That makes a lot of sense, unfortunately. As I think I mentioned somewhere else on this great big forum, The Maker Movement comes to mind. Unfortunately, I can't find a good article summing the whole thing up, but it's basically people that make stuff. And by stuff I mean anything. There are things called "hackerspaces" in some cities now, where people get together to work on projects, and these projects include Book Scanners, 3d Printers, CNC Machines, as well as more mundane stuff. Given that these guys often have the ability to fabricate their own parts, I don't know why a 35mm scanner or telecine or whatever would be beyond their abilities.

Of course, with the Maker Movement, there is no real "they", because anyone could get involved. Still, I bet it's doable.