The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-10-28
Speaking Films in German
Useless in Foreign Countrie.

Oseie4s IN Foreign Countries
Berlin, Oct. 27.-Despite the fact
that success has crowned the efforts
CT German Inventors at producing>the
speaking" film, it is foreseen that
reels of this kind can never supplant
the ordinary movies" in the export
trade. The handicap is obvious, since
a film produced in Germany could
hardly be expected to find market
abroad where the language would be
sufficiently understood to make its
showing profitable.
Promoters of the invention see a
possibility, however, of some day
making this type of film eliminate
the necessity of having orchestras in
movie theaters.
Two special showings have been
given in Berlin recently in which in
ventors revealed their achievements
i nmaking sound synchronize perfect
ly with the movements pictured on
the screen. Besides a demonstration
during the middle Of August at which
number of newspaper men were
shown the "phonofilm" of Lee de For
est, Of New York, there was recently
exhibited before several hundred in
vited guests the "Tri-Ergon," an
acoustic film invented by Hans Vogt,
DR.. 10 Engle, and Joseph Massole.
Five devices from the backbine of
the "Tri-Ergon." They are the kath-
odophon, or electrical ear; a special
amplifying conduit; an ultra a-rrequen-
cy lamp; the photozelle, or electrical
eye," and the statophon, or electrical
mouth"
Seven transformations are accom-
plished in order to effect synshroniza-
tion of sound and movement in the
film. The sound waves to be repro
duced ere first transformed into cleo
tricity; the electricity is converted
into light; the light is changed in two
separate stages into the silver black
ening of the negative and positive
films; these in turn are retransformed
into light; the light again becomes
electricity, and finally the electricity
produces the vibrations conveying
sound.
The electrical ear" naturally is
the first apparatus to come into play
Its outstanding feature is an ordinary
metal funnel in which the soundwaves
are converged to pass through noz.
zle. Opposite this nozzle is a glowing
rod through which a stream of cleo
trlcity courses. AS the rod becomes
heated it influence the surrounding air
so that this is "ionized', making it |
capable of conducting current. Sec
ondary electrical glimmers thus ap-
pear bridging the space between the
nizzle and the rod. These flashes rep
resent the electricized sound waves.
These waves are magnified by the |
special amplifier and are fed to a |
vacuum lamp. The latter is of such
construction that it reacts to anv
sound, covering wave intervals all the
way from only 16 to as many as ten
/ thousand a second. It's light grows
stronger or fainter with the volume
OF the sound. Its rap produce small
stripes along the side of the film.
These stripes represent the sounds
and run through the film in exact Co.
incidence with the movements in the
picture. The intervals between them
varies according to the wave inter-
val. The line Of stripes runs SO GEN.
timeters removed from the picture it.
SELF
In the reproduction of the sounds
an intense light stream passes
through the stripes to the electrical
eye." The "eye" is bulb through
which an electrical stream passes.
Its interior surface is partially coat
ed with chemical substance pos
sessing the property of separating
elections. AS this process develops,
the conducting power of the photo
zelle increases. The electrical stream
passing through it increases or di-
minishes with the volume of the sound
waves.
These phenomena are again ampli-
fled and recorded by the electrical
mouth" This instrument comprises
mainly membrane 80 centimeters in
diameter which is vibrated by cleo
tricity rather than by magnetism. It
is claimed to be the first actually
workable telephone capable of trans
mitting loud speaking.
Thus the sounds issue out into the
air from the membrance at the same
time the picture is projected. The
"gramophone" element is eliminated
entirely, yet to a person in the audi
ence the sounds Seem to be coming
from an instrument Of that kind set
up imediately behind the screen where
the picture appears.
At the public demonstration the
program included sounds as varied as
pigs squeal and the tunes of bar
rel organ, to arias from leading op-
arnc cHort cpooch 80 ;,,kxo xl,..x; -