Professional projectionists say screen size dictates proper bulb wattage, so the smaller the screen, the less bulb power is required to provide an adequately lit picture.
Problem is, most of the chain theaters — those operated by Regal, Cinemark and AMC in Austin — use extremely large screens in their multiplexes, possibly without proper bulb size or bulb output. Generally, larger multiplex screens demand at least a 3,000-watt bulb but should have a 4,000-watt bulb for an optimal picture.
Something I had never thought of complaining about – and how often does that happen?
Hmmm, that explains the kind of shitty picture we had yesterday at Return of the King. And don’t get me started on the overloud, blown out speakers :(.
(PS: this was at the Pflugerville Tinseltown, cited in the article as a chief offender. I’ve generally been happy at Regal Gateway, although it was their perennial crazy crowding that drove us to Pflugerville yesterday.)
I don’t know that I’ve ever noticed this effect anywhere, not consciously. I suspect that I’m automatically assigning any issues I have with the picture brightness or quality to the movie itself: “Grr, I can’t see what’s happening, how annoying.” I’m intrigued to see what I notice now that I’ve been alerted.