IX-30
continuing 1914. significant that Edison chose remain with the
cylinder format for the kinetophone, even though the disc
offered greater playing time. The two minute
cylinder format was naturally unsuitable for minute films
and therefore the experimental team's first task was develop
a longer playing phonograph. The kinetophone finally came with
outsize cylinders 1/4'' diameter and 1/2 long that
played for six minutes. The kinetophone was another
electrically powered machine come out Edison's
laboratory.
There were several difficult technical challenges the
development sound films which were responsible for the long
delays introducing commercial machine. 1908 man was working full time the laboratory
on this project and monthly expenditure experiments grew
steadily. The playback machine was powered electric
motor run house current (although the recorders seem to
have been spring driven). The kinetophone was
a film projector linked special phonograph. The projector was hand cranked but
needed electricity power the lamp. The tempo research the kinetophone
picked during the negotiations leading the formation of
the MPPC.
One the toughest problems solve the kinetophone
project was the synchronization sound with the moving image;
William Dickson could certainly attest that after his years
. Here they had the benefit years
of prior experimentation larger cylinders and longer playing
times
