A device that produces a video signal from an object, such as a film, by scanning the object with a spot of light, which is then focused on a photocell to produce corresponding electrical signals. The moving (or ‘flying’) spot of light is normally produced on the screen of a high-intensity cathode-ray tube used as a light source. Mechanical scanning of the object has also been employed, using a single point source of light, with a suitably perforated rotating disc between it and the object.