Many drive-ins will close by the end of the year

because digital projectors are expensive. Movies aren't being sent on reels anymore after this year, so drive-in theaters have to invest in $80,000 digital projectors. Many drive-ins are small operations that can't afford that kind of expense. Honda is giving away five projectors, but Project Drive In is also looking for people to spread the word and donate to a fund to help drive-ins get updated.

Go to http://projectdrivein.com/

Tell your friends, too.

When was the last time you were at a drive-in?

Every summer.

Alan Cesar wrote: When was the last time you were at a drive-in?

1977? I think it was The Cat From Outerspace / Shaggy DA combo.

Our local drive in did this last year. They accepted donations all year long to buy the projectors. It worked and now they are in business moving forward.

I can't help but think that someone can make a device that gets inserted in the spot that Film would go in a standard projector that would enable the playing of video through the existing projector lamp/lens that would enable the play of movies from Digital means (DVD, Laserdisc, Hard drive, whatever). Surely someone has the technology to do this for significantly less than $80K per screen. There are 355 driveins and lets assume that 50% have 2 projectors so that's ~530 projectors needing upgraded. If a device could be manufactured for $8k and sold for $16K there is 4.2million in profit out their.

Anyone in GRM land wanna help me start a Kickstart campaign to figure this out?

Alan Cesar wrote: When was the last time you were at a drive-in?

1986-ish? We saw Maximum Overdrive and one of the Death Wish sequels, I think.

I don't know of any drive-ins left in this area.

the last one around here closed at least 20 yrs ago (actually closer to 30)

I've already spammed the hell out of my Facebook over this- My favorite local one closed after last season... they're putting in a berkeleying WALMART. I am displeased.

mndsm wrote: I've already spammed the hell out of my Facebook over this- My favorite local one closed after last season... they're putting in a berkeleying WALMART. I am displeased.

And that, in a nutshell, is what is wrong with this country.

Also, is it ironic that two Japanese firms (Honda, Sony) are teaming up to save an American icon?

Our local drive-in got a digital project recently. Sadly, I've never been to it yet.

Last drive-in I went to was in Rota, Spain on the Navy base. I wasn't in the Navy, just passing through on a backpacking trip.

Movie happened to be "Corvette Summer" with Mark Hamill. What a POS that was.

My grandfather owned a drive-in in Texas and serviced many as an equipment rep. He used to have a collection of pictures he took of the artwork on the backs of the screens on all the theatres he visited. Probably lost to history now.

Last drive-in I went to was a few years ago. There are still a few of them in the Lehigh Valley area of PA.

http://www.beckysdi.com/main/index.php (been to this one a few times)

http://www.shankweilers.com/ (touted as the "oldest" and been in operation since 1934; been here once).

http://www.mahoningdrivein.net/ (only one that mentions the project drive-in contest on their website and are asking for votes; never been tothis one, although I've driven past it 100's of times as it's not far from the ex-g/f's parents' w/e house).

nocones wrote: I can't help but think that someone can make a device that gets inserted in the spot that Film would go in a standard projector that would enable the playing of video through the existing projector lamp/lens that would enable the play of movies from Digital means (DVD, Laserdisc, Hard drive, whatever).

I don't know anything about digital projection, but traditional projectors are freaking HOT. I would think you'd either need some serious cooling for the insert or you'd need to also adapt the projector to a more modern means of light generation (of course, I quit doing projection not long after the move to platters from separate reels, at least at the tiny theaters I worked at, so for all I know the lighting has already been upgraded in some places...)

In reply to ransom:

Considering the sheer quantity of light necessary to light up an 80-foot screen hundreds of feet away combined with the hard-to-beat color rendering of halogen lamps, I'd suspect most projectors still get pretty damn hot.

Holiday Auto Theater - Hamilton Ohio

Seriously an awesome place...I go several times a year. Most recently watched Man of Steel there. Have seen Amazing Spider man, Avengers, Iron Man 3, and Dark Knight Rises there too (see a theme?). Looking forward to The wolverine and any other comic movies that show there in the future...its seriously one of my favorite things to do! Combine 2 of my loves, comic movies and cars. Good times are had by all. Great Drive in, will visit again!

I will be making a donation, Mr Cesar. Thanks for spreading the word!

They'll all die anyways because nobody wants to see a dim 2k 2048x1080 image on a screen 40-100+feet wide. Even the stuff shot in 4k today usually ends up in 2k in processing. Film is dead and we aren't anywhere close to a true replacement for a good 35mm print(~4k). Let alone the old 70mm stuff .

/rant

Or they'll just go to exclusively showing classic films and be OK.

Alan Cesar wrote: When was the last time you were at a drive-in?

Um, 1984? Dent Drive-in in western Cincinnati. Revenge of the Living Dead or whatever the current 80s trashy remake zombie movie was out. We didn't watch the movie, it was more of a party that had a movie in the background.

So we need a thin 35 mm screen capable of producing at silly high resolution with a cooling system. Seems entirely doable.

I guess it's been 14 years now. I remember going to the drive in for a double feature a few times with a date. Don't remember watching any movies though.

I can honestly say I've never been to one.

I just learned there's still one kinda near me. I'll have to check it out.

remove the projector entirely? clearly, a HD device of that size would be prohibitively expensive, but its gotta be possible to remove the projector, and insert a giant jumbotron instead?

My home town has a drive in. It plays two movies a night Friday and Saturday night. It is always pretty full.

On a semi-related note, my hometown has a very high teen pregnancy rate.

Our local Miata club does at least one drive-in night every summer. A few other local car clubs do the same. We all bring folding chairs, buy popcorn, etc. and enjoy the "show" regardless of what's showing.

Unfortunately we find the cars not coming as part of an organized group becoming more scarce every year. I suspect our "local" will fold when they run out of films to show over and over again.

Sad but true. When young adults live in their parent's basements and spend all their income on the latest "i" whatever, they really aren't into being around others. Things happen faster to them in cyberspace than in real life.

volvoclearinghouse wrote:

mndsm wrote: I've already spammed the hell out of my Facebook over this- My favorite local one closed after last season... they're putting in a berkeleying WALMART. I am displeased.

And that, in a nutshell, is what is wrong with this country. Also, is it ironic that two Japanese firms (Honda, Sony) are teaming up to save an American icon?

Are Honda and Sony any less "American" than say..... Chevy? Most of Sony's crap is made in china anyhow, as are a good portion of electronics overall, Hondas' got plants all over the US- And really, they're just as good at capitalism as the rest of the world. It brings up an interesting conundrum for me- I dislike Honda AND Sony- But I hate Walmart even more- and consider it to be a LARGE portion of the blight causing stuff like this to go away. Is this a case of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"?

And you're right, this IS what's wrong with this country. While technology is BEAUTIFUL, and I have a giant TV everywhere I watch TV, and a blu ray player, and truthfully have not been to a theater in a long time- these are things I want to share with my kid. I was unable to share a Porky's cruise night with him (Porky's closed the April before he was born), I won't be able to share the Cottage View drive-in with him...... It makes me sad.

In reply to 4cylndrfury:

I was in the big electronic sign / jumbotron business for quite a few years. You aren't going to beat 80k and have a screen worth watching right now. But prices are dropping all the time, so it won't be long.