What's that faint red glow on the movie theater screen?!?
January 7, 2016 12:58 PM Subscribe
A small theater chain claims that their digital projectors produce a slight red glow that's visible on the screen and affects all of their auditoriums. They claim that it's so faint that hardly anyone notices it. I did and it bothered me the whole movie. What's going on there?
I attended a showing of Star Wars The Force Awakens recently at a small-chain theater and was shocked to see a faint red glow in the center of the screen. While it was there during the entire movie, it was most noticable during the dark scenes . I approached the manager who first complimented me on being the first person to ever notice the glow, then he tells me that it's a byproduct of their digital projectors and that all of their auditoriums have it. I've been in dozens of theaters with digital projection and have never before seen anything like that. Can anyone clue me in to what's going on here? Are there really professional digital projectors that do this?!?
I attended a showing of Star Wars The Force Awakens recently at a small-chain theater and was shocked to see a faint red glow in the center of the screen. While it was there during the entire movie, it was most noticable during the dark scenes . I approached the manager who first complimented me on being the first person to ever notice the glow, then he tells me that it's a byproduct of their digital projectors and that all of their auditoriums have it. I've been in dozens of theaters with digital projection and have never before seen anything like that. Can anyone clue me in to what's going on here? Are there really professional digital projectors that do this?!?
Could be a copy deterrent, for example near-infrared and some visible red that washes out the image on a camcorder.
posted by kindall at 1:05 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by kindall at 1:05 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm a theater projectionist, currently running an eight-month-old state-of-the-art IMAX Digital Laser booth. I've been a projectionist for over thirty years now; I've run 16mm, 35mm, 70mm and IMAX film as well as various iterations of digital, on projectors that range from carbon-arc machines built in 1932 right up to this fancy laser setup I have now.
In my professional opinion the only reason to have some sort of 'slight red glow' on the screen is, their equipment is badly installed/aligned and/or badly maintained (in any one of too many ways to list). There is no excuse whatsoever for that, other than being cheap and not being willing or perhaps able (if they're a shoestring independent operation) to pay for a quality technical-services contract. (And I'll bet their "projectionist" is just any kid that's not actively shoveling popcorn in a bag....)
I deeply, deeply doubt it's got to do with any closed captioning system; they just aren't bright enough for that.
posted by easily confused at 1:42 PM on January 7, 2016 [28 favorites]
In my professional opinion the only reason to have some sort of 'slight red glow' on the screen is, their equipment is badly installed/aligned and/or badly maintained (in any one of too many ways to list). There is no excuse whatsoever for that, other than being cheap and not being willing or perhaps able (if they're a shoestring independent operation) to pay for a quality technical-services contract. (And I'll bet their "projectionist" is just any kid that's not actively shoveling popcorn in a bag....)
I deeply, deeply doubt it's got to do with any closed captioning system; they just aren't bright enough for that.
posted by easily confused at 1:42 PM on January 7, 2016 [28 favorites]
Yeah, I've been to a lot of different theaters and I've never seen anything like this caused by digital projection (and if I did, my conversation with the manager would likely be a short one having mainly to do with getting my money back). I do sometimes see light cast on the screen by other sources in a poorly designed theater auditorium — a door opening and closing at the back of the room can do this, as can glowing exit signs placed right next to the screen — which does make me wonder if there's something else going on here that the theater manager doesn't want to tell you about.
posted by Mothlight at 2:14 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Mothlight at 2:14 PM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Reflection off the exit signs near the screen?
posted by hwyengr at 4:19 PM on January 7, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by hwyengr at 4:19 PM on January 7, 2016 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: The manager confirmed that the glow was coming from the booth and not from signs in the auditorium. Could he have been wrong!? I mean, why would he cop to something like that when it was incorrect?
posted by Jamesonian at 10:55 AM on January 8, 2016
posted by Jamesonian at 10:55 AM on January 8, 2016
Either the place is too cheap to pay for professional technical skills (i.e., somebody who knows how to set up & maintain the equipment properly), or they're stupid enough to think they don't NEED to pay for those skills. And if the manager is smart enough to realize THAT, then he's trying to gaslight you into believing his hocus-pocus mumbo-jumbo explanations are real.
If you see that red glow again, get an immediate refund.
posted by easily confused at 1:07 PM on January 8, 2016
If you see that red glow again, get an immediate refund.
posted by easily confused at 1:07 PM on January 8, 2016
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posted by bensherman at 1:03 PM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]