Passengers on the London subway could soon be watching films projected on to screens fixed to the tunnel walls.
The project has completed successful trials on the Berlin subway and will be launched there and in Paris next spring. The project will be premiered on the Paris subway between Quai d'Orsay and Invalides and in Berlin between Zoologischer Garten and Hansaplatz.The scheme's creators are in talks with London Underground and hope that passengers will see their first films by next summer.
A London Transport spokesman said the idea was "very interesting, very clever and potentially a welcome source of extra revenue."
At first the system will be used for short video films or commercials - "high-quality films by world-renowned producers," according to MetroCinevision, the German company behind it.
The company wants to set up a similar scheme in the Channel Tunnel, the underwater tunnel that links Britain and France, and Alpine tunnels, where passengers could watch films of up to 20 minutes. The ultimate aim is screens alongside overground rail lines to show full-length feature films on journeys between, say, London and Liverpool or Man-chester.
The projectors and screen, using "kinetic projection" technology, will be outside the train. Initially, some 900 stroboscopic projectors installed along 600 yards of tunnel will throw individual images on to a continuous angled metal "screen" on the tunnel wall at the level of the train windows.
From the moving train the passenger will have the illusion of seeing moving pictures. But the technique represents an inversion of normal film methods because the viewers move while the pictures stay still.
Running time depends on the tunnel length. A 600-yard tunnel with a train speed of 45 mph could show a 30-second film, equivalent to a long commercial or short video clip. Sensors adjust the sequence of images to the speed of the train. If the train stops, so does the film.
The images will begin once the driver's cab has passed, so he is not distracted. In the event of an accident, the images would be cut off to eliminate the ghoulish possibility of "frozen" film characters staring down at victims.
The company says all images can be converted to their format, including videos, 35mm and 16mm films, graphic art and digitally-animated posters. Even sound is possible, though Jorg Moser-Metius, MetroCinevision's founder, admits it might not be perfectly synchronized.
The commercial possibilities are huge. Initial research has shown many companies are keen to pay to show short films or advertisements to millions of bored passengers.
However, Moser-Metius wants to promote cultural and educational films, possibly sponsored by corporations, rather than overtly commercial work. He claims they would brighten subway journeys.
"The Underground is very dull and people look so miserable," said Babak Dowlatshahi, the company's global accounts manager. "We believe we can improve the quality of journeys and make the Tube more attractive to tourists."
Dist. by Scripps Howard News Service