Technological revival of drive-in movies?

[RD in Kennesaw]

I'm sure all of us have seen the new outdoor advertising billboards
that use LED displays to change the message every several seconds.
They are so bright that they stand out even in sunlight. Aside from
the fact that drive-ins may be dead for good, why couldn't this
technology be used for drive-in movie screens? The show could start
well before dark, with images that are superior to anything that could
have been projected in the old days. The billboards I have seen are
also very wide-screen, and could accomodate any of the present formats
(but no 3D unless they could make a polarizing filter that big). And
if these screens are good enough for daylight, car headlights shining
on them would have little impact.

I have tried contacting some people who should know about this
possibility, but haven't received a reply. How about it, folks? Any
ideas or reasons why not?

RD in Kennesaw

[g***@hotmail.com]

Post by RD in Kennesaw
I'm sure all of us have seen the new outdoor advertising billboards
that use LED displays to change the message every several seconds.
They are so bright that they stand out even in sunlight. Aside from
the fact that drive-ins may be dead for good, why couldn't this
technology be used for drive-in movie screens? The show could start
well before dark, with images that are superior to anything that could
have been projected in the old days. The billboards I have seen are
also very wide-screen, and could accomodate any of the present formats
(but no 3D unless they could make a polarizing filter that big). And
if these screens are good enough for daylight, car headlights shining
on them would have little impact.

Nothing new about them. In Shanghai they also have adverts projected onto the train tunnel walls as the train is speeding along.Now that is truly amazing.

Post by RD in Kennesaw
I have tried contacting some people who should know about this
possibility, but haven't received a reply. How about it, folks? Any
ideas or reasons why not?
RD in Kennesaw

[Martin Hart]

In article <b12b5046-6890-450c-a190-6ce81ad17608
@k14g2000vbe.googlegroups.com>, ***@bellsouth.net says...

Post by RD in Kennesaw
I'm sure all of us have seen the new outdoor advertising billboards
that use LED displays to change the message every several seconds.
They are so bright that they stand out even in sunlight. Aside from
the fact that drive-ins may be dead for good, why couldn't this
technology be used for drive-in movie screens? The show could start
well before dark, with images that are superior to anything that could
have been projected in the old days. The billboards I have seen are
also very wide-screen, and could accomodate any of the present formats
(but no 3D unless they could make a polarizing filter that big). And
if these screens are good enough for daylight, car headlights shining
on them would have little impact.
I have tried contacting some people who should know about this
possibility, but haven't received a reply. How about it, folks? Any
ideas or reasons why not?
RD in Kennesaw

I've wondered about this too. A quick scouring of the Internet tells us
a couple of important things. First, the resolution is quite low
compared with other technology. Second, the cost is presently very high
for a decent sized display. Assuming you wanted to use a screen 40 feet
wide, small for a drive-in, the cost would exceed $125,000 and you'd
still have a low rez screen. The time will come, I'm sure, when pixel
pitch will drop dramatically, allowing for much better resolution, but
that's probably a long way off if you want to compete with film
resolution.

It would be neat to have the first drive-in with regularly scheduled
matinees.

Marty

[Mutley]

Post by Martin Hart
In article <b12b5046-6890-450c-a190-6ce81ad17608
@k14g2000vbe.googlegroups.com>, ***@bellsouth.net says...

Post by RD in Kennesaw
I'm sure all of us have seen the new outdoor advertising billboards
that use LED displays to change the message every several seconds.
They are so bright that they stand out even in sunlight. Aside from
the fact that drive-ins may be dead for good, why couldn't this
technology be used for drive-in movie screens? The show could start
well before dark, with images that are superior to anything that could
have been projected in the old days. The billboards I have seen are
also very wide-screen, and could accomodate any of the present formats
(but no 3D unless they could make a polarizing filter that big). And
if these screens are good enough for daylight, car headlights shining
on them would have little impact.
I have tried contacting some people who should know about this
possibility, but haven't received a reply. How about it, folks? Any
ideas or reasons why not?
RD in Kennesaw

I've wondered about this too. A quick scouring of the Internet tells us
a couple of important things. First, the resolution is quite low
compared with other technology. Second, the cost is presently very high
for a decent sized display. Assuming you wanted to use a screen 40 feet
wide, small for a drive-in, the cost would exceed $125,000 and you'd
still have a low rez screen. The time will come, I'm sure, when pixel
pitch will drop dramatically, allowing for much better resolution, but
that's probably a long way off if you want to compete with film
resolution.
It would be neat to have the first drive-in with regularly scheduled
matinees.
Marty

You could use Crystal LED technology and make it larger..
http://www.trustedreviews.com/sony-crystal-led-tv-first-look_TV_review

[Joe Z.]

Post by Mutley
You could use Crystal LED technology and make it larger..
http://www.trustedreviews.com/sony-crystal-led-tv-first-look_TV_review

As I understand it, "Crystal LED" is Sony's name for a TV with an LED
screen. The problem is that TV manufacturers have been using "LED TV"
to describe LCD TVs that are backlit by LEDs instead of CCFLs (cold
cathode fluorescent lamps).


- Joe Z.

[Scott Norwood]

In article <***@news.eternal-september.org>,
Martin Hart <***@spamfreewidescreenmuseum.com> wrote:
[snip]

Post by Martin Hart
The time will come, I'm sure, when pixel
pitch will drop dramatically, allowing for much better resolution, but
that's probably a long way off if you want to compete with film
resolution.

That didn't stop 2K DLP.

[Richard]

Post by Martin Hart
I've wondered about this too. A quick scouring of the Internet tells us
a couple of important things. First, the resolution is quite low
compared with other technology. Second, the cost is presently very high
for a decent sized display. Assuming you wanted to use a screen 40 feet
wide, small for a drive-in, the cost would exceed $125,000 and you'd
still have a low rez screen. The time will come, I'm sure, when pixel
pitch will drop dramatically, allowing for much better resolution, but
that's probably a long way off if you want to compete with film
resolution.

And, maybe, that kind of screens could be curved to
simulate Cinerama screens

[Ken Layton]

All the ones I've seen along the freeway are always mucked up with
dead sections or sections displaying garbage. Also, these displays are
very directional with a narrow field of view. Light falls off
dramatically as you move off center. Have you ever seen the costs of
these signs anyway? Jeez they start at about $200,000.

[Kimba W Lion]

Any ideas or reasons why not?

I don't think drive-in movies died off because of technology. I think not very
many people care to go to one anymore. I know I can't see the attraction of
paying to see a movie while I'm sitting in my car, dealing with weather
(summers are very unpleasant here--at one of the last outdoor concerts I
attended, Paul Simon came out on stage and opened by saying "Geez! How do you
people even BREATHE?!"), mosquitos, other people's kids, people in SUVs
arriving late and parking between me and the screen, etc., etc. All for the
equivalent of someone playing a DVD on a big low-res TV?