Every Christmas eve morning they had a free show with cartoons and a movie. After the show, they would call ticket numbers and give out prizes on stage.
That is very true. We get way more life out of the bulbs at my theater. Its all in the way you care for them. Like a car engine, its the starting of the bulb that degrades them. We light the bulbs at the start of the first show and never shut them down till midnight. Also each machine has it’s own exhaust. The cooler you keep them the longer they last. We use 1000 watt bulbs at my theater. You usually get around 2000 hours out of them. We average around 7000 hours. Even at 7000 hours, we get 16FL in the center with around 14FL at the sides. Also when bulbs get older it will change the color of the light on the screen. A brand new bulb will burn nice and white. As it ages, it gets a brownish tint to it.
You have to understand something very important about Xenon bulbs and lamphouses. If you run a xenon bulb below the proper amperage, you decrease the life of the bulb. To change the power output of the bulb, you change the amperage not the voltage. The voltage remains at around 25 volts DC. A 2000 watt bulb, like they use at oceanside, runs at around 75 amps DC. It may save electricity (pennies maybe) but you will kill the bulb. You change the brightness of the light on the screen by moving the bulb closer or further away from the reflector inside the lamphouse. Bulbs should always be run at full power. As far as burning the screen, it does not matter how close the projector is to the screen. What matters is how big the screen is. The more area of screen you have to cover, the darker the light is. Oceanside runs the bulbs at full power. They just run them until they burn out or explode.
The building has been cursed since it closed. It sat for about 10 years before the marquee came down from being hit so many times. It became a carpet store around 1999 but never opened after they did a big renovation. It is now a martial arts supply store which still has not opened since the awnings were put on. Dont think it will ever be used.
I have been hearing that Digital Cinema will be at every theater for 12 years now. If you are telling me that it will replace every screen in every theater, it will not happen. Digital Cinema is not film. You will always be able to tell the difference. I have seen the real Digital Cinema. I am not talking about the cheap imitations.
I agree with Vito. One of the major problems with DLP is who will pay for it. If you make theater owner pay for it, you put all the independent theaters out of business. The theater owners definitely have nothing to gain because DLP is not going to attract more people to the movies. He is also right about possibly shared film and video. They will never replace film completely.
The presentation is horrible at Oceanside. I should know, I work in the booth. All the equipment needs to be udgraded. The light on the screen is not even half the brightness it should be. The screens are wrinkled also. The place may be clean, but that does not make up for bad presentations.
Rhett, There are 2 problems with the masking issues. The first problem is that a lot, if not most of the theaters, do not have movable maskings so 1:85 flat fits fine but scope gets chopped off. The second problem is that clearview and other chains are using non union operaters (Managers) to run the booth instead of real union projectionists. They go in, start the machine and walk away and assume everything is fine.
Automations and platters were the begining of the end for projectionists. I’m talking about the quality of the picture. Cost is an issue too. It will never look like film. There have been too many issues and problems with digital projection. Yes it looks good, but will never be as good as film. The whole transition to digital was supposed to start happening years ago. They were so up on doing it in the begining. Now I hear less about it then before. I,m not saying this just as a projectionist. I am saying this as a service tech, projectionist, and someone who has worked with and worked on digital projection. I do not see it being widespread any time soon.
Most people that I deal with as a projectionist do not want digital projection. They have been trying this since I started in the business. It will never match the effect of film.
That wasnt the ceiling in the small booth. That was the staircase to the balconey that you had to duck under to thread the other machine. In my case it was crawl on your knees.
When cineplex ran the theater, there were many breakdowns. I have the service reports to show it. Cineplex never put any money into the place. The landlords do run the theater now and have put lots of money into renovations. They get first run movies and do well. I’m there enough to see it. They have been trying to put a theater in Riverhead for a while now and it fell through.
The center was first twinned down the middle with one theater added in the basement. Then about 6 years ago the two upstairs screens were split in half to make a total of five screens for the building.
I don’t know how the Greenport stayed open but they are planning a huge renovation over the winter. With the new hotel opening right next store and more people coming out every year, this theater should do very well.
Every Christmas eve morning they had a free show with cartoons and a movie. After the show, they would call ticket numbers and give out prizes on stage.
That is very true. We get way more life out of the bulbs at my theater. Its all in the way you care for them. Like a car engine, its the starting of the bulb that degrades them. We light the bulbs at the start of the first show and never shut them down till midnight. Also each machine has it’s own exhaust. The cooler you keep them the longer they last. We use 1000 watt bulbs at my theater. You usually get around 2000 hours out of them. We average around 7000 hours. Even at 7000 hours, we get 16FL in the center with around 14FL at the sides. Also when bulbs get older it will change the color of the light on the screen. A brand new bulb will burn nice and white. As it ages, it gets a brownish tint to it.
You have to understand something very important about Xenon bulbs and lamphouses. If you run a xenon bulb below the proper amperage, you decrease the life of the bulb. To change the power output of the bulb, you change the amperage not the voltage. The voltage remains at around 25 volts DC. A 2000 watt bulb, like they use at oceanside, runs at around 75 amps DC. It may save electricity (pennies maybe) but you will kill the bulb. You change the brightness of the light on the screen by moving the bulb closer or further away from the reflector inside the lamphouse. Bulbs should always be run at full power. As far as burning the screen, it does not matter how close the projector is to the screen. What matters is how big the screen is. The more area of screen you have to cover, the darker the light is. Oceanside runs the bulbs at full power. They just run them until they burn out or explode.
The building has been cursed since it closed. It sat for about 10 years before the marquee came down from being hit so many times. It became a carpet store around 1999 but never opened after they did a big renovation. It is now a martial arts supply store which still has not opened since the awnings were put on. Dont think it will ever be used.
It is a cash cow. A bad smelling one though.
I have been hearing that Digital Cinema will be at every theater for 12 years now. If you are telling me that it will replace every screen in every theater, it will not happen. Digital Cinema is not film. You will always be able to tell the difference. I have seen the real Digital Cinema. I am not talking about the cheap imitations.
I agree with Vito. One of the major problems with DLP is who will pay for it. If you make theater owner pay for it, you put all the independent theaters out of business. The theater owners definitely have nothing to gain because DLP is not going to attract more people to the movies. He is also right about possibly shared film and video. They will never replace film completely.
The presentation is horrible at Oceanside. I should know, I work in the booth. All the equipment needs to be udgraded. The light on the screen is not even half the brightness it should be. The screens are wrinkled also. The place may be clean, but that does not make up for bad presentations.
Digital still has a very long way to go. Until I see some major improvements I won’t be preparing to switch over in my theater anytime soon.
I’m sure Joe would know but I thought Port Washington was Clearviews first theater.
Movieman007 is right, 4 ¼ oh sorry 4 ½ screens.
There are 2 long narrow hellish screens in this hellhole building. Trust me its not very nice inside. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Clearview cinemas runs Millburn.
Millburn was quaded around 1999
Rhett, There are 2 problems with the masking issues. The first problem is that a lot, if not most of the theaters, do not have movable maskings so 1:85 flat fits fine but scope gets chopped off. The second problem is that clearview and other chains are using non union operaters (Managers) to run the booth instead of real union projectionists. They go in, start the machine and walk away and assume everything is fine.
Automations and platters were the begining of the end for projectionists. I’m talking about the quality of the picture. Cost is an issue too. It will never look like film. There have been too many issues and problems with digital projection. Yes it looks good, but will never be as good as film. The whole transition to digital was supposed to start happening years ago. They were so up on doing it in the begining. Now I hear less about it then before. I,m not saying this just as a projectionist. I am saying this as a service tech, projectionist, and someone who has worked with and worked on digital projection. I do not see it being widespread any time soon.
Most people that I deal with as a projectionist do not want digital projection. They have been trying this since I started in the business. It will never match the effect of film.
That wasnt the ceiling in the small booth. That was the staircase to the balconey that you had to duck under to thread the other machine. In my case it was crawl on your knees.
I agree with that but there is a huge difference between the quality of the presentation then and the presentation now.
Mr GG. I wonder what ever happened to him.
Actually, the theater has been sold twice in the last two years.
When cineplex ran the theater, there were many breakdowns. I have the service reports to show it. Cineplex never put any money into the place. The landlords do run the theater now and have put lots of money into renovations. They get first run movies and do well. I’m there enough to see it. They have been trying to put a theater in Riverhead for a while now and it fell through.
The center was first twinned down the middle with one theater added in the basement. Then about 6 years ago the two upstairs screens were split in half to make a total of five screens for the building.
I don’t know how the Greenport stayed open but they are planning a huge renovation over the winter. With the new hotel opening right next store and more people coming out every year, this theater should do very well.
This theater does very well. No more breakdown like when Cineplex owned it. This place will be here a for a long time.