The ''Cinebox'' was a coin-operated Italian 16mm

film projector A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying motion picture film by projecting it onto a screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras. Moder ...

jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to selec ...

type machine invented in 1959 that appeared in Europe to rival the French made

Scopitone Scopitone is a type of jukebox featuring a 16 mm film component. Scopitone films were a forerunner of music videos. The 1959 Italian Cinebox/Colorama and Color-Sonics were competing, lesser-known technologies of the time one year before the Scopi ...

that appeared in 1960. The Cinebox was manufactured in Rome by

Ottico Meccanica Italiana Ottica Meccanica Italiana (OMI) was an Italian company producing photogrammetric instruments. It was founded in Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image ...

. In 1963 it appeared in the USA and was retitled ''Colorama'' in 1965. In 1961 Cinebox machines were placed on

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

s of the

American Export Lines American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines, New York, was the leading US-flag shipping company between the U.S. east coast and the Mediterranean from 1919 to 1977, offering both cargo ship and passenger ship services, until it declared bankruptcy and was ...

with Cineboxes showing cartoons and

short subject A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

comedies in on board nurseries whilst on board lounges showed musical and

travelogues Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or t ...

. Each of the Cineboxes held five 40 minute films. In the United States the Cinebox musical juke box provided three minutes of sound film for 25 cents with 40 titles available at a time on the machine. In Canada, the Cinebox became the first e.commerce website (cinebox.net), founded by Loïc Berthout, to sell movies (DVD) online in 1998. It then proposed video games and reached an international scope. It was also selling through cinebox.com until 2010.

References

External links

Scopitone Archive
History of film Projectors Music videos Visual music Jukeboxes {{film-tech-stub