GE Talaria PJ5055C1 Light Valve Large-Venue Video Projector Xenon 1750W

GE Talaria PJ5055C1 Light Valve Large-Venue Video Projector Xenon 1750W

The General Electric Talaria PJ5055C1 is a large-venue light valve video projector built on GE's Eidophor-derived oil-film light valve technology. Rather than using a conventional CRT or LCD imaging system, this projector modulates light by passing a high-intensity xenon arc through a rotating glass disc continuously recoated with a thin layer of viscous oil; an electron beam (or optical system) deforms the oil surface to form the image, which is then projected at very high brightness onto large screens. This unit was manufactured in June 1984 at General Electric's Electronics Park facility in Syracuse, New York, and is being sold as-is for parts or a restoration project.

Specifications & What's Included

• Make: General Electric (GE)
• Series: Talaria
• Model: PJ5055C1 (rating-plate designation: 4PJ5055C1)
• Projection technology: Eidophor-type oil-film light valve with rotating glass disc
• Light source: Xenon arc lamp
• Line voltage: 234V, 50/60Hz
• Line current: 11A
• Power consumption: 1,750 Watts
• UL Listed: 401F
• Date of manufacture: June 1984
• Country of manufacture: United States (Electronics Park, Syracuse, NY)
• Approximate dimensions: 36 × 24 × 17 inches
• Approximate weight: 165 lbs
• Projection lens: GE FN-1278, 3-to-1 zoom (included)
• Input panel: 778352564 — BNC connectors for Control, Composite 1, Composite 2, Ext Sync, Green, Blue, Red; 75Ω / High impedance selectable per input
• Front panel controls: Saturation, Hue, Peaking, Brightness, Contrast knobs; Operate/Standby, Ready/Cold, Video/Black pushbuttons; Comp 1 / Comp 2 / RGB 3 input selectors
• Included internal modules (visible in photos): Auxiliary Power Module, Lamp Power Module (70/1700), AC Input Module, High Voltage Module — all present and available for parts
• Sold as-is; does not include rack or cart

Applications

The GE Talaria series represented the high end of large-venue video projection in the late 1970s and 1980s, competing with Eidophor systems from Gretag and Buhl. These projectors were used in large auditoriums, planetariums, military simulation centers, broadcast production facilities, and command-and-control rooms where screen sizes and brightness levels exceeded anything a CRT-based projector could deliver. The Eidophor/oil-film light valve approach was capable of projecting onto screens 20 feet wide or more and was the dominant large-venue video technology before DLP and LCD projection matured in the 1990s. Today, surviving Talaria units are sought by collectors of early large-format projection technology, museum and heritage AV facilities, and restorers with access to the specialized high-voltage lamp and oil-film drive systems. This unit's internal modules — including the lamp power, auxiliary power, and high-voltage assemblies — are among the hardest parts to source and represent significant value for anyone working on a restoration or parts machine.