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How significant are the running costs of a CRT scanner?
The CRT will usually need to be changed every 2 or 3 years. This is completely dependent, of course, on the amount the CRT has been used, if any extensive scan effects have been used and the quality of work required.
Cintel targets approx. 10,000 hours of use from the Brimar CRT's used in its film scanners. The cost of a replacement CRT is between approximately £5,000 and £11,500 dependent upon the machine. Even if we edge towards the high end of this scale we get a less than £1 per hour cost. This is not all that significant when compared to other costs - the heads on a VTR, for example, or even the cost of electricity of a bigger, 3-phase data-cine machine. Or some operators wages!
Older CCD machines have either Xenon, Tungsten or Metal Halide lamps that will require changing approximately every 1000 hours. Although the cost of these lamps is much lower, the ongoing costs will still mount up. Newer scanners use an LED light source which have a lifetime of at least 100,000 hours.
CRT installation will normally require a Cintel engineer visit. This is dependent upon the machine and the level of training acquired by the local engineer but it is a cost that should be considered. Cintel offers Customer Support packages which can spread these costs into a more manageable maintenance package.
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