optical sound head

optical sound head

[′äp·tə·kəl ′sau̇nd ‚hed] (electronics) The assembly in motion picture projection which reproduces photographically recorded sound; light from an incandescent lamp is focused on a slit, light from the slit is in turn focused on the optical sound track of a film, and the light passing through the film is detected by a photoelectric cell. Also known as optical electronic reproducer.