Cinema Television Ltd.
Albion House, 39 Oxford Street, London WC1 (1949)
Worsley Bridge Road, Lower Sydenham, London, SE26. (1954)

Rank Cintel Ltd.
Worsley Bridge Road, Lower Sydenham, London, SE26. (1959)
Watton Road, Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 (1983)

Brand: Cintel

Founded in 1937, Cintel (Cinema Television Ltd.) aimed for big-screen projection TV. WWII redirected them to radar tech & by the 50s, Rank Cintel dominated film-to-video transfer with their telecines. Though key in movie & TV history, the 1996 Spirit DataCine led to their decline. Blackmagic Design acquired Cintel's assets in 2012.

From Projection Dreams to Television Workhorses: The Rise and Fall of Cintel

Founded in 1937 by John Logie Baird as Cinema-Television Ltd. (later shortened to Cintel), the company embarked on an ambitious journey. Their initial focus was on realizing the dream of projection television for cinemas. Baird's company wasn't just about basic technology; they were pioneers, developing advanced equipment like flying spot scanners and cine-television conversion tools.  They even pushed the boundaries of cathode ray tube technology, creating massive 14-inch versions specifically for cinema projection.

World War II: A Shift in Focus

The outbreak of World War II drastically altered Cintel's path. With the domestic television market collapsing, Baird Television Ltd., the parent company, went into receivership. However, Cinema-Television Ltd. found itself playing a crucial role in the war effort. Now under the control of Gaumont British, Cintel leveraged its expertise to produce essential wartime technology like radar tubes, photocells, and Skiatron dark trace tubes. By the war's end, Cintel had transformed significantly, boasting three factories and a workforce of a thousand skilled in electro-optical systems. This wartime experience would prove invaluable in their future endeavors.

Post-War Growth and the Rank Organisation

The post-war era witnessed continued evolution for Cintel. In 1941, J. Arthur Rank acquired Gaumont British, bringing Cintel under the umbrella of the Rank Organisation. The company transitioned from Baird's original CRT factory to a new, more modern facility in Sidcup in 1953. Throughout the 1950s, Cintel expanded its operations, establishing dedicated divisions for television, vacuum tubes, and instruments. The television division became a leader in professional equipment, developing innovative telecine and projection systems that brought moving pictures to life on television screens.  The vacuum tube division played a vital role, supplying the essential tubes for these television systems and even contributing to the nascent Head-Up Display technology for military aircraft.

Rank Cintel and the Era of Telecine

In 1958, the Rank Organisation solidified its ownership by renaming Cinema-Television Ltd. to Rank Cintel Ltd. Their expertise in flying spot telecine, a technology that used sophisticated optics, high-brightness cathode ray tubes, and advanced electronics, became a cornerstone of their success.  This technology shared some key features with Head-Up Displays, and Rank Cintel even provided support for the Royal Aircraft Establishment's development of flight data displays for military aircraft in the mid-1950s.

Restructuring and the Decline of Cintel

The mid-1960s brought about a period of restructuring for Rank Cintel. The television division merged with Rank Bush Murphy, while other divisions were absorbed into different Rank companies. However, Rank Cintel continued its core business of producing telecine equipment.

These Cintel telecines became the workhorses of the film and television industry. Countless movies and TV shows were transferred from film to video format using Cintel technology. Their equipment played a significant role in bringing entertainment to audiences worldwide.

The Spirit DataCine and the End of an Era

Unfortunately, the introduction of the Spirit DataCine in 1996 marked a turning point for Cintel. This new technology offered a more efficient and cost-effective method for film-to-video transfer. As a result, Cintel's sales began to decline. The company faced financial difficulties and eventually entered administration, leading to its liquidation in 2012. Blackmagic Design, a company specializing in digital cinema technology, then acquired Cintel's assets.

Cintel's Legacy

Despite its eventual demise, Cintel's legacy lives on. Their pioneering work in telecine technology revolutionised how audiences experienced film and television.  The expertise they gained during World War II helped shape the future of electronic displays. While the company itself may be gone, the foundation it laid continues to influence the world of moving pictures.