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November 2007
entertainment, presentation, communication
www.lsionline.co.uk
Liverpool
turns 800
A City Celebrates . . .
Joseph: Amazing at the Adelphi
Joseph returns to the London stage
On Tour: Rufus Wainwright
Live at Manchester Apollo
Bregenz Opera
Austria’s latest operatic extravaganza
Technical Focus:
Technology Update: Low energy lighting
In-Depth: The VL3500 luminaire
The Wyvern Re-opens
L&SI visits the refurbished theatre
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Probably, you hadn't even noticed. Possibly, it hadn't even occurred to
you, another example of our once-analogue, mechanical world
moving to an all digital era . . . In October 2004, Kodak stopped
making their entire Carousel range of slide projectors.
Once you hear the news, you suddenly feel foolish not to have realised:
when was the last time you heard that once familiar ka-cha-chunk
sound, mechanics lifting one slide up, rotating it out of the way then
letting the next drop into place - accompanied by the flash of darkness
as the projector blacked out its gate? Or heard the cursing as a carousel
was dropped, the slides scattered everywhere? In fact, when was the
last time you saw any kind of presentation that didn't involve a video
projector and PowerPoint?
Kodak's decision to discontinue the line - announced in late 2003, to give
those who did rely on Carousels plenty of time to stock up - was as
inevitable then as their decision to discontinue most photographic film
will surely one day be. It ended a range with roots stretching back to the
1930s and Kodak's first Kodaslide projector for 2” slides, and more
directly to 1961 when Kodak's engineers instigated one of those simple
in retrospect, dramatic at the time revolutions: replacing their linear slide
carriage trays with a round version - a carousel.
The innovation was introduced to the public as the Kodak Carousel
model 550. The round tray offered easier access to slides as well as
being able to cope with slides in a wide variety of mounts. Slide changes
took about a second, with the unit offering automated timed changes;
a 500W lamp gave a good output while an impeller-type fan protected
slides from damage.
Two years later, the Carousel 800 introduced the more compact form
familiar to Carousel users for the next 40 years, together with
a connector for a hand-held
remote. The 'Ektagraphic' (brighter
output) and 'Ektapro' (advanced
control) ranges from 1969 onwards
added features that professional
users demanded, including more
accurate slide registration for
ensuring image alignment across
multiple-projector set-ups. In
Europe, Kodak introduced the 'S-AV' range (the S for Stuttgart, Kodak's
European base), able to switch between voltages and so travel the
world, and with a 12-pin connector opening up even more external
control possibilities.
The Carousel became the darling of anyone trying to project slides compact and reliable for a single speaker, easily adaptable for those
wanting more refinement with two cross-fading projectors, highly
versatile for those creating spectacular multi-projector extravaganzas and with Kodak offering tacit, if unofficial, support for those hot-rodding
their projectors for the ultimate in brightness. It played everywhere lectures, museums, shops, car launches, trade shows, theatres,
extravaganzas. Tommy, with its 56 Ektapro 4010 projectors, remains
etched in my mind.
And then it was gone, killed by the convenience and reliability of digital
projection and the possibilities offered by a whole new class of product,
one day to be classics: the digital media server . . .
Described as a "snapshot view, frozen in time as of November 2004",
Kodak maintain a section of their website devoted to the Carousel at
>>>>>>
//slideprojector.kodak.com/index.shtml
Lighting&Sound
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November 2007
28
www.lsionline.co.uk
industrynews
••••••
Classic Gear: The Kodak Carousel
Rob Halliday takes a nostalgic but instructive look back at the tools that have shaped the industry . . .
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