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260:) can play a Movietone film without modification to the projector (though if the projector's sound unit has been fitted with red LED or laser light sources, the reproduction quality from a variable density track will be significantly impaired). Movietone was one of four motion picture sound systems under development in the U.S. during the 1920s. The others were DeForest's
560:, a copy of the Tri-Ergon patents, and an internal document from Fox Films written in the 1930s. This latter document states that once it became public knowledge that Sponable perfected the variable-area sound-on-film system at the Fox Studios, that system became the standard and superseded the inventions of Case Research Lab.
525:. Sponable made numerous contributions to film technology, including the invention of the perforated motion-picture screen. This innovation allowed speakers to be placed behind the screen to enhance the illusion of sound emanating directly from the film action. During his time at Fox, Sponable also served as an officer of the
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camera with sound-on-film was introduced by Photo-Sonics. This camera featured a Davis Loop Drive mechanism built within the camera box, which was essential for TV network time-shifting before the use of videotape. The sound galvanometer, made by RCA, was designed to produce good to excellent results
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In 1925, Case terminated his partnership with de Forest due to de Forest's habit of claiming sole credit for the
Phonofilm system, despite most of critical inventions originating from Case. Documents supporting this, including a signed letter by De Forest that states that Phonofilms are only possible
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method of recording sound for motion pictures, ensuring synchronization between sound and picture. It achieves this by recording the sound as a variable-density optical track on the same strip of film that records the pictures. The initial version of this system was capable of a frequency response of
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of approximately 1.19:1 was introduced when single-system camera technology was developed. This technology printed an optical soundtrack on top of the 35mm full aperture, which was colloquially referred to as the "Movietone ratio." This ratio was widely used by
Hollywood and European studios (apart
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The history of Case
Research Lab was long unheralded. After Theodore Case passed away in 1944, he left his home and laboratory as a donation to be preserved as a museum showcasing the inventions of Case Research Lab. However, the museum's first director, who oversaw it for 50 years, decided to put
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inches (370 mm) (close to the present-day standard). This was a departure from the previous practice in
Phonofilm, where the soundhead was placed above the picture head. Case also adopted the 24 frames/sec speed for Movietone, aligning it with the speed already chosen for the Western Electric
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established a laboratory to research the photoelectric properties of materials. As a student, he developed an interest in using modulated light to record sound. He created the "Thalofide cell," a sensitive photocell which was utilized by the U.S. Navy during and for some years after World War I as
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and are in their collections. The Case
Research Lab and Museum has additional sound-film footage of Theodore Case. Recently discovered copies of the same films at the Eastman House are in a much better state of preservation. Movietone News films are in the collections of 20th-Century Fox and the
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The Case
Research Lab, the adjoining carriage house, and Case's home have been restored. Research using the lab receipts, notebooks, correspondence, and much of the laboratory's original equipment is ongoing. This includes the first recording device created to test the AEO light. The collections
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After sustaining severe injuries in a car accident in July 1929, Fox lost his company in 1930 when his loans were called in. In 1936, he also lost a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court against the film industry, which he believed had violated his Tri-Ergon patents. Sponable had done very little to
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is +21 frames for optical, but a 46-foot theatre reduces this to +20 frames. This adjustment was made partly to ensure the film runs smoothly past the sound head. It was also made to prevent
Phonofilms from being played in theaters, as the Phonofilm system was incompatible with Case Research Lab
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the laboratory's contents into storage and converted the building into an art studio. The Case
Research Lab sound studio was located on the second floor of the estate's carriage house, which had been rented to a local model train club until the early 1990s.
455:. This film was the first professionally produced feature film with an optical soundtrack. The sound in the film included music and sound effects but only a few unsynchronized spoken words. The system was also used for sound acting sequences in
310:. De Forest was not having much success and sought help from Case. From 1922 to 1925, Case and de Forest collaborated in developing the Phonofilm system. Among Case's other inventions, he contributed the Thalofide photocell and the
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Within two years after purchasing the system from Case, Fox bought out all of Case's interests in the Fox-Case company. All of Fox's sound feature films were made using the
Movietone system until 1931, when it was superseded by a
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sound-on-disc system. This established 24 frames/sec as the standard speed for all sound films, whether sound-on-disc or sound-on-film and has remained the standard speed for professional sound films with a few exceptions.
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became much more critical in duplicating VD tracks than VA tracks. Minor inaccuracies in printer light settings, sensitometry, and densitometry control had a more significant impact on the
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as the academy's standard. It was interchangeable with the later RCA Photophone system in most respects. For technical details and lists of the industry adopters, please refer to
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After parting ways with de Forest, Case made changes to the
Movietone projector soundhead by positioning it below the picture head, with a sound-picture offset of approximately
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It was also in 1947 that the Davis Loop Drive was introduced to Western Electric licensees, including Twentieth Century-Fox (WECo RA-1231; still made by a successor company).
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After the 1940s, Movietone's variable density (VD) recording systems began to lose ground to Photophone's variable area (VA) systems developed by Photophone as VA-related
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when the kinescope film negative was projected, thereby avoiding the need to make a print before the delayed replay. Western Electric developed the Davis mechanism.
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recording system that utilized the light valve invented by Edward C. Wente in 1923. Despite this change, Fox continued to use the Movietone system for the
445:(1895–1977) from Case Research Lab and acquired the sound-on-film patents from Case. The first feature film released using the Fox Movietone system was
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314:, a light source that could be easily modulated by audio signals and could finally be utilized to expose the soundtrack in the film of sound cameras.
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8500 Hz. Although modern sound films use variable-area tracks instead, modern motion picture theaters (excluding those that have transitioned to
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Subsequently, Wall Camera Corporation produced numerous single-system 35mm cameras, which eventually led to the later development of the three-film
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at Columbia. This includes the only known footage of Earl I. Sponable talking. Sponable can also be seen in footage of the premiere of the film
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Earl I. Sponable, "Historical Development of Sound Films," The Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (April 1947), Vol. 48, No. 4
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Since 1924, Sponable focused on designing single-system cameras that could record both sound and pictures on the same negative. He requested
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Edward Kellogg, "History of Sound Motion in Pictures," The Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (June 1955), Vol. 64, p. 295
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In 1922, Case and his assistant, Earl I. Sponable, shifted their focus to "talking pictures." During that year, Case was approached by
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to modify one of their cameras according to his design, but the results were unsatisfactory. As a result, the Wall machine shop in
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expired. Both methods can achieve similar standards of recording, duplication, and reproduction. However, quality control in the
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purchased the entire system, including the patents, in July 1926. Despite Fox owning the Case patents, the work of
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The Case Research Lab's sound system substantially impacted industry standards. For instance, it positioned the
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cameras to single-system, but most were designed and produced by Wall. Single-system cameras were also made by
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Corporation during World War II for the U.S. Army Signal Corps, although these cameras were relatively rare.
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establish the historical record of Case Research Lab inventions, apart from his April 1947 article in
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Phonofilms that were produced using Case Research Lab inventions are in the collections of the
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because of the inventions of Case Research Lab, are located at the Case Research Lab Museum in
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until 1939, due to the convenience of transporting the single-system's sound film equipment.
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from those that adopted sound-on-disc) between the late 1920s and May 1932. In May 1932, the
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patents, the Movietone sound film system utilized only the inventions of Case Research Lab.
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of 1.37:1 was introduced, effectively restoring the original frame shape of the silent era.
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and 10th Avenue in New York City until he retired in the 1960s. He eventually won an
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was tasked with rebuilding this camera, and the results were significantly improved.
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specifications, and to ease the modification of projectors already widely in use.
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Explanation of Movietone camera sound-on-film system from a 1927 magazine
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Left: Movietone track with variable density. Right: Variable area track.
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At this point, Case and Sponable's Movietone system was adopted by the
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Several films owned by Case Research Lab and Museum were restored by
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List of Early Sound Films 1894–1929 at Silent Era website
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of a VD track compared to a VA track. For this reason,
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418:The commercial use of Movietone began when
53:Learn how and when to remove these messages
297:part of an infrared communication system.
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794:(4th ed.), Fountain Press (1969), p. 373
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