred quid are nothing more than toys in my eyes.

For lots of people including myself vinyl never went away so you could say the same about film in your case Tom, a new camera was produced recently but a new projector I can't see it unfortunately, when you can pick up one for £20 however bad, putting time,effort and a lot of expense I doubt it nowadays,Mark

i think your right there Mark,

i think your right there Mark,

When you look at the price point the new camera from Kodak is expected to retail at, and given their admitted difficulties at trying to find manufacturers with the skill base and tooling to supply them with precise parts such as those found at the gate etc, it seems highly unlikely that even if in the unlikely event that these cameras captured the imagination of an entire new generation of film lovers, that a projector would necessarily follow.

The camera's I cannot quite for the life of me work out at who exactly they are aimed at given the finished product from Kodak's marketing point of view is only ever digital.
Seems very expensive to myself, to produce 3 minutes worth of what a modern day digital camera can do already for a fraction of the amount.

Given the price of the camera, what could we expect even an attempt on a reasonable projector to cost nowadays?
Assuming there would be no magnetic heads involved on such a machine made in this era, I suppose then that at least loses one major headache and expense, but those precision parts needed for the camera would still be needed for the projector plus other expensive items such as motors, transformer, amplifier, lenses etc etc.

The last prototype to be manufactured was the Classic Fumeo model. At £2500 it had no built in amplifier or loudspeakers etc.

I doubt one now would ever cost less than £1000 and who then would buy it?
If it had a means to synchronize to an SD card etc for the sound aspect plus then a built in amplifier, loudspeakers and a high quality lens to match, I can only imagine such a machine would cost far more.

I really can't see it ever happening sadly though it is a very nice fantasy thought I have to admit.

If one were to produce a film projector *from scratch* these days, would there be a way of using a rolling wave feed system (like Imax film projection) negating the complicated system of cams etx while also simplifying the film path. Are we at the stage where an Led bulb could be switched on and off at such a rate where we wouldn't need a separate shutter, or could a stepper motor be introduced to engineer a very small style of shutter? If we were to think about engineering techniques of today, not those based in the late 19th century, just how different could it be?

All is true in theory Stuart, especially for the servo motor or maybe a stepper motor aspect of things, but I personally have my own reservations as to just how convincing a shutterless image on screen would appear even at high speeds that LED lighting can switch on and off at.
When you consider how strobe lighting appears at far higher speeds than 24 flashes per second, then I'm certain it would not make for a convincing or alternative comfortable nights viewing pleasure.
There is something quite magical about a fast pull down claw action and a shutter coupled with fixed illumination.
I still suspect it would be difficult to better even with today's technological advancements regarding image on screen to the naked eye from a series of fast moving stationary images.

The other point to all of this of course is while our kids who know no better, may well be perfectly satisfied with these suitcase styled £99 portable record players, to anyone who ever had the pleasure of sampling music through something along the lines of a Linn Sondek or even a Technics SL1200 etc, coupled to a decent amplifier and loudspeaker system, then I'm afraid for most of the 40, 50 or 60 somethings, it simply would never cut it and amounts to little more than a toy record player as Tom quite rightly pointed out.

I'd hate now to see a new equivalent in projector terms like this to be honest

Exactly Andy, hence why i told my Daughter until i buy a decent record player my collection will not be used more than twice on her new one which is nothing more than toy.

Exactly Andy, hence why i told my Daughter until i buy a decent record player my collection will not be used more than twice on her new one which is nothing more than toy.

I seem to remember that the Classic Super 8 Fumeo required orders of a minimum of 150. I assume that they never received that number. At the time I told Classic that I might be interested if it was a fully working stand-alone projector.

No sadly Maurice, they never did. Nothing like in fact.

It was never designed to have an internal amplifier so I think it would have always lent itself to being in a permanent set up as opposed to ever being a regular portable stand alone device.

I have no idea why everything I'm posting today finishes up in duplicate btw???
I am doing nothing different to normal with my methods for posting here.

Andrew are you posting on a mobile device or using the back button on your browser immediately after posting? That can cause double posts.

I think its also good to remember that one of the reasons the pre-orders weren't that great was the review of the projector.
It looked like a bread box-a rectangular box with arms for reels and a lens. It was reported to have hum in the sound that had not been ironed out at the time of the review.
I think the review is on the BFCC site.
I definitely applaud CHC for trying to come up with a new projector. But even though its new it still should look good-perfom well. Both things that were lacking at the price point that the projector was at.
I love the hobby but I can't see anyone making a new Super 8 projector sadly.
But I do have to say that if you film in Super 8, I do, its worlds apart from filming with an Iphone or any other digital medium. There is a sense of permanence to it. Its forever--unless it is physically destroyed. You are capturing a moment in time and for me...its really different.
There is nothing like getting a roll of film developed and then holding it up to the light to see the first images you shot.
Maybe at the end of the day it will only be the Fumeo's standing due to their rock like build quality and simplicity of electronics. I better get one. Anyone have one for sale? :)

No Stuart, a tablet and not pressing the back button. It is also taking around five times longer for the upload to send than is usually the case on the occasions this happens.
It isn't every time it happens, but each time there is a delay, it finishes up in duplicate????

I think some of the Fumeo projectors have their own set of weaknesses Alan which include their motors and the fact the sound heads are no longer obtainable despite the fact that electronically they are the most simplistic from the larger better built and more expensive super 8mm projectors.

My guess would be that last man standing could well be the ST 1200's in any kind of numbers at least.
Many were made, their motors tend to last almost always for an eternity and again, fairly simplistic electronics though they do have a STK obsolete IC now that forms a major part of the amplifier section.
All other wear parts can be found, devised or 3D printed I'd say so potentially at least, these should outlive most others unless a huge spare parts inventory is already in place to maintain any of the others.

Aside from the GS 1200, the numbers made of the rest were also far less than the ST 1200 which is another reason why it has a very good chance of being last man standing by my thoughts.

Have top say three ST HD's have done us 39 years so far, hopefully at least one or two of them will see us out.
Did anyone here see Bill Q & A in the mag for those who subscribe? There was a very small section in there on his own opinions.BUT, as he said, it is only his own opinion.

No Tom, I haven't seen any of them. Could you post some or even just Bill's here please?

Actually the heads for the Fumeo's are still available new from Photovox in Italy!
About the motors..that might be a problem. I owned a Fumeo for a little bit and didn't really care much for the ergonomics but just thinking of the future.
I do like the Elmo ST1200HD...maybe I'll try to find another one without the rubber around the wheel.
What to do with your Fiat when all the parts and repairmen are gone? :)

I've heard many struggle for years Alan regarding locating the new heads so that really surprised me there.

What price do the heads come in at?

As for the motors, despite their enormously oversized proportions based on duty , reportedly many do fail prematurely for some reason?

Photovox told me that they have some in stock and also they can supply Stereo heads as well. But I never purchased the 9145 so I don't know what the price is. This was in September.

# 17 & # 18. Tom please can you post Bill's comments here please?