Mike Frank writes: "Although in his view those of us who use video are not criminals, the procedure itself still "is a crime." Perhaps so, but since his argument has largely to do with a) size of image; b) ambient light and sounds; and c) the viewer's control of the watching experience, i want to raise the following: WHEN I SHOW A VIDEO OF A MOVIE TO MY CLASS, I USE A VIDEO PROJECTION SYSTEM, I SHOW IT IN THE VERY SAME ROOM, COMPLETELY DARKENED, THAT IS ALSO USED FOR 16MM PROJECTION OF FILMS; THE PROJECTED IMAGE TAKES UP ALMOST THE SAME SIZE ON THE SCREEN AS THAT FROM THE 16 MM PROJECTOR; THE ROOM IS EXACTLY AS DARK AS FOR FILM; THE KIDS SIT IN THE SAME SEATS; AND THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER THE IMAGE; IT RUNS TILL I STOP IT." This is a good question. The growth of "home entertainment systems"--with huge tv screens, stereo sound and so forth--portends the possibility of a home viewing experience that is like going to the movies but (in general ) more comfortable, while also being more private. The plus is avoiding talkers, munchers, plastic unwrappers, cellular phones and the like. The minus is the avoidance of a real communal experience. And, of course, for the foreseeable future the possession of such systems will be limited to those who can afford them (and I'm not one of them)! Don Larsson, Mankato State U (MN) ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]