Image quality - a blast from the past

[Dio]

That was my understanding too - that 35mm 24/48Hz standard projectors do indeed stop/start the film, but the Imax ones had to use the loop trick. I think I saw a documentary on this about five or ten years back showing the film getting very impressively shredded by some of the Imax prototypes

 

[Bigus Dickus]

Whoa, film actually does start and stop in the projector. It should have been obvious that starting and stopping the whole reel wasn't necessary, but only a relatively short segment of loose film.

Oh well, that's why I like engineering. Things never cease to amaze me.

 

[mr]

Hi Bigus Dickus,

Currently there are two widespread methods to start/stop the film in the projector.

The Maltese Cross Drive (it's so simple you have to love it ) and of course an electronic intermittent drive.