GB305617A - Improvements in or relating to the simultaneous reproduction of sounds and pictures - Google Patents

Abstract

305,617. Mittell, B. E. G., and Gramophone Co., Ltd. Nov. 8, 1927. Sound - reproducing apparatus associated with kinematographs.-In the simultaneous reproduction of pictures and sound, provision is made for reproducing the sound of higher frequencies so as to locate this sound on the screen adjacent to the position of the apparent source, in the picture, of that sound. The pictures may be projected on to the front of the screen or, as shown, through a window 3 in a horn 1 on to the back of a translucent screen 4 mounted in the horn mouth. The horn 1 is adapted to reproduce mainly the lower frequencies, and a number of reproducers 5, 6 are positioned to reproduce the higher frequencies at different positions on the screen and controlled manually or automatically so as to be operative when the apparent source of the sound in the picture is in the position in the picture served by that reproducer. The high frequency reproducers are operated through switches controlled manually or automatically by holes provided and positioned in the picture film to operate pneumatically as in a piano-player or by photographic markings on the film acting on a light-sensitive device. When controlled by holes on the film the holes may be hand cut or produced automatically during the production of the combined picture and sound record, the cutting mechanism being controlled by a device sensitive to the direction from which sound falls upon it. Similarly, when controlled by markings on the film those markings are produced by a device sensitive to tne direction of the sound during optical recording of the sound on the film. Alternatively, the several high frequency reproducers may be replaced by one or more movable ones whose position can be varied as required either manually or automatically. When the picture screen is arranged in a flared proscenium opening in a theatre this opening may constitute the mouth of the main horn.