Video games firms preparing for boom in 3D

Published on Taipei Times http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/bizfocus/archives/2009/05/31/2003444966 Video games firms preparing for boom in 3D By Bobbie Johnson THE GUARDIAN, SAN FRANCISCO  Sunday, May 31, 2009, Page 12 "It does add something quite significant to the games — if you have the TV and glasses, it adds something, it feels like a fuller world. It's about the immersion." — Andrew Oliver, Blitz Games chief technical officer On the surface, the forthcoming console game Invincible Tiger looks very familiar: a smoothly executed sideways-scrolling beat 'em up with roots that can be traced back to 1980s classics such as Double Dragon and Final Fight. But given the right equipment — that means a special TV set and a pair of glasses — it literally takes on a new dimension; vanquished baddies fly out of the screen toward you and the lavish background artwork appears to stretch into the distance. Plenty of games industry executives think this is the future. Cinema is already experiencing its own three-dimensional (3D) revival, with audiences turning out in droves to watch animations including Monsters vs Aliens, Coraline and Pixar's forthcoming Up. Now games companies think they could be on the verge of bringing real 3D into the living room. At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this year, Sony was giving demonstrations of a system it hopes will encourage the take-up of true 3D gaming. And Blitz Games, the British makers of Invincible Tiger, was previewing the title as a way to introduce its new product — a suite of developer tools for making true 3D games. "When people have actually seen it, they say it's cool — very, very cool," says Andrew Oliver, Blitz's chief technical officer. "Suddenly HD [high definition] doesn't seem as good." "A lot of people have said it's a gimmick; it's not," he says. "It does add something quite significant to the games — if you have the TV and glasses, it adds something, it feels like a fuller world. It's about the immersion." Moving into this area is certainly a gamble for Blitz, founded by Oliver and his twin brother, Philip Oliver, who first made their names as teenage programmers in the 1980s with the Dizzy series. They are hoping 3D gaming will open up a new business for them, even if they have found it requires considerable technical skill to create a 3D system. "We thought, 'We've got a fast graphics engine and it's only a TV display — how difficult could it be?'" he says. "We then found it was really difficult. It has to be Full HD and not only does it have to be 60 frames a second, but you have to feed it a left and a right every time, so you're actually rendering everything twice." Difficulties aside, though, the technology certainly has the backing of some big names, among them Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, who has worked in collaboration with Electronic Arts recently. He told the Guardian that seeing 3D gaming take off was one of his unfulfilled ambitions. "I have a lot of dreams, but in the short-term I would love to start seeing 3D games being developed, where — with a good pair of glasses — we get a real three-dimensional experience in front of an appropriate monitor that is designed just for 3D," he said. "I would love to see 3D start to kick in to the thinking of the powers that be." Spielberg may not be known for his insight into the future of the games industry; his biggest involvement has been the GameWorks chain of arcades, which went bankrupt after he pulled out his investment several years ago. But in the case of 3D gaming, at least, he is not alone. Sir Howard Stringer, the chief executive of Sony, has hinted that the company will move even further into 3D, and earlier this year demonstrated a new version of Gran Turismo, which amazed audiences at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "You've never seen the game like that," he told them. But while there are big names backing the new technology, plenty of people remain unconvinced regarding long-term prospects for 3D in the home. Marie Bloomfield, an analyst with Screen Digest, said the development of 3D gaming and TV is trapped in a no man's land. "The home 3D market is in a catch-22 situation," she commented in a recent report on the subject. "Consumers will not be persuaded to invest in new equipment to experience 3D until there is enough content, and content production will not ramp up until there is a significant audience." It will be tough to convince cash-strapped consumers who have already been inundated with a number of "must-have" TV technologies in recent years to buy into a 3D system. Broadly popular systems such as digital broadcasting, HD and digital video recorders have required new hardware and significant investment from buyers — not to mention the host of extras offered by manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, LG and Phillips. Aren't people going to get turned off the idea of having to splash out yet again? Andrew Oliver says that millions of people have, in fact, already bought 3D TV sets but they don't realize it because the manufacturers don't market the capability, as nobody uses it right now. "You can't sell it because there's no 3D content out there," he says. "The manufacturers realize that 3D movies are being made. It'll be a little while before they sort themselves out, but we'll get on with making the games." In the meantime, he says, encouraging the games industry to take up the technology could be the best way to get it into people's homes — providing an outlet for a new technology, just as the Xbox and PlayStation 3 proved to be a way to get people watching HD. "Gamers are the first adopters of this technology. They don't mind wearing glasses at first, and to get a cool experience like this they think it's well worth it. It's an easy sell to a gamer," he said.

Netpractise to demo 3D content distribution at Screen Media Expo - Digital Signage Today

 
The following article can be viewed here: http://www.digitalsignagetoday.com/article.php?id=22007
 
Netpractise to demo 3D content distribution at Screen Media Expo

• 01 Apr 2009

LONDON — Netpractise, a multimedia systems design and integration company, will demonstrate how its Digital Pro Media (DPM) digital signage software platform allows digital signage network operators to easily distribute 3D content across large digital signage networks.

Visitors to the Netpractise stand at Screen Media Expo 2009 will be able to witness a demonstration of leading 3D vendor Magnetic Media's Enabl3D 47-inch widescreen combined with a Magnetic Media Plug and Play Enabl3D media player. Magnetic Media screens are renowned for delivering crisp, high-definition 3D images without the use of 3D glasses and offer virtually no loss of resolution when displaying 2D images. The images displayed on the 3D screen will be managed via Netpractise's DPM platform which can seamlessly handle 3D as well as conventional 2D video and text.

Netpractise has had recent success with its DPM software being used for distributing and scheduling 2D and 3D videos to a 100-screen network currently being installed across shopping centers in Mexico — which is one of the first 3D networks in the world. 2D images are rendered into 3D using software such as Autodesk's 3Ds Max and distributed via DPM software. The files are then compressed using DPM and transported using robust transport protocols that ensure that if a file download terminates, the download starts at the exact point where transmission was lost. The DPM platform provides complete flexibility, switching from 2D and 3D video, live text, broadcast television or any other scheduled media source.

According to Netpractise, the market for 3D digital signage in the UK is at a tipping point as the price of screens and associated hardware continues to come down, image quality has significantly improved and content creation and distribution becomes more cost effective and easier to manage.

"We had a 3D demonstration at our Screen Expo stand last year, and visitors would stop and stare ... you can't keep your eyes off these displays, they are mesmerizing," said Fraser Hamilton, managing director, Netpractise. "3D is a reality now, the business case is there for including 3D in high footfall or premium locations, and around the globe 3D is rapidly gaining acceptance. We are in a unique position with our Digital Pro Media platform as it makes scheduling and distributing 3D content to thousands of sites as simple as traditional 2D video."

The company also announced it will showcase its MultiQ customer flow management solution. It will show a MultiQ demonstration to illustrate how it has supported some of the UK's leading companies to deliver intelligence to their on-premises queue management.

For single queues, the customer watches a digital signage display showing information and promotional messages while waiting. For a multiple queue, such as in a bank where a customer is waiting for a specific specialist — such as mortgages or investments advisor — the customer stays in a waiting area looking at a digital signage display until his number is shown and the specialist becomes available.

GlobeCast wearing 3D opera glasses

GlobeCast wearing 3D opera glasses
Broadband TV News

Posted By Julian Clover On May 29, 2009 @ 10:50 am In 3D, Newsline, Technology

Globecast has announced an ambitious plan to deliver a live performance of Don Giovanni in the 3D format to cinemas in France.

The performance of the Mozart masterpiece will take place at the Rennes Opera House in Brittany from where GlobeCast will relay the HD 3D images to cinemas in Paris and across the country. Orange Labs, which has also been delivering HD pictures from the French Open tennis, is also participating in the event.

The multi-camera operation is being filmed by AMP and involves the combining of two video signals into a single feed through a Sensio 3D Cinema encoder. The Globecast SNG vehicle located outside the opera house will deliver the single feed to two cinemas Paris, including the famous 'Geode' sphere, as well as cinemas in Avignon and Brest.

Globecast trucks at each of the locations will ensure video and audio layers are synchronised.


Article printed from Broadband TV News: http://www.broadbandtvnews.com

URL to article: http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/?p=18867

The 3-D movement is for real - Denver Examiner

The 3-D movement is for real

May 29, 9:26 AM - Denver Examiner

Think 3-D is just a flash in the pan, the 21st century version of the '50s film fad?

Try again.

Not only is James Cameron embracing the format with this winter's hotly anticipated "Avatar," but Steven Spielberg is also jumping on the 3-D bandwagon.

The Oscar winner's "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" will open on Dec. 23, 2011. The film will feature 3-D motion capture technology to bring the yarn to life.

The film is the first in a series of productions based on the beloved characters by Georges Remi, AKA Herge. Peter Jackson of "Lord of the Rings" fame will direct the second installment in the series.

The 3-D format doesn't work well on the home front - the technology that brings images to life via DVD can't compete with the theatrical experience. That isn't stopping the best directors in the business from going 3-D.

3-D heads to TV with 'Wu Cheng-en' - Variety International

VARIETY International
Posted: Mon., May 25, 2009, 10:35pm PT

3-D heads to TV with 'Wu Cheng-en'
Project has been in the works for five years

By CLIFFORD COONAN

BEIJING -- A Chinese shingle is planning to take the country's current 3-D
craze to the small screen with a 45-episode costume drama "Wu Cheng-en and
the Journey to the West," based on an ancient Chinese legend.

Producer Wu Qiuyun told the Beijing News that he believes the
130-million-yuan ($19 million) skein is the first 3-D TV series in the
world. The project has been five years in the making and still has 18
months of post-production to complete. Some 90 million yuan ($13 million)
of the budget went on the 3-D effects.

Keen to ensure the drama is not seen as a gimmick because of its high-tech
credentials, the producers have reunited the original stars of the 1986
skein "Journey to the West," a production which is one of the most famous
TV shows in Chinese history. LiuXiao Lingtong, Chi Chongrui and Ma Dehua
will all be involved in the skein.

LiuXiao Lingtong will play the Monkey King in the drama and will also play
the original author Wu Cheng-en. Liu Dagang will take the place of Sha
Wujing, who died in the interim.

The drama began shooting in Hengdian studios two years ago, but the
producer did not release the fact that it would contain 3-D scenes,
because they were worried the technology would not work. Each 45-minute
episode will contain around 10 minutes of 3-D scenes.

"This drama is about the arduous process of Wu Cheng-en's writing "The
Journey to the West." But if the main storyline was only Wu Cheng-en, that
may affect the audience ratings. So we put the same actors in "The Journey
to the West" together, and re-filmed some parts of it, and then made those
into 3-D," said Wu.

The producers have created special glasses for watching the skein, and
plans to distribute them through large-scale marketing events.

"If the audience watches the drama without three-dimensional glasses, the
image will be slightly doubled," he said.

China's first 3-D toon, "The Carnival of The Animals," was released
earlier this year. It was produced by the animation unit of the giant
state 'caster CCTV, and includes the voices of some of CCTV Children's
Channel leading hosts Ju Ping, Dong Hao and Liu Chunyan.

Rueters News - Indie filmmakers in Cannes still dreaming of 3-D - May 24, 2009

Indie filmmakers in Cannes still dreaming of 3-D

Sun May 24, 2009 7:23am EDT

CANNES, France (Reuters) - When rock band U2 played at the Grand Palais of the Cannes film festival in 2007 to trumpet their new three-dimensional concert movie, backers of modern 3-D films hailed the coming of a new era in movies.

Two years later, independent producers and distributors making films outside Hollywood's major studios are still waiting for that day to dawn.

Many of them face the same hurdles major studios face -- a lack of theaters equipped to play 3-D films, especially in Europe and Asia, and questions over who will pay for the special eyeglasses to watch them.

They also face a hurdle of their own, lack of money, because independents are rarely as well financed as studios.

But much as The Walt Disney Co. did in 2005 with its 3-D version of "Chicken Little," a few indie producers are wading in, lured by the possibility of bigger box office from higher ticket prices and more fans.

Their involvement is good news for film fans, because in recent years independents have made many of the best movies with original tales like Oscar winner "Slumdog Millionaire."

Jonathan Wolf, executive vice president of U.S.-based trade group the Independent Film and Television Alliance, said that when special effects-filled movies became big business, people wondered if indies could keep pace with the majors.

At the time the answer was yes, and it is the same with 3-D.

"Anywhere there is commercial viability, there will be a market," Wolf said.

Three-dimensional images date back to early movies and gained popularity in sci-fi films of the 1950s. But they quickly faded due to unsophisticated technology.

New 3-D movies use improved eyeglasses and new digital projectors that improve the quality and theatrical experience.

INDIES IN 3-D

The opening night film in Cannes this year was Disney/Pixar's "Up," which will have 2-D and 3-D versions.

DreamWorks Animation Inc. enjoyed a $334 million global success this year with its $175 million "Monsters vs. Aliens," some of which came from 3-D, and Hollywood has a large slate of 3-D pictures ahead.

Ticket prices for 3-D films can range from $2 to $5 higher than normal, and distributors find the excitement of seeing some types of movies -- animated family films, action, fantasy and horror -- in 3-D lures more fans to theaters.

U.S. independent Lionsgate enjoyed a strong, $71 million global box office with its "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," which had a reported production budget of $15 million.

Joe Drake, president of Lionsgate's motion picture group, said his company saw opportunities in 3-D, but initially did not know how to make a 3-D movie. Still, it forged ahead, learned the technology and after a time, found it workable.

"The fact is, it's a very accessible, and not actually an over-complicated thing," Drake said.

He declined to give a figure on how much making 3-D added to "Bloody Valentine," but said it ran into "the millions."

Technology experts said 3-D can add as much as 10-15 percent to the cost of making a film, and DreamWorks chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg has said the additional cost for making one of his big-budget flicks is $15 million.

For now, the higher cost keeps 3-D in the realm of major studios or independents like Lionsgate that are well-financed and have their own -- or easily accessible -- distribution.

The expense precludes low-budget filmmakers whose costs are $5 million or less from venturing into 3-D. Moreover, the human dramas or comedies made on low budgets for limited release in art-houses have little to gain from 3-D, industry experts said.

However, the rule of technology is that costs decrease over time as commercial markets heat up, and executives envision a young Danny Boyle, for example, one day making a 3-D film that is as big a hit as Slumdog Millionaire, which he made in 2-D.

***************************

3-D movie projects get a push at Cannes

3-D movie projects get a push at Cannes

Indie filmmakers are using the technology on films, some with tiny budgets, and trying to sell others on their ideas. Also showing off 3-D movies are such industry giants as Disney and Pixar.

By John Horn

May 19, 2009

Reporting from Cannes, France -- The Cannes Film Festival has no shortage of big-budget 3-D spectacles: It opened with Pixar's 3-D animated film "Up," and Disney on Monday showed footage from its upcoming 3-D holiday movie "A Christmas Carol," while fake snow decorated the landmark Carlton Hotel in the 80-degree Cannes weather.

But the immersive technology also is attracting a growing crowd of independent filmmakers, some of whom are making -- and trying to sell -- 3-D movies on a fraction of Pixar's and Disney's budgets. They are convinced that the stereoscopic effect can help separate their films in a cluttered marketplace and drive moviegoers into theaters.

In a tiny booth not far from where the "Up" filmmakers walked the Cannes red carpet, 34-year-old Pavel Nikolajev was trying to drum up interest in "Duel 3D," an action-fantasy film that the writer-director made for less than $100,000 in North Carolina.

A distributor from Turkey was watching scenes from the film on a 3-D-capable TV as Nikolajev, who was born in Kyrgyzstan and holds a master's degree in information technology, tried to drum up business.

"Everybody is shooting digital movies these days," Nikolajev said after the distributor, who seemed interested but signed no contract, left. "It's not that 2-D is boring. But it's not that interesting anymore."

Asked how sales were proceeding, the filmmaker said, "I've got a lot of interest from all over the world. Just not from the United States yet. But because it's not a million-dollar production, I don't have to sell it for a lot."

Of the 4,500 movies being sold and 900 films being shown in the sales convention that runs parallel to the film festival here, there are more than a dozen new 3-D films, some of them completed and others just screenplays looking for underwriting.

"Duel 3D" is almost certainly the cheapest of the bunch. Several others are far more ambitious. The already filmed "Oceans 3D: Into the Deep" cost $14.5 million to make; and "Station 21: 3D," scheduled to go into production next year, is budgeted at $45 million.

The films' producers and sales agents hope that the strong box-office receipts for recent 3-D movies such as "Monsters vs. Aliens"will improve their chances for sale.

In some international territories, the same film can do five times as much business in 3-D theaters as 2-D screens. Pixar Animation Studios, DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. and Walt Disney Co. have made a commitment to produce an array of 3-D titles in the coming years. Lionsgate is now developing a number of 3-D movies, convinced that the success of its "My Bloody Valentine" means 3-D horror, action and even sex-comedy titles can profit from the format.

Several sellers at Cannes said they were hopeful that director James Cameron's 3-D movie "Avatar," which debuts Dec. 19, would open the floodgates for 3-D exhibition and distribution.

In a booth just a little bit fancier than Nikolajev's, Isabel Pons was trying to catch buyers' eyes with large posters for "Magic Journey to Africa 3D," a $15-million family adventure and fantasy movie from Orbita Max, the same Spanish producers that made the documentary "Mystery of the Nile."

Pons acknowledged that there's a potential obstacle to 3-D theatrical distribution: There aren't enough theaters equipped to show such movies.

"We have about 100 3-D screens in Spain," Max said. "But every week, we are adding more screens."

A shorter, documentary version of "Magic Journey" will be created to be shown in Imax theaters, most of which can show 3-D movies.

Some of these 3-D movies may never make it into wide release in U.S. theaters. The Latin American division of 20th Century Fox produced "The Happy Cricket and the Gigantic Insects," a 3-D animated sequel to "The Happy Cricket," a 2001 Brazilian film ("O Grilo Feliz") that was released in the U.S. on DVD in 2006.

"That movie was a blockbuster in Russia," said Helder Dacosta, whose Tropicalstorm Entertainment is in Cannes selling its 3-D sequel. He said the movie has been sold during the film festival to distributors in Turkey, Poland, Germany and Russia.

One of the most elaborate of the independently financed 3-D movies is the Australian production "Station 21: 3D," a futuristic thriller. The film has at its center a holographic character who should benefit from 3-D viewing.

"It will look a little bit better than the hologram of Princess Leia in the first 'Star Wars' movie," said producer Laura Sivis, who has not yet started filming the movie and is trying to generate buyer interest from test footage.

"Three years ago, when we talked about making a 3-D movie, people just rolled their eyes at us. They thought 3-D would be a passing phase."

john.horn@latimes.com

Cineplex's 3-D push proves profitable

REPORTONBUSINESS.COM

ENTERTAINMENT

Cineplex's 3-D push proves profitable

GRANT ROBERTSON

May 9, 2009

North American box offices are raking in more cash these days in spite of an economic downturn, but it's Canadian moviegoers who are driving the biggest increase in ticket sales - particularly at 3-D theatres.

So far this year, box office returns across North America are up a recession-defying 15 per cent, but in Canada that number is higher, tracking 17 per cent ahead of last year.

Ellis Jacob, chief executive officer of Canada's largest movie exhibitor, Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund CGX.UN-T, told analysts yesterday that the company is seeing its 3-D theatres sell as many as four times the tickets as its regular theatres.

Of particular surprise is that moviegoers have been willing to pay an extra few dollars per ticket to see a movie using the updated 3-D technology that Cineplex has been installing at many locations.

"We were actually very surprised at the strength and resilience of 3-D, given that our premium was $3 a ticket. We had very little resistance from the perspective of the consumer," Mr. Jacob told analysts on a conference call yesterday, noting the strong performance of the 3-D film Monsters vs. Aliens.

"You are going to see this continuing to help our revenue and bottom line. ... I think 3-D is here to stay, and it's basically what I would call a major game changer for our business going forward."

The company reported a 9-per-cent increase in attendance for the first quarter, totalling 16 million tickets, which was fuelled by new theatres opening across Canada. Revenue rose 11 per cent to $211-million, while Cineplex swung to a $3.7-million profit, after reporting a $2.3-million loss a year ago.

Other trends helped the increased box office numbers, including a heavier slate of films, concerts and opera showings aimed at adults between January and March, which led to more tickets being sold at higher prices. The average box office return per customer climbed to $8.16 from $7.98 in the quarter.

However, 3-D was the biggest force behind that growth. Analyst Ben Mogil of Thomas Weisel Partners told clients in a research note that 3-D contributed 78 per cent of the growth in average ticket price.

Cineplex has been installing 3-D theatres across the country and will have 122 of them operating by the end of this month, among the most of any exhibitor in North America. The newer 3-D theatres use plastic glasses that moviegoers pick up on the way into the theatre and deposit on their way out, rather than the old red and blue cardboard glasses the technology is known for.

Mr. Jacob said the third quarter, from July to the end of September, could be referred to as a "3-D quarter." That period will see the release of several popular titles, including Ice Age 3 and Final Destination: Death Trip