3D Film Production and Distribution Articles of Interest

Emerging 3D Devices: Avoiding the Format Wars

2010-01-14T13:55:00.001-08:00

Emerging 3D Devices: Avoiding the Format Wars

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2010-01-11T00:04:00.001-08:00

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3D for the home coming

2010-01-11T00:02:00.001-08:00

3D for the home coming

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2009 - 3D Films Permeate Marketplace

2010-01-01T14:26:00.001-08:00

Lack of content clouds 3D TV picture

2010-01-01T14:21:00.001-08:00

Lack of content clouds 3D TV picture

By Robin Harding in Tokyo
Published: February 21 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 21 2009 02:00

The world's first experiment in marketing three dimensional television is struggling, with only a few hundred television sets sold since their launch in Japan last April, the Financial Times has learnt.

Hyundai of Korea became the world's first company to market a 3D television, but people involved in retailing the product say it has not sold because of a lack of 3D content.

At present, available content includes 3D dolphins, hula dancing and women's professional wrestling.

The world's big TV manufacturers will be eager to learn lessons from Japan's experiment. Most are developing 3D products, which they see as the next big innovation in TVs, and a chance to sell every household in the world a new screen.

Hyundai and BS11 Digital, the Japanese TV station that is the world's first to broadcast in 3D, say their goals are to differentiate their brands, gain experience of what works in 3D and position themselves for when the technology takes off.

US cinemas are converting to digital 3D, and Titanic director James Cameron is shooting his next film, Avatar, in 3D. TV companies hope to bring that experience into the home.

The system on sale in Japan, which has been adopted by SkyBritish Sky Broadcasting in the UK, uses a liquid crystal display to show left and right images simultaneously. As in 3D cinemas, the viewer has to wear polarising glasses to see the 3D image.

At present, however, Hollywood content is not available in Japan and BS11 Digital only broadcasts in 3D for 30 minutes to an hour every day. "I often talk about the chicken and egg problem. You can talk about which comes first [TV sets or content], but someone has to go forward, which is why we have launched our service," said Natsumi Isobe, the team leader for 3D broadcasting at BS11 Digital.

As well as the issue of content, 3D is being hampered by the lack of broadcast or DVD technical standards. Panasonic says it wants to launch the displays in 2010 but is waiting for a standard to be agreed for encoding 3D on Blu-ray DVDs.

"I think the way that 3D is going to be deployed to the consumer is via Blu-ray," said Dr Peter Bocko, an expert in display technologies at glassmaker Corning.

There will also need to be changes to sell 3D in shops.

At the flagship electronics store of Bic Camera in Tokyo's Yurakucho district, shoppers trying the 3D sets were giving up in confusion.

In the store's narrow aisles they cannot stand far enough away from the screen to see the 3D effect.

At another store in Shinjuku, the sales assistant advised against buying a 3D set, saying the technology "is not serious".

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--

Best,

Bob Johnston

3D/2D Producer, Technology Strategist, International 3D Media Development
johnston.rw@gmail.com

818-679-7095 Mobile

[February 20, 2009] 'Hispasat joins Telefonica's 3D TV development project'

2010-01-01T14:20:00.001-08:00

[February 20, 2009]
'Hispasat joins Telefonica's 3D TV development project'
(DMeurope Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Spanish satellite operator Hispasat has joined the I+D+i 3DLive project, aiming to analyze and define new 3D TV broadcast services via satellite. The project studies new technologies for compression and transmission of 3D images, using different types of networks, including satellite and IPTV. The 3D Live project is co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, under the Plan Avanza R&D. Coordinated by Telefonica R&D, the project also includes companies and institutions such as Telefonica Audiovisual Services (TSA), ITP Audiovisual Productions, Kinepolis Spain, the University of Zaragoza and now Hispasat. As part of the project, Hispasat will focus on new lines of research, covering services such as 3D digital cinema and 3D TV reception in households.

--

Best,

Bob Johnston

3D/2D Producer, Technology Strategist, International 3D Media Development
johnston.rw@gmail.com

818-679-7095 Mobile

Nvidia Adds Stereo 3D Vision to Notebooks

2009-11-21T03:18:00.001-08:00

Nvidia Adds Stereo 3D Vision to Notebooks

Asustek Computer to Add Stereo 3D to Mobile PCs

by Anton Shilov
11/18/2009 | 05:34 PM

Nvidia Corp. on Wednesday announced that shortly notebook manufacturers will be able to install 120Hz panels onto their machines to enable stereoscopic 3D vision technology, providing never before seen gaming experience on laptops. Asustek Computer, Clevo and MicroStar International will be the first companies to offer a stereo 3D vision mobile PC.

Nvidia 3D Vision requires 120Hz display along with shutter glasses that open and close special shutters sixty times a second to create three dimensional effect. Nvidia has worked closely with display manufacturers, including CPT, LG, CMO, and Samsung, to bring state-of-the-art 120Hz 3D Vision-capable panels to notebook platforms.

It is questionable whether notebooks actually need stereoscopic 3D capability: notebooks do not feature truly large screens and displays with extreme refresh rates consume rather high amount of energy. Furthermore, notebooks are not usually used by hardcore gamers of movie fans, both would prefer to have a high-end desktop system, whereas road warriors would hardly value stereo 3d movies or video games.

Nevertheless, there are many notebook vendors working on stereoscopic 3D-enabled mobile computers. Nvidia 3D Vision notebooks will include the 120Hz 3D Vision-capable panel and bundle 3D Vision active-shutter glasses.

"We are extremely excited about bringing the first Nvidia 3D Vision notebook to market. Nvidia and Asus have a passion for gaming and cutting-edge technology, and this is another example of how great companies working together can deliver awesome new platforms to our combined customers," said PC Wang, corporate vice president and general manager of notebook business unit at system business group at Asus.

Asustek Computer plans to release its G51J 3D laptop already in early December with Clevo and MicroStar International to follow in 2010.

"We look forward to bringing NVIDIA 3D Vision-capable notebooks to the market. The era of 3D is upon us, and immersive 3D gaming and movie watching is indeed an exciting proposition," said Stephen Chien, worldwide sales and marketing vice president at Clevo.

"Nvidia 3D Vision is the best 3D technology available today. We are excited about developing new MSI notebooks that offer this awesome technology and bring 3D gaming and movies to the masses," said Vincent Sung, vice president of notebook engineering team at MSI.

Acer Group is also preparing a stereo 3D laptop, but it is rumoured not to be compatible with Nvidia's 3D Vision tech. Besides, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Sony are also interested in stereo 3D-capable mobile computers.

--
Best,

Bob Johnston
3D/2D Producer and Technology Strategist
johnston.rw@gmail.com

818-679-7095 Mobile

For relevant Production and Distribution news pertaining
to the 3D Stereoscopic market, you may view my blog @:

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A Movie’s Budget Pops From the Screen

2009-11-10T01:25:00.001-08:00

November 9, 2009

A Movie's Budget Pops From the Screen

By MICHAEL CIEPLY

LOS ANGELES — Can a movie studio make money on a film based on an original and unfamiliar story, with no Hollywood superstars, a vanishing DVD market and a price tag approaching $500 million?

That question looms large for 20th Century Fox and its 3-D science-fiction film "Avatar," among the most expensive movies ever. Despite many skeptics, the studio thinks it can turn a profit, in part because the film's creator, James Cameron, was the driving force behind the studio's immense hit "Titanic."

But just in case box-office receipts for "Avatar" fall short, Fox has worked hard to hedge its large bet on the movie.

Despite the estimated half-billion dollars spent on its production and marketing, "Avatar" may carry surprisingly little financial risk for Fox's parent company, the News Corporation, even if it disappoints. That is because of shifting industry economics, reliance on outside investors and help from a network of allied companies and in-house business units.

Fox's efforts underscore how studios generally have been able to minimize their exposure at a time of blockbuster budgets — albeit at the cost of limiting their profit potential as well.

The final cost of the film has not been tallied, as Mr. Cameron, who has worked on the film for 15 years, and his collaborators, as far-flung as Weta Digital in New Zealand, continue to complete their work. Published reports have put the production budget at more than $230 million.

But the price tag would be higher if the financial contribution of Mr. Cameron and others were included. When global marketing expenses are added, "Avatar" may cost its various backers $500 million.

Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos, the co-chairmen of Fox Filmed Entertainment, declined through a spokesman to be interviewed. Jon Landau, Mr. Cameron's partner in their Lightstorm Entertainment production company, also declined to be interviewed.

But "Avatar" did get a mention in a conference call on Wednesday during which Rupert Murdoch, the News Corporation's chairman, discussed a surprise 11 percent earnings jump in the company's fiscal first quarter, which ended Sept. 30.

"I'm confident we will lead the Christmas season," Mr. Murdoch said. He added that he was "excited and moved" by "Avatar."

Michael Nathanson, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, wrote in an e-mail message before the earnings call that investors "tend to ignore" the impact of a single movie on a company as large as the News Corporation.

At what point the various partners in "Avatar" would see profit from the film depends on what share of revenue each receives as the movie reaches theaters, then home video and other media around the world. If domestic ticket sales reach $250 million — a level broken in the last year by five films, including "Star Trek" and "The Hangover" — Fox and its allies would appear to be headed into the black.

Mr. Cameron's "Titanic," which took in more than $1.8 billion at the worldwide box office after its release in 1997, was a major corporate event for the News Corporation, then about a third the size of the current conglomerate, which has roughly $30 billion in annual sales. Less than a year after the release, the News Corporation raised nearly $3 billion in a public offering of shares in its filmed entertainment group, partly on the strength of "Titanic." (It bought those shares back four years ago.)

In 1980, the failure of "Heaven's Gate" was enough to chase the Transamerica Corporation, which then owned United Artists, out of the movie business. But such company-wreckers belong more to history than to the contemporary film business.

With "Titanic," the News Corporation was at risk for at least half of a production budget that would approach $300 million in today's dollars, and was borne partly by Paramount Pictures.

The News Corporation is carrying a much smaller share of "Avatar's" production cost, as a pair of private equity partners — Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Media — pick up 60 percent of the budget, according to people who were briefed on the economics of the film but spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid conflict with the studio or filmmakers.

Speaking by telephone on Thursday, James Clayton, the chief executive of Ingenious, confirmed his company's backing for "Avatar," but declined to discuss the size of its stake. Greg Coote, the chief executive of Dune, declined to be interviewed.

In a further hedge, Mr. Cameron would give up part of his own participation in the film's returns if production costs exceed a specified level, according to those who were briefed on the film. If final production costs exceeded $300 million, for instance, Mr. Cameron would effectively defer much of his payout until the studio and others were compensated, despite his years of labor on the movie.

Mr. Cameron, along with Vince Pace, a Hollywood technology master, also developed much of the elaborate camera system and digital technology for the film themselves, at cost of about $14 million. According to Mr. Pace, the systems are owned by a company that expects to recoup the investment by selling to other filmmakers with help from the Creative Artists Agency.

"We're turning it into a business, as opposed to a path where everybody's supposed to service 'Avatar,' " Mr. Pace said.

While the film was largely shot in a converted aircraft hangar in Los Angeles, much of the work qualified for tax rebates in New Zealand, where Weta Digital operates under the direction of the filmmaker Peter Jackson and others.

Fox's biggest investment in "Avatar" may be on the marketing side, where the company is planning to spend about $150 million around the world — a number that is somewhat lower than might be expected, because of recession-induced concessions on advertising prices and reliance on in-house resources. The News Corporation recently showed a new trailer for the film on Fox's "NFL Sunday" pregame show, and has been using MySpace to build awareness of the movie.

But here, too, the studio has looked for partners to bear some of the load. One ally, Imax, worked with theater owners to set up a special 15-minute preview last summer without significant cost to the studio. "A lot of people are lending this sort of in-kind support," said Greg Foster, chairman and president of Imax Filmed Entertainment.

Panasonic, in return for using some of Mr. Cameron's expertise for its own 3-D home video systems, contributed technological and marketing help, linking "Avatar" to its campaign for home theaters, for example.

"We've been supporting the effort," said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic's North America chief technology officer, who spoke on Friday. Mr. Tsuyuzaki declined to put a price tag on that help, but said estimates of about $25 million were "in the ballpark."

In addition, rapidly changing dynamics in the theater business have made blockbuster openings much easier to achieve.

Privately, theater owners are now predicting that "Avatar" may play in as many as 2,500 3-D theaters, while occupying almost as many conventional theaters over the holiday season, heightening the likelihood of a big opening. Theaters using 3-D bolster the overall box-office by commanding ticket prices perhaps 30 percent higher than those of conventional theaters.

Still, the studio has experienced some problems. Initial reaction to a conventional trailer was flat, and response to the 3-D Imax preview provoked doubts about whether Mr. Cameron's movie — which uses new technology to tell the story of a planet being assailed by humans — was really the cinematic game-changer that had been promised.

Taking no chances, Fox is backing up Mr. Cameron's movie with what an executive recently called the studio's "secret weapon."

That would be "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel," set to open just a week after studio marketers get "Avatar" into theaters. It is the relatively safe sequel to a chipper family comedy that cost about $60 million and took in $217 million at the domestic box office when it was released two years ago.

Kenny Chesney Rides A 3D Houseboat Into Theaters

2009-11-10T01:08:00.001-08:00

Kenny Chesney Rides A 3D Houseboat Into Theaters

By Perri Nemiroff: 2009-11-09 16:52:44

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We've seen U2, Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers take their music to the big screen in 3D, now it's Kenny Chesney's turn. Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D comes from the footage shot by over 20 cameras filming the country music artist's performances in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco and Foxborough, Massachusetts.

According to USA Today, the film is expected to hit at least 750 screens in April thanks to Hot Ticket, the Sony Pictures division responsible for distributing concerts, theater and sporting events. Much of the film is dedicating to giving the audience a front-row seat concert experience but there are also portions that go beyond the stage show. At one point, the cameras follow Chesney while performing on a houseboat on the Ohio River. "I've been trying for years to have the audience closer to me and to have me be closer to them," Chesney says. "With this production, they can't get any closer."

This film is going to be one of few chances fans will get to see Chesney perform in 2010. Other than a handful of festival appearances including one at the Bayou Country Superfest in Baton Rouge in May and BamaJam in Alabama, in June, Chesney will spend the year focusing on the movie, his online radio station No Shoes Radio and his personal life. He explains, "I've been giving to one thing for so long, and that's just not OK with me anymore." Considering he's completed a 10 show tour, is scheduled to performance at the Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday and has the potential to break Garth Brooks' record by nabbing a fifth entertainer-of-the-year awards, I think he deserves the chance to do whatever makes him happy in 2010.

Film glut may slow 3D rollout

2009-11-03T00:48:00.000-08:00

Film glut may slow 3D rollout

Titles prove lucrative, but more d-cinema theaters needed

October 10, 2009

By Patrick Frater

"My Bloody Valentine."

More Pusan news

BUSAN, South Korea -- The pace of digital cinema installation has accelerated this year, but 3D cinema may suffer an exhibition bottleneck as more movies are produced in the new format.

That was one of the messages delivered Saturday by Charlotte Jones, senior cinema analyst at Screen Digest, to a Pusan summit on the future of 3D cinema.

Jones said that 3D films have proved themselves a lucrative market. Already this year they have generated more than $1 billion at the global boxoffice and exhibitors are able to charge premium prices.

Where films are available in traditional 2D and new 3D format, the 3D versions earn on average 60% of the total gross. The difference is even more pronounced on opening weekends, when 3D versions earn an average of three times more than 2D prints and in the case of "My Bloody Valentine" it was six times.

"That 3x revenue share is now coming down towards 2.5x," Jones said. "The reason is a lack of screens and the way the films are now being squeezed into shorter release windows. That will be exacerbated next year when the flow of movies in 3D rises from an estimated 23 in 2009 to more than 30. The (financial) advantage of 3D is being eroded (by the pace of d-cinema installation)."

Now Technicolor and other manufacturers are experimenting with ways of using film stock to project 3D images, which are currently only available using digital projectors.

Jones predicted that digital cinema building may currently be at a peak. Some 3,000 theaters were equipped with digital equipment in the first seven months of this year and the number that is 3D capable more than doubled in the first half of the year. Nearly half of all new digital screen installations are 3D capable.

"Content is driving the hardware adoption," Jones said.

A number of uncertainties now threaten to hold back the 3D market. Many exhibitors have put on hold the (full or partial) conversion of their multiplexes from film to digital. And the emergence of high resolution 4K projection equipment has destabilized the market by adding another layer of uncertainty for exhibitors.

Korea currently ranks only seventh in the world by proportion of theaters with digital cinema installation. The Korean Film Council's deputy director Lee Wang-ho said the total was 364 at the end of June.

KOFIC is now backing moves to increase the country's ranking in the 3D universe, and the three largest private sector theater owners have set up a joint initiative to develop the business. "The biggest challenge is production," Lee said. To date only one Korean movie, "Sole Mate," is heading towards production any time soon.

But another Korean company Stereo Pictures suggested that the way forward could lie with 2D to 3D conversions as is happening with "Titanic." "Some people think this is an experiment," said Sung Young-seok, Stereo Pictures' CEO. "It is not a research project. It is really in use now."

3D Web Series ‘13 Minutes to Midnight’ Jumps Out for Halloween

2009-11-01T11:23:00.001-08:00

TUBEFILTER news

http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/10/31/3d-web-series-13-minutes-to-midnight-jumps-out-for-halloween/

3D Web Series '13 Minutes to Midnight' Jumps Out for Halloween

by Joshua Cohen on October 31st, 2009ShareThis

With a budget topping $240 million and technology that's over 10 years in the making, James Cameron's Avatar is primed to push Hollywood into a new dimension. The 3D tour de force is the first film of it's kind, comprised of roughly 60% computer-generated elements and 40% live-action, all seamlessly melded together into a brilliant depth of field when seen through the lenses of polarized, stereoscopic, librarian-looking glasses. Entertainment pundits expect the movie to be the biggest blockbuster since, well, Cameron's lastbiggest blockbuster (which happened to be the biggest blockbuster of all-time). Some say it may even save movie theaters from the internet. Avatar could herald the arrival of a revolutionized 3D film industry that studio execs have tried to make stick since the 50s.

Unless, of course, the internet also gets three dimensional.

While early tests on YouTube have been bothinteresting and headache-inducing, a new web series from Hank's Beak Productions andstarmaker, Svengali, and Hollywood hustler Ray Manzella hopes to make 3D on the internet entertaining. And lucrative.

13 Minutes to Midnight bills itself as throwback to the camp found in classic television horror titles likeVampira and Tales from the Crypt. I'd say the self-aware silliness and homegrown aesthetic makes it more of a low-budget, macabre-themed Mister Rogers and/or Clue that could, at any moment, break out into the kind of softcore you see on Skinemax. B-movie scream queen and co-writer Erika Smith stars as the host of a Halloween party that attracts the likes of Nightmara (Heather McDonald), Paranora (Elizabeth Killmond), Vampira (a tranny version of the original), an unfortunate whodunit incident, a Perez Hilton cameo, and lots of product placement.

On a phone interview Manzella explained how he's looking at all angles of the production as possible marketing opportunities. Certainly, licensable character names, obvious shills (including shoutouts to Monster Energy Drink, Bosco Chocolate Syrup, Smith Brothers Cough Drops, Netflix, and Sears), and trying to appeal to a worldwide audience (you can watch the trailer in six foreign languages) aren't novel dollar-generating ideas to the web television industry, but Manzella's experience may help him succeed where others have not.

Beginning with Vanna White in 1985 and continuing today with a client roster that's included Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, Sugar Ray Leonard, Suzanne Somers, Tony Little, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and more, Manzella's made a lucrative career from being both a star maker and engineer of celebrity-endorsed products. Over the years on QVC, HSN, and other outlets, Manzella estimates the stars he reps have done over $5 billion(!!!) in sales. "So with that background," he said, "and me watching Madison Avenue struggle, I thought, here's a clever way we can play the game."

And that's where the 3D comes into play. Manzella wanted a way to make everything marketed in the show really pop (including the brands and Erika Smith, who, if you haven't figured it out by now, he represents). Producer and co-writer Peter Capozzi called up Robert Acezado to help make it happen. A fast education in 3D camerawork followed, a vertical rig employed (which I think looks something like this), and two episodes-worth of footage shot in 1080p, stereoscopic 3D.

But James Cameron shouldn't worry about Avatar ticket sales just yet. Even though 13 Minutes to Midnight was shot in the same kind of 3D as movies like My Bloody Valentine, Capozzi told me you can't watch it that way on the web. "For that kind of 3D online, you need a stereo player that can have two independent video streams. Video-sharing sites don't currently have the technological capabilities. Right now you can view it on Dailymotion in anaglphyic 3D (aka the red and blue glasses)."

LA TIMES - Picture sharpens for Digital Cinema rollout - Oct. 29, 2009

2009-10-30T13:36:00.001-07:00

Company Town

THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE SHOW

LA TIMES

Picture sharpens for Digital Cinema rollout

October 29, 2009 | 10:32 am

The purse strings appear to be loosening for the long-delayed rollout of digital cinema.

Until recently, the credit crunch had discouraged lenders from forking over money to help pay to convert theaters to digital systems, which are required to show 3-D movies. That was causing considerable heartache among major studios, which have invested heavily in dozens of 3-D movies coming out in the next two years, including 17 in 2010 alone.

But there are signs that lenders are now willing to bankroll the costly conversion. The latest evidence of that came during the industry trade event Showeast this week when Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., a Morristown, N.J. that supplies and installs digital equipment in theaters, announced that it had received commitments from GE Capital and French bank Societe Generale to finance $100 million to install 2,133 additional digital screens worldwide next year.

Adam M. Mizel, chief financial officer for Cinedigm, called the commitments a "milestone" that will "enable exhibitors to take advantage of the significant benefits of digital cinema."

In August, JP Morgan Chase & Co. signaled that it was moving ahead with plans to secure $525 million in financing to retrofit up to 15,000 screens for digital technology over the next five years at AMC, Cinemark and Regal, the nation's largest theater chains.

Separately, Technicolor also announced this week that it was partnering with Deluxe Entertainment Services, Eastman Kodak Co. and Fujifilm to create a fund to help exhibitors finance up to 500 silver screens to be installed in North America and the United Kingdom. Silver screens are a component in digital systems and cost $5000 to $10,000 each. Technicolor has been marketing a low cost, film-based 3-D system to smaller theater circuits that can't afford to buy digital projectors, which can cost $75,000 each.

For now, 3-D has a long way to go before it becomes mainstream. Currently, 7,241 of nearly 39,000 screens in North America are digital, and only 3,061 of those are 3-D ready.

-- Richard Verrier

Photo credit: Gary McCarthy

At Last, Trendy 3D Eyewear

2009-10-29T10:16:00.001-07:00

Published on The Wrap (http://www.thewrap.com)

October 28, 2009, 6:22PM CDT
Category: MOVIES
By: Brent Lang -

At Last, Trendy 3D Eyewear!

Soon, moviemakers and technology companies hope that filmgoers will reach for a set of 3D set of specs before heading to the local cineplex just as they would grab a pair of sunglasses on a particularly sunny day.

To this end, RealD, makers of 90 percent of the country's 3D projectors, announced Wednesday that they have reached a licensing agreement with Look3D, makers of 3D eyeware, tapping the company to design, manufacture and distribute premium 3D eyewear.

Look3D eyewear will be compatible with all RealD theaters worldwide. The glasses will be of a higher optical grade than the current glasses handed out to viewers of 3D releases in movie theaters, and can be made to fit a moviegoer's perscription. The company is already piloting a line of eyeware designed to fit a child.

"Moviegoers will be able to pick from a full line-up of premium RealD 3D glasses in cool designs with shapes and styles that hug the face like regular glasses," Rhett Adam, director of Look3D, said in a statement.

The new eyeware will be availble for purchase in December with sales through Look3D, at movie theaters and online retail sites. Not coincidently, that month happens to bring with it the release of James Cameron's "Avatar," which hits screens on Dec. 18.

"Movie fans will have a pair of RealD 3D glasses personalized in style and fit, and certified by RealD to assure a fantastic movie experience," said Joseph Peixoto, RealD president of worldwide cinema. "We look forward to additional announcements about the introduction of designer 3D glasses from top fashion brands."

Look3D will also offer a themed collection of glasses with colors, shapes and other design elements matching a variety of upcoming 3D major motion picture releases.

The cost of the premium glasses hasn't yet been announced, but a company spokeswomen told TheWrap that there will be a range of pricing based on eyewear styles -- similar to sunglasses. Eventually the company hopes to offer a designer line of 3D glasses from the likes of Gucci and Calvin Klein.

Source URL: http://www.thewrap.com/article/reald-announces-line-premium-3d-glasses-9332

Great 3D Exhibition News: Industry Aligns to Fund Film 3D Rollout to Exhibitors

2009-10-29T00:02:00.001-07:00

Industry Aligns to Fund Film 3D Rollout to Exhibitors

Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:00am EDT

Technicolor, Deluxe, Eastman Kodak and Fujifilm Create Silver Screen Fund ORLANDO, Fla.--(Business Wire)-- Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453) (NYSE: TMS), through its Technicolor Business Group, has aligned with entertainment industry leaders Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Eastman Kodak Company, and Fujifilm to provide financial assistance to exhibitors seeking an immediate 3D solution. The Silver Screen Fund defers costs associated with the purchase and installation of silver screens by providing financial assistance to exhibitors who deploy the Technicolor 3D solution. The fund will be managed by Technicolor, which last week announced broad studio support for the Technicolor 3D solution. The Silver Screen Fund will finance up to 500 silver screens to be installed at theatres in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Funding is available immediately for qualified exhibitors. When exhibitors complete the terms of the Silver Screen Fund agreement, they will own the silver screen, a necessary component for future digital 3D projection. "Technicolor is committed to delivering high-quality, affordable 3D solutions, and the creation of the Silver Screen Fund accelerates our promise to our exhibition partners by helping them defer upfront costs associated with the purchase and installation of silver screens," said Lanny Raimondo, head of Technicolor. "Thanks to overwhelming studio and industry support, we expect to sign up these first 500 screens in the coming weeks, keeping us on track to reach our target of more than 1,000 Technicolor 3D screens by mid-2010." "Deluxe is proud to have a long history of supporting our customers by providing whatever format they choose for their content. This technology bridge for 3D exhibition is a cost effective way to help our customers maximize their theatrical release schedules," said Cyril Drabinsky, President and CEO of Deluxe. "Right now, there are not enough 3D screens to accommodate major releases and the screen shortage becomes compounded when you consider issues of overlapping 3D releases," said Kim Snyder, President, Entertainment Imaging, and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. "The industry desperately needs additional screens to satisfy demands by studios and movie fans, who consistently vote for 3D with their box-office dollar. The Silver Screen Fund levels the playing field so all exhibitors can realize the benefits of 3D presentations." "With the Digital 3D roll-out slowed significantly by the economy, and because of the prohibitive cost associated with digital cinema conversion, we believe Technicolor`s film-based 3D innovation is the right solution," said Graeme Parcher, Group Vice President, FUJIFILM North American Motion Picture Group. "We are excited to partner with our industry colleagues to introduce this significant advance in film 3D technology." Technicolor 3D Motion Picture Support Multiple major motion picture studios are supporting the Technicolor 3D solution. DreamWorks Animation, Lionsgate, Paramount, Overture, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., and The Weinstein Company are working with Technicolor to deliver content for presentation in Technicolor 3D. Seventeen 3D titles have already been announced for 2010 release, with more expected from several distributors. The studios noted above account for the majority of these titles, including How to Train Your Dragon, Piranha 3D, Shrek Forever After, Despicable Me, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Friday the 13th: Part 2; Guardians of Ga`Hoole, Alpha and Omega, Burst, Oobermind, and Yogi Bear. How the Technicolor 3D Solution Works The Technicolor 3D Solution employs a proprietary "production to projection" system that leverages 35mm (or film) projectors already in use by the majority of U.S. and international theatres today to deliver high-quality 3D content to moviegoers. A patent-pending lens system assembles the left and right eye images as the film runs through the projector and delivers a 3D-ready image onto a silver screen. The solution works with circular polarized glasses-identical to the ones used for existing digital 3D cinema-to "translate" the film`s content into an image that is perceived by the viewer as being three dimensional. The silver screen can be used for the projection of both Technicolor 3D as well as digital 3D content. The Technicolor 3D Solution can be installed nearly immediately. No build-out or significant modifications of the projection booth are required. About Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., is the leading provider of a broad range of entertainment industry services and technologies to major Hollywood Studios and an international client base. http://www.bydeluxe.com About Kodak's Entertainment Imaging Kodak's Entertainment Imaging Division is the world-class leader in providing film, digital and hybrid motion imaging products, services, and technology for the professional motion picture and exhibition industries. For more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/motion, or follow Kodak Motion Picture Film on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kodak-Motion-Picture-Film/40524618557. About Kodak As the world's foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives. To learn more, visit http://www.kodak.com and follow our blogs and more at http://www.kodak.com/go/followus. About Fujifilm Motion Picture Products Since its founding in 1934, Fujifilm Motion Picture products have driven advances that established the company as a pre-eminent leader in the science of ultra-thin film coating technologies. The company's photographic, graphic arts and medical imaging films, magnetic recording media, flat panel display materials, and photolithographic semiconductor coating technologies all share in this core technology heritage. Fujifilm has made continued advances in its film stocks, most notably through its popular Eterna line. In addition to numerous awards for technical merit, Fujifilm's product performance has been acknowledged by leading cinematographers and directors of photography who have selected Fujifilm stock for productions including A Beautiful Mind, Sideways, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Slumdog Millionaire. About FUJIFILM Corporation FUJIFILM Corporation brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, photofinishing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials, and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. The company was among the top 15 companies around the world granted U.S. patents in 2008, employs more than 70,000 people worldwide and in the year ended March 31, 2009, had global revenues of $24 billion. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmholdings.com. About Thomson Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453)(NYSE: TMS) is a worldwide leader of services to content creators. http://www.thomson.net. Technicolor Season Skuro, 818-371-0006 season.skuro@technicolor.com or Hill & Knowlton Julie Mathis, 415-281-7189 julie.mathis@hillandknowlton.com Copyright Business Wire 2009

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ShowEast: Content and discontent

2009-10-26T21:15:00.001-07:00

ShowEast: Content and discontent

How can exhibitors reverse the trend of stagnant ticket sales?

By Carl DiOrio

Oct 26, 2009, 01:00 PM ET

The contrast has been startling.

All year, movie theater owners attending trade shows in the U.S. and abroad have oozed optimism, even as the recession constricted attendance and show booths at the confabs. Booming boxoffice and rising revenue from 3D cinema are the main reasons for their bullishness.

But while boxoffice grosses are up about 5% on a year-over-year basis, ticket sales are roughly flat compared with a year ago and theater attendance actually dipped in the summer. As exhibitors trek to central Florida for ShowEast, many are strategizing about what is necessary to reverse the trend and convince more people to go to the movies.

"If you go back over the past 40 years, every time we've had a peak in admissions we had to work our way back up to there in increments," notes National Association of Theatre Owners spokesman Patrick Corcoran. "Our last admissions record in 2004 was a peak that we hadn't hit since 1958."

So how might the industry climb that mountain more quickly?

"It mostly has to do with product mix," the NATO exec suggests. "For some time, theater owners have been asking for a better mix of products, both at any one time and throughout the year. The weak spots are still late spring and the fall. I don't know how many more blockbusters you can fit into summer. The room for growth is in the spring and the fall."

Spreading films more evenly throughout the year would ease logjams in more popular programming months, he says, but it would also help if distributors managed film variety better.

"We had a period recently where all the releases were R-rated films, and that's not good," Corcoran says. "It tells a certain percentage of the audience to stay away."

AMC Entertainment chief Gerry Lopez -- attending his first ShowEast after his appointment atop the nation's second-largest circuit in March -- believes increased niche programming is needed to keep pace with fractionalized consumer tastes.

"That isn't to say we have too many blockbusters," Lopez says. "The issue is whether we can be more than a one-trick pony and become more successful with films that appeal to the more individualized audiences."

On the studio side, Disney distribution president Chuck Viane agrees that industry success or failure tends to be "product driven." But he adds that 3D has come on so strongly lately that a new attendance high can be attained sooner rather than later.

Viane also points to the recent rise of so-called alternative programming -- concerts, sporting events and other nontraditional fare, which theaters increasingly feature in nonpeak hours.

"It's not out of the realm of possibility that they will be doing sports on one night and another night doing concerts and on another films," Viane says. "As long as the studios are delivering that content, I think it's a great chance to sell more tickets."

Sony has been the most active in setting up a dedicated business unit for alternative programming. But Viane says Disney soon will get into the game, and he expects most other majors to do the same.

Cinemark CEO Alan Stock feels good about the current marketplace but wonders whether the initial novelty factor of 3D might wear off.

"We're getting a bump now from 3D and will into the future," Stock says. "The real question is, how long into the future will that continue?"

For now, 3D seems to be enhancing attendance, he adds. "It piques people's interest and gets them more interested in going to the movies."

But Fox distribution boss Bruce Snyder cautions against putting too much faith in mere novelty.

"A bad movie in 3D is a bad movie," he says.

Warner Bros. distribution head Dan Fellman notes a plethora of entertainment options already available to today's moviegoers and figures Hollywood is holding its ground pretty well.

"You can't look at just one part of the equation like domestic boxoffice," Fellman says. "The international business is growing by leaps and bounds, for instance. So as an industry we can hold our heads up high. I think we're doing terrific."

ShowEast attendance will be down this year because of the economy, with managing director Robert Sunshine predicting a decline of about 20%, or 800-850 paid registrants. Trade show participation will be down about 10%.

The confab's four-day run kicks off today with international day, whose slate presentations and panels draw attendees from throughout Latin America and elsewhere. Programming later in the week will focus on digital-cinema financing, digital audio for theaters, movie marketing and the always-popular film screenings.

Nielsen Film Group -- which, like The Hollywood Reporter, is operated by Nielsen Business Media -- had planned to move ShowEast to Miami Beach this year. But a designated hotel couldn't handle many of the confab's needs, so ShowEast has returned to the local Marriott through 2010.

As for the prospect of a smaller show this year, longtime participants appear unrattled.

"If an exhibitor only sends four people instead of 40, but they're the decisionmakers, well, I'm fine with that," Sony Electronics' Gary Johns says. "The issue isn't how many people come, but which ones."

Sony will use the show to demo its new SRX-R320 digital projector, touted as a smaller-but-equal replacement for previous d-cinema hardware. Other d-cinema vendors such as Barco, Christie and NEC also will staff large booths.

Several screenings by studio and indie distributors will be held off-site as usual at Downtown Disney's AMC Pleasure Island multiplex. Films to be screened include Sony's "2012," Warners' college football drama "The Blind Side," Lionsgate's horror pic "Daybreakers" and Apparition's period drama "The Young Victoria."

Despite the challenges in luring moviegoers, Sunshine says the industry is taking the right steps toward keeping the theatrical experience unique in a sea of entertainment options.

"People will start coming back to the movies because of digital and 3D," Sunshine says. "Alternative content is on the cusp, and cinema advertising is staring to grow. So I'm very bullish on this industry."

Technicolor's 3D Format Lines Up 7 Studios, 37 Movies

2009-10-22T19:04:00.001-07:00

Published on The Wrap (http://www.thewrap.com)

October 22, 2009, 5:01PM CDT
Category: MOVIES
By: Wrap Staff -

Technicolor's 3D Format Lines Up 7 Studios, 37 Movies

Technicolor's new 3D process has lined up the support of seven studios that are actively developing films in the format, the company said Thursday.

Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros., DreamWorks Animation, Lionsgate, Overture and the Weinstein Company all have slated movies that will employ Technicolor 3D, the format unveiled last month that is compatible with existing 35mm cinema projectors.

Among the 37 Technicolor 3D movies in the pipeline for 2010 are "Shrek Forever After," "How to Train Your Dragon," "Piranha 3D," "Despicable Me," "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" and "Oobermind."

Frederic Rose, chairman and CEO of Thomson/Technicolor, said the format addresses the "3D gap" in theaters because no significant modifications are needed for the existing 35mm projectors in 90 percent of U.S. cinemas.

"The Technicolor 3D rollout substantially increases the 3D theatrical footprint, delivering to studios a larger platform for reaching masses of moviegoers," Rose said in a statement.

Technicolor also said Deluxe Entertainment Services Group would provide its customers with the postproduction and printing services to deliver films in the format.

Source URL: http://www.thewrap.com/article/technicolors-new-3d-format-lines-7-studios-37-movies-9046

FYI: 3D@HOME CONSORTIUM COLLABORATES WITH CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA 3D GROUPS

2009-10-16T13:21:00.001-07:00

Contacts:        Heidi Hoffman                                          Dian Mecca
                        3D @ Home Consortium                          Insight Media
                        650-993-8111                                            203-831-8464
                        heidi.hoffman@flextech.org                    dian@insightmedia.info

3D@HOME CONSORTIUM JOINS WITH CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA 3D GROUPS

TO INAUGURATE WORLDWIDE 3D TECHNOLOGY & PROMOTION INITIATIVE

October 15, 2009 – Ilsan, KOREA and San Jose, Calif. USA – Representatives of the 3D@Home Consortium , dedicated to speeding the commercialization of 3D technology and content to the home, met today with their counterparts from the 3D Fusion Industry Consortium (3DFIC) of Korea, the 3D Research Council (3DRC), the China 3D Industry Association (C3D), and the 3D Consortium (3DC) of Japan, to discuss collaborative efforts to advance 3D technology and markets. The discussions took place during the International 3D Fair and World 3D Expo at the KINTEX Exhibition Center in Seoul (Ilsan) Korea. Together, the groups will exchange information and tackle common issues on a regular basis through personal and virtual meetings.

Rick Dean, Chairman of the 3D@Home Consortium and Vice President of Strategic Development of THX, addressed the audience on the consortium's focus, goals and activities at the 3D International Fair 2009 and other working events. After his talk, Rick remarked, "This was an unprecedented event in the history of technology development. Four organizations, with over 200 member companies among them, have agreed to cooperate on bringing great 3D technology and content to the consumer."

The principals for the groups agreed that the first project addressed will be to assess, develop guidelines and then make standards recommendations for content creation and displays that will ensure comfort for the viewer. 3D@Home Consortium's Steering Team 1 will contribute to creating quality 3D by offering techniques to the global effort.

Levin Tang, Secretary-General of the C3D organization noted, "This is a highly- valuable relationship and we are pleased to be working with the other associations in building the 3D industry together."

3D@Home Consortium members also spoke in the 3D Information Technology Workshop (3DIT 2009) chaired by Professor Eun-Soo Kim, director of 3DRC, president of 3DFIC and dean at Kwangwoon University. Members presenting included Ethan Daniel Schur of TDVision, Seung-Jong Choi of LG Electronics, Du-Sik Park of Samsung Electronics, Andrew Poulain of THX, Chris Chinnock of Insight Medi a, and Rick Dean as chair of the consortium. Other companies presenting talks included BS11 (Nippon Broadcasting Corporation) on the 3D TV Broadcasting plans in Japan, TCL Multimedia on the China market, and Inlife-Handnet of China.

-End-

About 3D@Home Consortium – The 3D@Home Consortium is committed with ensuring the best possible viewing experience as 3D technology and content moves into home entertainment. The consortium accomplishes its mission through regular meetings and other communication of the 40+ members of its governing board, steering teams and project teams. The consortium is managed by Insight Media and the FlexTech Alliance. More information is available at the consortium's website – www.3DatHome.org.

About Insight Media

Insight Media (www.insightmedia.info) is a market research, publishing and consulting firm focused on the emerging segments of the display industry. This means we look for areas where display technology is in the early stages of commercialization, where market opportunities are emerging or where significant business and investment decisions are being made. This strategic focus leads us to several core areas such as 3D Displays, LED or Laser-based Display Systems, Green Display Technology, E-Paper and Flexible Displays and Large Area OLEDs.

To be removed from the Insight Media News list, please click here.

Acer 3D laptop review: first look

2009-10-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Posted on October 14th, 2009 by Tim Danton

Acer 3D laptop review: first look

Acer wasn't satisfied with just unveiling the dual-booting Android and Windows 7 netbook at today's global press conference: it also revealed the world's first mainstream 3D laptop, the Acer Aspire 5738PG (at this point, I should point out to Acer that if Apple launched a 3D laptop it probably wouldn't give it a terrible name like 5738PG).

(And before any pedants jump in to point out to me that, actually, all laptops are 3D – yes, I know.)

The background you see above is, actually, really in 3D. That is, it uses a combination of software, hardware and specially coated glass (if you'd like more detail than this hazy description, we wrote a whole feature dedicated to the future of 3D a few months ago), and you then have to watch the image using the polarised glasses supplied.

And it works well. I watched a number of nice-looking demos where futuristic planes flew through futuristic landscapes, monsters emerged threateningly from the screen at random moments, and, um, I looked at a 3D photo.

There are drawbacks. You need to have your head positioned carefully to see the 3D effects without ghosting – where every object seems to have the slightest of shadows – and you do look a bit of a fool. Just to prove it, that's me looking a fool above.

And, naturally, demos only tell you so much. We want to test it properly, with 3D games designed for the purpose and see just how immersive the technology really is.

As a piece of hardware in itself, the Aspire impresses. Though the screen has some very slight horizontal lines – a side effect of the 3D technology, no doubt – it's bright, sharp and vivid. And it's pretty large, too, at 15.6in.

The keyboard is a joy to type on, with large keys and a solid feel to it. Thanks to the extra-wide chassis, there's also room for a separate numeric keypad.

It's set for release in tandem with Windows 7 on October 22, and as with the Acer Aspire One D250 with Android we're already chasing Acer for a review sample so we can provide a full, in-depth review.

Toshiba Plans to Unveil 3D TV by End of March 2011 - Dow Jones - 13 Oct 2009

2009-10-13T13:14:00.001-07:00

Toshiba Plans to Unveil 3D TV by End of March 2011

TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Toshiba Corp. (6502.TO) plans to launch a three-dimensional television by the end of March 2011, Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Ohmori told Dow Jones Newswires on Tuesday.

In preparing to do so, Toshiba joins rivals Panasonic Corp. (6752.TO) and Sony Corp. (SNE), which are also investing in next-generation technologies to woo consumers as competition intensifies from rivals in South Korea. Both Panasonic and Sony have said they plan to launch 3-D TVs next year.

Ohmori declined to provide an investment amount for Toshiba, but said developing content to lure consumers to 3D is one of the industry's major challenges.

For consumer electronics manufacturers, 3-D is considered the next major technological breakthrough. They hope it will spur sales of TVs and Blu-ray players, similar to the way high-definition video helped raise demand for liquid-crystal-display and plasma televisions in the early 2000s.

Viewers of 3D television will need to wear special glasses, similar to those used for watching 3D movies in theaters.

Toshiba plans to sell 15 million TVs in its fiscal year through March 2011 to grab a 10% market share. That would be up from an estimated 10 million units for the current fiscal year ending March 2010.

Toshiba, which makes everything from memory chips to computers and nuclear reactors, had been investing in "surface-conduction electron-emitter display," or SED technology, together with Canon Inc. (7751.TO). SED promises the same level of brightness and color as a cathode-ray tube - the bulky technology used in conventional televisions. Canon took full control of the business, however, in 2007 due to a U.S. lawsuit with Austin, Texas-based Nano-Proprietary.

Ohmori said Toshiba is no longer investing in SED technology.

3-D Digital Cinema Installations to Reach $750 Million in Revenue

2009-10-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

3-D Digital Cinema Installations to Reach $750 Million in Revenue According to GigaOM Pro and Research 2.0

While 3-D technology has been around in various stages of evolution for close to 100 years, advances in 3-D computing will be one of the driving technologies impacting a variety of industries in the coming years, according to a new report from GigaOM Pro and Research 2.0. From movie theaters -- where 15,000 new 3-D installations will create $750 million in revenue over the next five years -- to home entertainment, mobile and digital signage, 3-D computing is fast becoming a critical technology on many industry road maps.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB), October 8, 2009 -- While 3-D technology has been around in various stages of evolution for close to 100 years, advances in 3-D computing will be one of the driving technologies impacting a variety of industries in the coming years, according to a new report from GigaOM Pro and Research 2.0. From movie theaters -- where 15,000 new 3-D installations will create $750 million in revenue over the next five years -- to home entertainment, mobile and digital signage, 3-D computing is fast becoming a critical technology on many industry road maps.

"3-D technologies will be a significant part of a number of industries' future evolution," said Kris Tuttle, president of Research 2.0. "Advances in display technologies, graphics processing and software are creating a large and growing wave of change coming to and from the world of 3-D computing."

While much of the focus for 3-D displays is on the home, the public space and digital signage markets will see significant penetration of 3-D technology in coming years. Companies such as Visumotion and Newsight are developing technologies as well as working with digital signage incumbents to deliver 3-D technology to this market, and by 2014 nearly 1 million 3-D digital signage systems should ship.

Another important market impacted by 3-D computing will be the mobile communications and devices market. Hitachi has already released a 3-D capable mobile phone with KDDI in Japan, while a company called Spatial View is making applications to render 3-D viewing on mobile devices such as the iPhone.

"The growth of 3-D computing will have a far-reaching impact on the lives of people in their personal and work lives over the coming decade," said Steve Waite, partner and director of Strategy, Research 2.0. "The opportunities for both existing and new market players will be significant."

The report, entitled "3-D Computing: From Digital Cinema to GPUs" (http://pro.gigaom.com/2009/10/report-3-d-computing-from-digital-cinema-to-gpus/) is a comprehensive analysis of the entire 3-D market landscape, examining how changes across the semiconductor, computing, software, consumer devices and content marketplaces will usher in a wave of innovation and end-use products. The report has forecasts, market analysis and competitive analysis for companies across the 3-D technology marketplace.

About GigaOm Pro

As part of the GigaOM Network, GigaOM Pro delivers actionable insights on emerging markets by curating the most relevant news, providing big-picture analysis and in-depth original research reports, and offering interactive engagement with technology insiders. Visit GigaOM Pro today at http://pro.gigaom.com

About Research 2.0

Research 2.0 is dedicated to emerging technologies that are poised to enter phases of creative destruction in the marketplace. We provide research, market positioning, and investment analysis for the markets and companies that are impacted. Our independent, flow-based research model gives us a distinct advantage in the market. We synthesize a great deal of information from diverse sources simultaneously and put it into an investment context. Visit at http://www.research2zero.com/

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Forbes - Making Money Off 3-D - October 8, 2009

2009-10-09T00:55:00.001-07:00

Entertainment
Making Money Off 3-D
Dorothy Pomerantz, 10.08.09, 7:40 PM ETLOS ANGELES -

On Aug. 21, thousands of fans crammed into Imax theaters around the country to watch an ad. The event was "Avatar Day," sponsored by 20th Century Fox. Director James Cameron unveiled 16 minutes of his forthcoming 3-D sci-fi movie Avatar. Theaters were filled to capacity--in fact, hundreds of people were unable to get the free tickets.

When you can cause that kind of commotion just by showing a long trailer, it's worth taking notice. Avatar is the most anticipated movie of the year by a long stretch. Fans are watching to see if Cameron, the man behind Aliens, Terminator and Titanic, can once again deliver the goods when Avatar hits theaters Dec. 18. Hollywood is watching to see if moviegoers will turn a live-action 3-D movie into a Transformers-size hit. Since 3-D movies command on average an extra $3 per ticket, if the same number of people were to see Avatar in 3-D as saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, that would mean an extra $168 million at the box office.

According to Piper Jaffray analyst James Marsh, there's a way for investors to profit from all this hype. If Avatar is a bona fide hit, studios will start pumping out many more 3-D films. However, there are only around 2,700 3-D screens out there right now. That's not enough for a wide release, which usually requires at least 3,000 screens.

That bottleneck could be about to clear. JPMorgan Chase is raising roughly $750 million in debt and equity to fund the installation of more digital projectors at an average cost of $100,000 per screen. The money will be repaid by a flow of "virtual print fees" from the studios. It costs around $1,500 to send a celluloid print to a theater today. Sending a film digitally costs only a few hundred dollars (and will eventually cost almost nothing). So the studios have agreed to pay $1,000 per shipped digital film to pay back investors.

Marsh projects that the JPMorgan deal will help boost the number of digital screens (3-D movies are only shown digitally) to 3,750 by the end of the year and 8,000 by the end of 2010.

The companies poised to gain the most from the massive roll out are theater chains.

"Theaters have historically been seen as a low-risk growth business," says Marsh. "Kind of boring. But with 3-D and digital, there's the start of a growth trend."

Carmike Cinemas has embarked on the most aggressive digital expansion of any of the theater chains. The Georgia-based company, which has a market cap of $127 million, operates theaters in small towns like Manhattan, Kan., and Conway, Ark.--not exactly the kinds of places one would expect to go to for a state-of-the-art theater experience. But a full 93% of Carmike's 2,285 screens are digital, and 500 are equipped for 3-D.

At $10.04 per share at Thursday's close, the company's stock is near its 52-week high and above Marsh's target of $9. But if Hollywood starts making more 3-D films, Carmike could see a big jump in revenue. Marsh believes that 3-D could add $10 million to incremental cash flow by 2010.

Carmike is also well positioned to use its digital screens for what theater owners are calling "alternative content": sports, operas and concerts. In January, the company showed the FedEx BCS National Football Championship game between the University of Florida and the University of Oklahoma in 30 theaters in 3-D. Even though the game was on TV, it still sold out in the theaters at $20 per ticket.

Regal Entertainment Group is the largest cinema chain, with 6,778 screens and a $1.9 billion market cap. So far Regal has moved into digital less aggressively than Carmike. The company has only 300 theaters equipped for 3-D, compared to Carmike's 500. But with a stock priced at $12.13, Regal is trading well under Marsh's target price of $19. Regal has the most to gain from the JPMorgan deal, which will give billionaire owner Philip Anschutz the ability to quickly upgrade lots of theaters without taking on a lot of debt.

Another company that could benefit from the 3-D revolution is Imax. The Canadian maker of huge screens ($542 million market cap) has found a way to bring Imax to the masses by partnering with theater chains like Regal to convert multiplex screens into the Imax format. The screens are smaller than the massive, standalone Imax theaters that are often found next to museums. But they are always the biggest screen in the theater and often show movies in 3-D.

The company has been on an expansion tear, growing from 183 of these smaller screens last year to 273 today. That's helped boost Imax's revenue 67% for the first half of the year to $74 million. At a share price of $9.75, Imax is near its 52-week high of $10.14. Marsh doesn't have a rating on the company, but he says Imax is an important part of the trend to make movies a special, outside the home experience.

"The fear for exhibitors early on was that home entertainment would become a substitute for going to the movies," says Marsh. "But whether it's Imax or 3-D, you can't easily replicate that at home. It makes it more of an event."

RAPID TV NEWS - Eutelsat ready for 3D, in whatever shape it emerges

2009-10-06T19:21:00.001-07:00

Eutelsat ready for 3D, in whatever shape it emerges

Chris Forrester

06-10-2009

A recent Rapid TV News' Round Table discussed the upcoming launch of 3D television in the UK. Eutelsat already has a 3D channel up and running, and is ready for whatever the industry decides. But will it be 'full' 3D or 'half' 3D that consumers get?

Michel Chabrol, Director Sales Support & Customer Care, Eutelsat said with this permanent 3D demo channel the company wanted to prove that 3D is now possible for bouquet operators and thematic channels.

"We are transmitting a side by side 3D channel at 8 megabits per second," said Chabrol. "That is a bit-rate that is more or less equivalent to a HD channel inside a multiplex and I would say, side by side has a certain degradation because in the line you have only half of the resolution but thanks to a clever algorithm the loss is not 50% but about 25%. So it means that for each eye the definition is not that bad, the resolution is not that bad and it gives good results even for sports. [One example] covers shooting of a basketball event that was made by our partners, with a team from CNI in Italy, which is a very good team. The result is good and we want to prove to broadcasters and pay-TV operators that 3D is possible now, as from now."

Ian Trow, Director of Broadcast Solutions at Harmonic, said in the short term that a lot of the big broadcasters are really looking to get their name associated with 3D. Essentially, there is a 'land rush' rush at the moment.

"It's undoubted from the reaction at IBC that there are certain screens that are favouring the passive polarised approach," said Trow. "There are some broadcasters, who've got enough traction in the market place, a sufficiently recent set top box, that can either offer live or on-demand solutions within there that they're able to go in there and establish themselves in the emerging 3D market. So I think for a good while yet it will be based around a glasses-based solution because the auto-stereoscopic screens are perhaps four, five years away. They are OK for digital signage now, but not appropriate for a broadcast scenario."

Trow agreed that the 'autosteroscopic' 3D camp (a technology which does not need glasses) does not yet address family viewing. "It would cause quite a lot of eyestrain problems for people at the moment. Even the passive polarised sequences, because you haven't got the same orientation between the viewer and the screen, and there are even differences in the size of living room that you have in Europe as opposed to America. Many of the demonstrations are very carefully staged with glasses with very narrow rectangular rooms to ensure that when you are viewing, you're viewing in front of the ideal.

"But I think this issue about eye strain, the issue about what actually broadcasters want to market and I think in many cases there's a significant pull through for 3D in the cinema, the budgets that they're actually using there rely upon 3D in the home working and I think there you're in an interesting situation. Can you actually watch 3D for an entire movie? What we're seeing is yes, but would you feel happy watching 3D for an entire evening? There would have to be question marks about that.

"So I think that the improvements with technology, because essentially the techniques that are being used, particularly the backward compatible techniques, that are being used over existing infrastructure with possibly changing the screen, are undoubtedly trying to play clever tricks with your eyes, but I think that what we really need for anything further than sort of a 3D movie watching capability is for improvement in compression, those kinds of more long-term developments that will come along with auto-stereoscopic scenes."

Eutelsat's Chabrol added: "We transmitted a live concert in July, and I had the opportunity of discussing with cinematographers, the directors, and they said that in order to avoid tiring the viewers in the cinema halls, they tried to have some still cameras, almost equivalent to 2D, that is a very low 3D effect in order to relax the brain and the eyes of the viewers, and prior to this the outside still cameras which were giving a very big, if I can say, 3D effect and by combining both sources they could offer very comfortable viewing for a two hour concert."

Wojciech Doganowski, Vice President & General Manager at ADB's IPTV Business Unit, said ADB had been experimenting with 3D for some time. "We were showing 3D in 2008 on the Philips booth at IBC on our existing set top box that we sold to Telefonica so there is existing hardware supporting it. Of course it's side by side, so it's not full 1080i even, but it's giving quite reasonable results. The question is, is it going to be full time transmission where you switch on your TV and you have to put your glasses on? I don't know if public would be happy to do this. I can imagine two hours video on demand in the evening, that's probably no problem at all and as we discussed two hours is OK to watch TV."

VIEW or read the complete Round Table by clicking [here]

Sneak Peek: 3-D TV Menu Systems Surprisingly Complicated

2009-10-06T19:15:00.001-07:00

Sneak Peek: 3-D TV Menu Systems Surprisingly Complicated

By Eliot Van Buskirk - WIRED
October 6, 2009
5:51 pm

This 2-D screenshot approximates the look of part of 3ality's and Nagravision's 3-D menu system.

It's not the sexiest problem in the world, but someone's going to have to solve it: How, if three-dimensional television becomes the next HD — the way much of the industry hopes it will — are viewers going to navigate those channels?

Regardless of the 3-D technology in place, be it color filter glasses, shuttered glasses, polarized glasses or no glasses, users aren't going to want to either remove their glasses or otherwise switch back to a two-dimensional experience just to change the channel, and simply laying a 2-D menu over a 3-D broadcast doesn't cut the mustard.

3ality Digital, the three-dimensional-film production company that impressed us with the U2 3D concert movie, has partnered with Nagravision, which provides broadcast security, menu systems and/or DVR technology to over 150 cable, satellite and telco partners worldwide (including Comcast and Dish Network), to create a set-top-box menu system that works with any 3-D capable television.

"Once you have a TV that has a 3-D mode, you need to stay in that mode in order to change channels, buy video-on-demand, see what's on next, and that sort of thing," explained Nagravision team leader of consumer electronics Frank Dreyer. But this isn't a mere matter of running the menu through some sort of 3-D-ifier. Because of the nature of three-dimensional viewing, elements in the guide have to feel like they exist somewhere in virtual space in relation to the live video scene happening "behind" them. If the three-dimensional aspect it isn't presented perfectly (or somewhere near it), viewers can experience eye strain or even become nauseated – hardly the desired effect when designing a guide people will deal with every time they tune in.

Wired Explains:
How 3-D Television Works
TV manufacturers want to bring the 3-D experience to your living room with displays that work much like the ones in the theaters.
Here's how they'll try.
Read more on Gadget Lab

Just about every element of the menu guide must be redesigned to add the third dimension. "Our 2-D guide uses transparencies and drop shadows, and we're making things bigger and using picture-in-picture – it's kind of like this modern heads-up display," said Dreyer. "But in 3-D, suddenly the video's not a piece of glass behind the guide — it's all immersive, so you can't do transparency, you can't bleed your graphics to the edges, you have to manage picture-in-picture very carefully, you have to set different font sizes and colors to manage the ghosting effect. There's a lot of challenges."

And whereas the old guides only need to be calculate the position of a pixel on two axes, X and Y. But things get more complicated in three dimensions, where calculations must account for two X axes and two Y axes — a pair for each eye — in order to take care of the Z axis, which is the one that makes you feel like you're peering into your flat television.

3ality Digital aims to solve this problem in the next version of the menu system by including metadata about the spatial aspects of every frame of video, which the set-top box can use to display menu elements with more three-dimensional accuracy relative to whatever is playing in the background. The same system will help set-top boxes present 3-D video broadcasts on a variety of television models, according to 3ality Digital COO/CTO Howard Postley. The heavy processing to accomplish this happens during production, in order to minimize the strain on — and expense of — set-top box processing hardware. "If everybody was running a Mac tower next to their TV, you could do all kinds of stuff," explained Dreyer, "but even the most high-end set-top-box today costs $200-$250 bucks [to make]."

We viewed the 3-D menu system created by 3ality and Nagravision as demonstrated on a polarized glasses set connected to a demo server. An underpowered demo server added a few buffering-related jitters to the video, but the menu system I was there to see looked pretty neat — elements popped out of the screen when selected, and selecting a movie from pay-per-view section felt a bit like picking out a movie off of the shelf at a brick-and-mortar rental shop (a comparison that could become more apt if remote controls evolve to take the Z axis into account). And I didn't feel eyestrain toggling through the menu screens.

Dreyer expects 3-D set-top boxes using this menu system to enter certain markets by the second half of 2010 to target the first round of early adopters, possibly overseas first (their primary demo server was in France). But considering the complexity of these menu systems — not to mention the challenges associated with presenting television in 3D in general — it's going to require lots of heavy lifting by the cable and satellite industries and just about everyone who works with them, if three-dimensional television broadcasts are going to become commonplace.

Much of 3-D television's fate will be decided at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Panasonic Corp on Monday unveiled a 50 inch high-definition 3D plasma television

2009-09-30T21:05:00.001-07:00

Coming soon to the small screen: TV in 3D

Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:11pm EDT

By Colin Parrott

OSAKA, Japan (Reuters) - You've seen movies in 3D. Now, how about your favorite TV series?

Panasonic Corp on Monday unveiled a 50 inch high-definition 3D plasma television and glasses that make images appear like you can touch them.

At a demonstration at Panasonic's head office in Osaka, Formula One race cars roared right by viewers and gymnasts barreled down a runway, hitting vaulting horse and flipping toward the audience.

"We've introduced concrete plans to deliver the first 3D into people's homes. It won't disappoint," said Yoshiiku Miyata, Panasonic managing executive officer in charge of audio visual products.

He declined to comment on an exact release date or price tag, stating that the company hopes the new TV sets will hit shelves sometime in 2010.

The technology works by tricking the brain into seeing 3D as high-speed shutters in the glasses work in sync with the TV to deliver a double layered image at twice the speed of normal TV.

"When the TV is showing the left image, the shutter closes the right eye so people can see only the left image," explained Keisuke Suetsugi, manager in charge of high quality AV development.

"And the next moment, when the TV is showing the right image, the shutter glass is covering the left."

The company hopes the smaller, more living room friendly 50 inch model will become a popular choice for home theaters than a 103 inch big brother that debuted last October.

The new model will go on display to the public at the CEATEC Japan tech show Oct 6-10.

Panasonic announced in August it will team up with Twentieth Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment in the making of Oscar-winning director James Cameron's new 3D film "Avatar," set to open in theaters worldwide this December.

Chief rival electronics maker Sony Corp announced earlier this month it also plans to launch 3D TVs by 2010.

Alternative Content Article - FILM JOURNAL - Choosing alternatives: New programming options eye mainstream acceptance

2009-09-22T22:05:00.001-07:00

Find this article at:
http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/news-and-features/features/cinemas/e3i7c69fb437bbee15e5d92ad2f7e8bfcf0?pn=2

Choosing alternatives: New programming options eye mainstream acceptance

Sept 22, 2009

-By Sarah Sluis

Exhibitors want audiences to watch sports, concerts and live events in their movie theatres, and audiences are responding.
While alternative content has existed for years on the sidelines, it has yet to become a regular attraction in the moviegoing landscape.
But with the next generation of digital multiplexes and satellite technology, plus a bit of successful legal wrangling, alternative content is
poised to become a consistent presence in movie theatres—or, as they're aching to be called, entertainment complexes.

With the bulk of ticket sales occurring on weekends and holidays, movies are a time-specific business. A live event—be it a weekday
final of a sports game or President Obama's inauguration—gives exhibitors the opportunity to sell out theatres during non-peak times.
"It's all about utilization," explains Tom Stephenson, president and CEO of Dallas, Texas-based Rave Entertainment, noting the success
of the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert movie during the 2008 Super Bowl weekend. Rave theatres also had
success showing the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) Florida vs. Oklahoma game in live 3D, a breakthrough moment for Cinedigm's
2K digital-cinema network. The Thursday night event drew in crowds at a quieter time for the theatres, with higher ticket prices to boot.

Bob Goodrich, president of Goodrich Quality Theaters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, measures his success against "the third week of a film
on a Tuesday night. We're not interrupting a film during their first week. I have ten screens per building, so when I have a Fathom event
we never interrupt a movie that opened the past Friday. We always interrupt a movie that's at least in its third week."

While these one-off events can add ancillary revenue to a theatre, they also complicate marketing. Low-cost, Internet-based viral marketing
is the rule. "We're not utilizing mainstream media, television, radio and newspaper," reveals Kurt Hall, president and CEO of National CineMedia,
whose alternative-content division NCM Fathom orchestrates the marketing for the events it distributes. "Those mediums are just too expensive
and thus the model doesn't work. We very heavily rely on in-theatre marketing to support the event, as well as Internet marketing, whether it's to
fan clubs or other Internet organizations that are very highly involved with whatever content that you're showing."

Besides promoting the event in the lobby, pre-show and online, cinemas alert patrons on their e-mail lists. Exhibitors are split on whether e-mail
blasts about these niche events appeal to their regular moviegoers. Ruth Daniels, VP of sales and marketing for Michigan-based circuit Emagine
Entertainment, questions the merit of sending blasts to the theatre's 30,000 members "Most of these people sign up for showtimes, so they're
interested in movies. It doesn't mean they're interested in Green Day [an alternative rock band] or Sugarland [a country band]. Those are two
different audiences right there. You don't know who you're hitting."

Bob Goodrich looks at it a different way. "I'd like to super-serve our core audience—that's where alternative content could really work.
The moviegoer that went to see Inglourious Basterds last weekend would probably go see something Tuesday night as part of alternative
content, because they just love coming to the theatre." He sends e-mail blasts to the 125,000 patrons who receive the "same show clock I
send to my ushers. We let people know two to three weeks in advance, and we often have questions to make our audience interactive.
Sometimes we'll get 2,000 to 3,000 responses to a question."

The debate over the effectiveness of marketing to a theatre's usual moviegoers reflects one of the core questions about alternative content's
audience: Are they regular moviegoers, or those who usually seek their entertainment elsewhere? While conventional wisdom often touts
alternative content as a way to bring in new customers, these added programs also appeal to those who are already filling the theatres.

"You generally find that avid moviegoers are avid out-of-home entertainment pursuers. These are people that get out and go to movies and
go to events," observes Dick Westerling, senior VP of marketing and advertising at the nation's largest circuit, Regal Entertainment. In turn,
these viewers can go on to "create a significant word of mouth to help grow that niche," expanding the audience to people who "maybe aren't
traditional moviegoers, but they'll take it in, because there are markets where you don't have access to watch an opera in any form, or a
Metropolitan Opera performance, in a nice comfortable setting with a good presentation."

Alternative content occupies an intermediary place between television and attending a live event that appeals to audiences. It offers a shared
experience, better presentation, and more of a thrill than watching at home. At the same time, the theatre environment offers more comfort,
convenience and affordability than going to a stadium or opera house.

Alternative-content events can be scaled up or down depending on the expected audience. The Michael Jackson: This Is It concert film, which
will be distributed by Sony this fall for a two-week run, represents a kind of large-scale alternative content that studios such as Disney have pursued.
Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience and The X-Games 3D: The Movie have
had small wide releases of 700 to 1,300 screens, a 3D premium on the ticket prices, and a run that comes with an expiration date. In addition to the
music and sports, they also include behind-the-scenes footage, interviews or vignettes that turn the movies into more than a filmed event. Beyond that,
there's room to attract an even smaller niche. To serve a segment of fervent Michael Jackson fans, Cinedigm stepped in to show a live broadcast of the
Michael Jackson memorial, which the distributor projected live into 85 movie theatres.

The Metropolitan Opera events, Fathom's runaway success, draw audiences that could, and do, attend the opera itself. "People have told us they like it
better than actually going to the Met," notes Hall. "They don't have to get dressed up, you can go to the bathroom whenever you want, you can get popcorn
and Coke while you're watching. The programming itself shows behind-the-scenes in between acts, where they go backstage. Also, the subtitling is on the
screen. If you go to the Met, the subtitling is on the back of the chairs, in front of you, which makes it more difficult to be looking down and up the whole time.
It's every bit as good and in some cases even better than being there."

In partnership with Screenvision, Clearview Cinemas broadcasts select Mets baseball games in New York City-area theatres, including the venerable Ziegfeld,
which is about a 40-minute subway ride from the team's Citi Field. (Screenvision also brings Philadelphia Phillies games to Clearview and National Amusements
theatres in the Philadelphia market.) The $12 events, which have sold out, show the game on a 50 x 23-foot screen and include mascots and giveaways to rile up
fans and create a stadium-like atmosphere.

The price of these events, which is often less than attending a live event, factors into viewers' opinions of alternative content. Stephenson explains, "It's not so
much the price itself; it's the whole value equation. People think that they're doing something they can't do someplace else, and it's a good experience, so they
are willing to pay us more for the extra." Just as the public has shown they're willing to pay extra to see a movie in 3D, they're willing to pay more for sports and concerts.

Among content providers, as well as the studios, there has been some hesitancy to allow these broadcasts, for fear that they may cannibalize existing
entertainment offerings. Content owners may feel that showing their attractions in theatres could discourage people from shelling out full price to go to
the main event. Exhibitors like Paul Glantz, CEO of Emagine, scoff at the idea that one could replace the other. "We now have the ability to measure,
through [Nielsen] EDI and Rentrak, folks that are watching this programming in the home as well as outside the home. The premise that you'll eat away
from television market share and so forth I think is erroneous."

Years ago, Glantz licensed the rights to show World Wrestling Entertainment and pay-per-view events, but when another theatre owner tried to
secure the rights for his own theatre, "the spigot was shut off," and it was determined that the U.S. could not show such content in movie theatres.
The feeling that there is a limited amount of "pie" to share persists today, though it shows signs of changing.

Goodrich laments that live sports games, which he feels could be an "El Dorado" for exhibitors, are not more readily available. "The national baseball,
basketball, football leagues get tens of million of dollars from TV networks. The TV networks are saying, 'We're going to share? I don't think so.'
So, we're blocked."

As digital cinema and alternative content pick up steam, however, that could change, especially as movie studios seem more willing to allow
alternative content in the multiplexes. "A few years ago most of the studios were basically saying, 'Over my dead body are you putting anything
other than a movie in a movie theatre,'" Stephenson recounts, "But all these movie studios are part of big media conglomerates&hellipnow these
guys are saying, 'We create content in all sorts of different places and in all sorts of different ways, and the theatre gives us another channel to
sell our content to an audience.'"

"These are corporations that have a built-in distribution channel, and the means by which to exploit the opportunity to show product in the theatre,
and they've got a business model that already demonstrates that it's profitable. Why they haven't decided to take that opportunity and run with it is
beyond my comprehension," exclaims Glantz.

Instead, alternative content has largely grown through another distribution channel: in-theatre advertising networks, with NCM, Screenvision and
Cinedigm as the leading players in the United States. Events are downloaded or broadcast using the same digital projectors that show pre-screen
advertising. Exhibitors receive a share of the ticket sales, but at a lower percentage than most movies. Depending on the event, there's also a
potential boost in concessions per-capita.

Rave and Emagine, which both book content from Cinedigm, view these revenue streams in markedly different ways. For Emagine theatres,
alternative content is still in a "proof-of-concept" stage, and the profits from these events are considered negligible. "We're very happy to work on
lesser margins here at the outset to demonstrate the viability of alternative content," notes Glantz. "We haven't worried about the economics being
optimized yet for us as exhibitors."

Rave is more enthusiastic about the profits. "We tend to pay out a higher percentage than we would to the film companies, but there's also a higher
ticket price, so the net contribution is terrific from our point of view," enthuses Stephenson.

It also requires more legwork for the exhibitor to make the event profitable. For the 3D BCS game, Rave theatres reached out to sports booster clubs
in the area to raise attendance, and created special food and drink packages to increase concession sales. "These guys tend to have a different desire
than buying a Coke and a hot dog," Stephenson explains, "So it gives you the opportunity to sell a lot of food that really comes with a nice margin."
Both Rave and Emagine sell alcohol, which allows patrons to have a beer with their ball game, and theatre owners to reap the high margins on such drinks.

However, James Dobbin, head of sales for U.K. circuit Vue Entertainment, which shows programming from European content provider Arts Alliance Media,
notes that "each event requires an enormous amount of effort and the financial return is relatively low. Due to the increase in 3D, there is more competition
for the digital screen. For the time being, we are only pursuing those events that we are confident will do well for us."

Amidst the challenges of markets, margins and audiences, the Metropolitan Opera series has emerged as the greatest success, a case study of what works
in alternative content. This fall it will start its fourth season in over 440 U.S. theatres, with an international reach of 900 theatres in 42 countries. Among opera
fans, the Met is regarded as the ne plus ultra, making the programming a "special" event not available, or affordable, everywhere. During each season, Fathom
broadcasts several operas, creating a serialized program. Instead of having to market each event extensively, business is generated through repeat patrons
and word of mouth.

The Metropolitan Opera is also a nonprofit whose general manager, Peter Gelb, has fiercely advocated for expanding the reach of the Met's programming.
Unlike many content providers, who are fearful of overextending their audience, the Metropolitan Opera wants to be more accessible to the public. Showing
the opera in a movie theatre has a side benefit of unseating opera from its stuffy reputation, while still appealing to the opera's core fans. The audience also
includes a significant segment of underserved or non-regular moviegoers. Attendees tend to come from an older demographic that views movies less frequently,
or, as Westerling speculates, those that belong to the class of "upscale, sophisticated moviegoers&hellipprobably the same group that enjoys your independent,
alternative film."

Finally, Fathom has access to Metropolitan Opera's extensive database of ticket buyers, season-ticket holders and more, which has enabled them to reach
exactly the kind of people who would be most interested in attending the opera. In the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, for example, the Metropolitan
Opera does "phenomenally well," and for the 2009-2010 season Goodrich has added a second screen for the event, becoming one of just a few in the
country with two screens devoted to the opera.

The Metropolitan Opera, concerts, sports and other events have habituated audiences to the idea of viewing live content in theatres—to an extent.
Without a steady supply, like the seasonal string of Met operas, exhibitors suspect audience demand falters. The executives at Emagine theatres
hope that one day people will come not to catch a movie, but to catch a concert, sports or live event as a matter of course.

"I truly believe that if people get used to seeing alternative content, they'll know that when they come to our theatre there will usually be something
that's going on," Daniels observes. "The availability of more alternative content would help reinforce the image that we're attempting to burnish in the
minds of our guests." Glantz adds, "We want to consider ourselves an entertainment venue as opposed to a pure movie house."

Content owners, too, might become more willing to exhibit their content in movie theatres if they only knew about it. As Fathom has expanded, more
content owners have reached out to the company, instead of the other way around. "As it's clear that there are ready means of distribution available,
there will be more folks coming forward with content," Hall predicts.
Recent Fathom one-night-only specials have included the cast of the TV show "Mystery Science Theater 3000" aiming live barbs at a screening of the
Ed Wood sci-fi cult classic Plan 9 from Outer Space, and former NFL coach Tony Dungy, Peyton Manning and other football stars offering their insights to sports fans.

As for alternative content today, it appears demand outstrips supply. "As we've whetted people's appetites, we get more and more requests." Stephenson
notes. "We continue to get requests, frankly, for more product than we currently can provide."

Links referenced within this article

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert
http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003706331
Inglourious Basterds
http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/esearch/e3i82a4bef380199312826d289ec2de5f35
Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/esearch/e3ib4ab512be78d97095d82e4736d788800
X-Games 3D: The Movie
http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/esearch/e3i8db76f379a25018a19981ca9dc15fdb5

BSkyB bullish about 3D

2009-09-18T18:25:00.001-07:00

IBC - e Daily
BSkyB bullish about 3D

Sunday, 13 September 2009

BSkyB will launch its dedicated 3D channel next year, and Gerry O'Sullivan, Sky's director of strategic product development, asked delegates to IBC to stop reading about TV and to start watching it, writes Chris Forrester.

BSkyB will launch its dedicated 3D channel next year, and Gerry O'Sullivan urged delegates to see the special BSkyB demo, which showcases opera, ballet, and more modern music as well as documentary, movies and sport.

"But let me immediately dispel a few urban myths that have been thrown up about 3D," he said, during the 'Who pays? Winners and losers in the new broadcast economy' session. "You don't have to stand on your head, or be exactly 1.2 metres away from the screen. Nor is it the old Hollywood movies of 30 or 40 years ago. It does not give you a headache. Our HD transmissions require no new technology. The SKY+HD infrastructure carries the signal end-to-end, and we simply piggyback 3D onto our HD investment. Stop reading about 3D, and start watching."

The winners in this business are those who invest in content and continue to invest in innovation," he continued. "The only way you can do both is to have a sustainable business model. If you don't have a sustainable model and you cannot fund innovation then you are going to find life can be very difficult." O'Sullivan says that 2009, despite all the doom and gloom, would see UK pay-TV subscribers top the 50% (of all TV homes) mark. "Remember the sceptics who said pay-TV wouldn't last. Well, to get to 12.5 million pay-TV viewers in the UK is a massive achievement. Subscription revenues are now larger than the total TV advertising revenues. That tells a story on its own. The problem is with broadcasters who are totally reliant on advertising income, and they undoubtedly have some challenges ahead."

O'Sullivan said that for pay-TV broadcasters it was crucial to have a one-to-one relationship with the customer. "We are not a broadcaster who simply sends signals out. We have very direct relationships with our viewer. We have millions of conversations with them every year, and they have a very good way of telling us whether they are satisfied with us or not!"

New Set-Top Box Promises To Bring 3D to Television

2009-09-18T17:28:00.001-07:00

TECHNOLOGY
SEPTEMBER 17, 2009

New Set-Top Box Promises To Bring 3D to Television

By SARAH MCBRIDE

3D technology is coming one step closer to home with the development of a new set-top box system that will allow consumers to browse through and access 3D offerings from their cable or satellite TV company.

The prototype, developed by digital content security company Nagravision SA, based in Cheseaux, Switzerland, and 3D company 3ality Digital LLC, Burbank, Calif., will be shown at the 3D Entertainment Summit this week in Los Angeles. It's called the Nagra Media Guide for 3D.

Although no cable company has yet committed to the set-top technology, the prototype offers a window into the evolution of 3D home technology, which is getting much closer to what is available in movie theaters. Consumers will be able to access 3D programming using today's set-top boxes, but the Nagra Media version will show the information using 3D graphics.

Television companies have raced to develop TVs that are 3D compatible, and a handful of such televisions have been sold in the U.S. But they are mostly used for games, says David Naranjo, director of product development for Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America.

The problem is that there is a dearth of 3D programming on television. The creators of the prototype hope advances like their set-top box will help prompt producers to create 3D programming. Earlier this year, NBC aired an episode of "Chuck" in 3D, available on analog TVs, but requiring special anaglyph glasses.

The 3D televisions rolling out now mostly require glasses, but they are a step up from anaglyph versions and provide crisper and more realistic pictures.

Disney promotes 3D at consumer show

2009-09-14T19:26:00.001-07:00

Disney promotes 3D at consumer show

PHYSICAL: Studio showed A Christmas Carol on Blu-ray with Panasonic components

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 9/14/2009

SEPT. 14 | PHYSICAL: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment anticipates releasing its first theatrical-styled 3D Blu-ray Disc releases as early as fourth quarter 2010.

The studio was making its pitch about the benefits of advanced 3D in the home during Disney's inaugural fan conference, D23, which rolled out Sept. 10-13 in Anaheim, Calif. D23-goers were able to enter a screening room to watch 3D clips of Disney movies, such as upcoming theatrical A Christmas Carol, on Blu-ray via a 3D-enabled Panasonic TV and Blu-ray player.

To date, the public has mostly only been able to enjoy such high-quality, stereoscopic 3D in theaters. Many can't view such technology at home, due to the fact that few own 3D-enabled TVs, which are in limited supply at stores. Plus, there are no stereoscopic 3D DVD or Blu-ray players currently available at retail.

However, Disney wants to prime people for 3D at home's expected 2010 launch, when brand name manufacturers Panasonic, Sony, among others will be selling their first stereoscopic 3D TVs and Blu-ray players. The studio hopes to support this hardware launch with its first 3D Blu-ray titles. Some of Disney's possible 3D candidates for 2010 are upcoming spring 3D theatricals Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland, which should street on Blu-ray by the end of that year.

"We'd love to have our 3D products out as soon as possible, as soon as the holidays 2010," said Gordon Ho, Disney's executive VP of content, marketing and business development, at D23. "I think 3D is positioned very well in the theatrical marketplace. And that is creating demand to see it in the home."

Today, studios have to downgrade their 3D theatricals for home viewing, involving cardboard glasses, which blur colors, because of the lack of the right technology. Disney is among studios excluding a 3D viewing option on such major films as Up due to the fact that they don't want to support inferior products to the originals.

"People are coming [out of the demo] saying they want to try 3D in the home," added Ho. "They didn't think that it could look this good in the home. Once people can see this, we know that there is a market for it."

There is a question of whether people will be motivated to purchase new 3D high-definition TV sets and Blu-ray players, when many have only recently upgraded to the high-def world. But Ho believes that consumers are starting to get interested in purchasing multiple high-def products for their households.

"More and more people are looking to get another HDTV," said Ho. "Many have their first TV and are looking for their second. Many of those [for sale] will be 3D-enabled. We are optimistic [about this market.]"

Conceivably, 3D also could be engineered for standard-definition discs. But most manufacturers are committing to building 3D into Blu-ray players, in support of offering the best overall experience possible. Disney is steering its advanced 3D titles to Blu-ray as well.

The Blu-ray Disc Assn. expects to complete universal 3D specifications for disc creation at the end of 2009, paving the way for 2010 titles. One major issue has been figuring out how to deal with encoding relatively large capacity 3D video within the maximum 50GB space on Blu-ray discs.

The 3D video shown during the Disney D23 demo was encoded using a new version of the AVC codec, dubbed AVC Multi-View Codec, or AVC-MVC.

Disney also utilized D23 to encourage people to adopt the Blu-ray format. People could watch side-by-side comparisons of DVD and Blu-ray and could enter to win a new Blu-ray player.

The studio is readying a new Web site to further push Blu-ray, www.Disneyupgrade2Blu.com, which is designed to make the public's transition to high-def as easily as possible. The studio will be advertising the site within trailers that precede its major fourth-quarter titles. Also, the site will be promoted through standard DVD inserts, featuring coupons for Blu-ray title purchases.

IBC e-Daily - BSkyB bullish about 3D

2009-09-13T14:53:00.001-07:00

IBC e-Daily - BSkyB bullish about 3D

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Eutelsat supportive of 3D standards

2009-09-12T13:30:00.001-07:00

Eutelsat supportive of 3D standards

By Julian Clover
September 12, 2009 06.52 UK

IBC 2009 – Amsterdam. Eutelsat Communications has given its backing to the emerging standards surrounding the broadcast of 3D television in Europe.

Demonstrating its capability over the Eurobird 9A satellite (9 degrees East), Walter Munarini of Eutelsat subsidiary Open Sky said the operator's chosen system was capable of running on an existing HD receiver, through a new 3D compatible television display.

"We know standards always look for the perfect view, but we are deeply involved in the standards that allows us to roll it out now." Munarini told the assembled press. "Hopefully the standard will then come with something that is backwards compatible with what we have now."

The Eutelsat system is at its most basic level in line with the 3D technology developed by BSkyB, which puts the emphasis on the purchase of a new 3D display – at an estimated cost in 2010 of €2,000 – as opposed to a new set-top receiver.

How Sky 3D is drawing closer - Sky's Brian Lenz talks up the third dimension

2009-09-07T14:32:00.001-07:00

Interview: How Sky 3D is drawing closer

Sky's Brian Lenz talks up the third dimension

By Patrick Goss

May 26th | Tell us what you think [ 2 comments ]

No, WE wear the glass...oh never mind

It's been almost six months since Sky showed off its 3D showreel to the world's media and revealed that it could broadcast it through its existing equipment.

Head of Product Design and Innovation, Brian Lenz, is the man pushing to bring a third dimension to UK televisions and, in an extensive interview with TechRadar, he explains how tasks like filming the world's fastest man running through Deansgate and making the National Ballet 3D are allowing Sky to learn valuable lessons.

TechRadar: It was December that Sky opened its doors to the media andshowed off its 3D, how have things progressed towards it arriving in our living rooms?

Brian Lenz: So I think that what we saw back at that event was between 60 to 80 per cent of what I would consider broadcast quality, with the footage of Ricky Hatton boxing at maybe 80 per cent and the football clips and Gladiators at 60 per cent.

What we wanted to see was how close to broadcast quality we could get and make it a genuine option rather than a decision that is fraught with technical complexity and a logistical nightmare to film things in 3D.

SKY 3D: Bringing a new dimension to the National Ballet

Simultaneously we have looked to move 3D into the other genres we cover. We've targeted some arts content to get away from sports and test on something completely different. We've been shooting with the National Ballet and it's the most beautiful footage that we've shot so far.

It's absolutely broadcast quality, we hit that mark and we've proved to ourselves that we can do it and shown the value of 3D visually. John Lassiter said about 3D that it is 'removing one more of the barriers from the suspension of disbelief'. You are removing the screen from the equation and to see the depth that it brings to the National Ballet is the best version of that we've managed so far.

Next Page: The world's fastest man

TR: TechRadar covered the fact that you had filmed the highly publicisedUsain Bolt 150 metres run in Manchester recently – what challenges did this create for your team?

BL: 3D can enhance the visual experience of a range of genres and the opportunity came up with Usain Bolt. How do you shoot someone so fast in a setup that is not necessarily set up to be that dynamic in two dimensions? How can we rise to the challenge to do something different in that regard?

The big thing we did was that we used a combination of cranes and a rail cam. The rail cam was probably the most significant thing. What was important was that we could mount two cameras to shoot 3D on a rail and keep it steady enough.

ZOOM: Sky films runner over 150m

There were problems with the bounce when we started, and the impact of cameras not in perfect alignment in 3D is massive. The 3D impact was nauseous – it felt as if you were in a barrel rolling down a hill! What we managed to do was add some dampening which gave us a perfectly smooth run.

We ended up with stride for stride footage in 3D – we were blessed with the rain clearing up at the right time – and with the moisture glistening on the track that footage was beautiful.

Next Page: Lessons learned

TR: There are obviously a lot of lessons to be learned in how to film things in 3D, with a full-sized IMAX screen, things popping off the side don't matter as much as with a small screen where it really jars, for instance. What tips are you picking up?

BL: With all that shooting we feel we're hitting the quality mark and we know what we need to do, but for live 3D shooting we still need to get the efficiency. Right now because it's not every event being filmed in 3D we are still getting a lot of 'didn't expect that' moments.

There's different challenges that you need to work through, but we want to be able to roll in with an OB [outside broadcast] truck the night before, film in 3D and then roll out again the next day.

It is a different way of filming; what we are finding is that it's coming down to how you frame the shot. Cameramen have really good ideas of the mechanics and physics and the artist's eye to frame shots and if you show them 3D footage it's a pretty quick turnaround for them to start framing shots.

CLOSE-UP: Sky's 3D Rig in action

The bigger thing is more around getting them comfortable with not having to pan off of something as fast. You have to let the action roll out of frame rather then trying to keep it in the frame.

To be honest the biggest thing we have to get right now how to make that point of convergence across all the different cameras so you don't get that jarring sensation when you switch between different shots.

Next Page: James Cameron's Avatar

TR: Avatar is obviously hotly anticipated, but do you feel like it could be a pivotal moment in bringing 3D to a wider audience and, ultimately, pushing it into our living rooms?

BL: I think so. James Cameron seems to like putting pressure on himself. He took Titanic, where everyone knew how it was going to end, and took realistic CGI to a new level, and if he takes the same artistic sense along with his technical knowledge to 3D then it will be huge.

I'd hesitate to say that it's a make or break moment, but I do think that it's a significant moment. If he pulls it off – and personally speaking I don't doubt that he will - then it will be absolutely massive in terms of making 3D more popular.

TR: How important was being able to show that you could put 3D through existing Sky boxes?

BL: The big question was can we get 3D through our existing infrastructure and if we hadn't then I don't think we'd be doing anything like what we are doing now. If we hadn't been able to use the existing HD boxes then I think it would just be a novelty on our timeline; something that we might be doing in the future.

Because we don't touch infrastructure it means that all the investment can go towards the content, which is where you want to be.

LIGHTNING BOLT: But is 3D a flash in the pan?

TR: The credit crunch is really biting into people's budgets, do you feel like this has delayed the arrival of 3D sets in living rooms and delayed the chance to get Sky 3D into homes?

BL: I'm not sure if it has. From our perspective we see that next year has significant launches of 3D televisions, which is probably about the reasonable time frame anyway.

I won't proclaim to be an economic expert but consumer electronic sales seem to be holding quite well and Sky has gone from strength to strength.

I don't want to pretend that it doesn't have some impact. If people aren't moving home then there's not that need to buy the big television. I think you'll see stuff happen next year because the TV manufacturers themselves want and need something new.

Everyone hoping [3D] is not a flash in the pan and it all circles back between symbiotic relationship between content and televisions – if the content is there then the push for TVs will start to accelerate.

TR: The most common criticism of 3D is that it is a gimmick, are you convinced that 3D is something that the consumers want enough to invest in?

BL: I think so. I think that there is something intriguing there and of the people who wouldn't be impressed by technically gimmickry many of those are gobsmacked by the footage we have already shot so I would say there's something different about this.

I'm not sure that in five to ten years that the whole schedule will go into 3D, but appropriate events, movies of the weeks, special documentaries and things like major football matches can absolutely be worthwhile.

You put on the glasses to watch something that you are keen to see in a special way rather than a whole evening's viewing.

Sony throws down the 3D gauntlet with new TV

2009-09-04T17:07:00.001-07:00

Sony throws down the 3D gauntlet with new TV

By by Aurelia End - Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:49PM EDT

BERLIN (AFP) -
Sony set the stage for a new battle this week with the unveiling of a 3D television, hoping to get a technology currently confined to a few cinemas into living rooms next year.

The Bravia LCD TV, presented at the IFA consumer electronics fair, will not only enable people to watch programmes in three dimensions, it will be the "centerpiece of Sony's 3D entertainment experience," Sony promises.

Users will also be able to plug in their PlayStation games consoles, allowing them to play games in 3D, as well as Blu-Ray disc players and computers, the Japanese firm says.

And to back up what it hopes what will soon become a major cash cow for it, Sony also makes the equipment needed to make movies and television programmes to play on the TV, which can also be used for regular, two-dimensional viewing.

"It is the perfect moment for an announcement like this, even if its plans are ambitious," Ralf Tanger, an expert on 3D technology at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz research institute, told AFP.

3D movies have been around for some time, with the Lumiere brothers' "L'arrivee du train" filmed back in 1903, according to Sensio, one of the many firms looking to get a piece of the future 3D pie.

In 1946, the Soviet Union made "Robinzon Cruzo", the world's first talkie in colour and 3D, and in the 1950s there were more than 60 others including Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder" before studios put 3D on the back burner.

In the 1970s and early 1980s studios tried with offerings like "Jaws 3D" and "Friday the 13th, Part 3", with cinemas issuing cardboard glasses, but it was not until the 1986 invention of the IMAX format that 3D came into its own.

The Cannes film festival kicked off this year with a gala opening ceremony that saw goofy spectacles foisted on tuxedo-clad celebrities for Disney-Pixar's 3D cartoon comedy "Up."

This year sees the eagerly awaited release in December of "Avatar" by James Cameron, the director of "Titanic". German director Wim Wenders is working on a film about choreographer Pina Bausch, who died earlier this year.

It is in the cinema that 3D has stayed, but Sony and its rivals are hoping that it will soon break out and one day replace 2D as the new standard.

"Now the target is the living room," Tanger said.

This is helped by the fact that some firms are considering launching channels that will show 3D programmes.

"At the moment the big handicap is that we are lacking in material," Joern Ostermann, head of the Laboratory for Information Technology at Leipniz University in the northern German city of Hanover, told AFP.

"But that is changing."
However Sony is not the only show in town.
Other companies such as Japan's Panasonic and South Korea's Hyundai have also got in on the act, and there is the looming prospect of a so-called format war when rival technologies battle it out to become the industry norm.

Sony has a history in this area, and not always with a happy end. In the 1980s it bet on Betamax video tapes but lost out to JVC's rival VHS format. Last year though Sony's Blu-Ray format saw off Toshiba's HD DVD.

Sony's new TV alternates the image for the left and right eye, while special glasses open and shut in sync with the image on the screen, giving the impression of depth.

But the technology is moving so fast that the glasses may soon be a thing of the past.

BDA closes in on 3D specs for Blu-ray

2009-09-03T01:33:00.001-07:00

BDA closes in on 3D specs for Blu-ray

PHYSICAL: Sony plans line of TVs, Blu-ray players, computers, PS3s

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 9/2/2009

SEPT. 2 | PHYSICAL: The Blu-ray Disc Association is making progress in approving universal specifications for creating stereoscopic 3D high-definition discs.

It's expected that the BDA will complete these specs by the end of this year, with studios launching their first such 3D discs—matching the high-quality 3D technology shown in theaters—in 2010.

The BDA hasn't yet formally commented about a completion timeline. However, BDA members made some decisions this week, notably regarding backward-compatibility requirements. Any produced 3D discs also will include a 2D version of the film that can be viewed with existing Blu-ray Disc players. Additionally, 3D-capable Blu-ray players must be able to run existing 2D titles.

"The BDA intends to take full advantage of the format's high bandwidth and capacity to achieve the very highest possible quality 3D experience," said Victor Matsuda, BDA global promotions committee chair. "Just as Blu-ray Disc has paved the way for next-generation, high-definition home entertainment, it will also set the standard for 3D home viewing in the future."

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek said, "Consumer adoption of Blu-ray continues to grow at a very steady pace. The 3D theatrical market has been very successful this year. We are just now seeing all of the true capabilities of 3D, and with Blu-ray Disc's superior technical characteristics, as well as the broad industry support of the format, it makes it the ideal packaged media platform for 3D home entertainment."

Coinciding with BDA's 3D developments, Sony is expected to soon lay out plans for a 2010 line of stereoscopic 3D-enabled Bravia TV sets, Vaio laptop computers, PlayStation 3 consoles and Blu-ray players, according to theFinancial Times and Wall Street Journal, among other publications.

A Sony spokeswoman wasn't able to be immediately reached for comment.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer will announce the company's 3D products at the Sept. 4-9 IFA consumer electronics conference in Berlin, say news reports.

There is no word on exact street dates or pricing for Sony's 3D consumer electronics slate.

Panasonic has already committed to its own line of advanced 3D TVs and Blu-ray players, also set to bow in 2010. Today, the company kicked off an earlier announced truck tour of its upcoming 3D products. The tour will feature three tractor trailers that can accommodate 25 to 35 people per demonstration. One of its first stops is the CEDIA Expo, running Sept. 9-13 in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Panasonic is proud to once again lead the way into the next frontier in home entertainment," said Bob Perry, executive VP of Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "Through our Full HD 3D Home Theater Truck Tour, consumers will, for the first time, have a chance to experience the immersive world of Full HD 3D TV for themselves, and we have no doubt that they will love what they see."

Re: Interesting 3D Programming article to share with your Agency Clients and Colleagues

2009-08-31T19:38:00.001-07:00

'Full 3D' vs 'Half-3D': is it all a headache? - Rapid TV News

'Full 3D' vs 'Half-3D': is it all a headache? - Rapid TV News: "This year's IBC technology fest (and IFA in Berlin) are just days away. The two shows, one focused on industry professionals, the other on consumer electronics, will both feature 3D technology in all its glory.

It is already known that BSkyB will introduce a 3D service in 2010. There's no information on an introduction date but a mid-Summer soft launch ahead of the 2010-11 Premiership soccer season would seem to make sense. Such a date also allows the manufacturing sector to get suitable displays into the retail sector, and also permits the HDMI 1.4 technology to settle down and for consumer linking cables to start appearing."

However, BSkyB's system, while extremely appealing for a number of reasons, is not 'Full 3D'. Some flat-panel manufacturers, notably Panasonic, are urging caution in this regard. Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic's CTO is one such advocate. While happily admitting: "all 3D on TV is good for 3D" he also argues that consumers risk buying into an interim technology if they adopt 'half 3D' too speedily. There are also advantages for the satellite industry if 'Full 3D' ends up being the 'standard' used for transmission, while 'half 3D' has few demands on extra capacity.

He might be right. There are plenty of consumers (like your editor) who have bought into 720p, 1080i and now 1080p displays and while ensuring the trickle down effect of redundant displays makes the rest of the extended family very happy, does little for his bank balance or the planet's well-being!

3D on TV, in our view, is going to happen. Hollywood's studios are not simply fully backing 3D but looking to convert back-catalogue films to 3D, such is the financial appeal of cinema revenues and the all-important Blu-ray market. And by the way, it isn't easy to video a 3D movie from a cheap camcorder at the back of the theatre, and so another piracy option is curbed. Hollywood is also enjoying something of a creative renaissance as far as 3D is concerned. Output is no longer focused (if that's the word) on 'in your face' stunts and extravagant special effects, but in enhanced reality that emphasises the natural story line.

But the oldest advice in the entertainment industry is to 'follow the money', and Hollywood knows it has a winner in 3D. Dreamworks' 'Monsters vs Aliens' did well at the box office. Internationally just 18% of the screens delivered 44% of the revenue. They were all 3D. In North America 28% of the screens (all 3D) turned in 58% of the movie's overall revenue. Much the same figures and ratios apply to almost all the past year's releases. There are also a rapidly growing number of suitable screens for theatrical release. When 'Chicken Little' was released in 2006 it was shown on 3D on just 40 North American screens. 'Beowulf' was exhibited on 400 screens in 2007. 'Bolt' from Disney was exhibited on 1600 screens in mid-summer 2008, while Avatar last winter achieved 2200 3D screens. By 2013 Screen Digest forecasts that North America will have 8400 3D screens. Europe will top 7400, and the suggestion is that French, German and Italian local film studios will by then be wholly getting the 3D message. In other words it isn't just Hollywood that will influence our 3D entertainment.

Packaged console games are also embracing 3D. There have been extensive trials of 3D coverage of sports, and this coming winter's Vancouver Winter Olympic Games will see extensive 3D coverage (Beijing's coverage, while spectacular, was limited). London's 2012 Games is expected to have an even greater element of 3D programming.

Standards, however, are a problem. While few now expect any further progress on the old-fashioned Anaglyph (cardboard) glasses with their Red and Cyan lenses, most now predict all activity to be on Passive glasses. But here there are very real industry arguments as to which way the industry should go. Polarising systems (either left-right or top-bottom) need a new TV and a switching method (and will be used by BSkyB). Existing HDTV systems then deliver line-by-line left and right eye information, but result in 'half 3D' given that half the resolution is delivered to each eye with each eye taking 50% of the available transmission signal. Some argue that a similar system, but employing a checkerboard transmission pattern is a better visual alternate. But it is still only 'half 3D'. The 'Full 3D' proponents argue that only full-frame alternate images delver true high-definition 3D, and they might be right. This frame sequential technology will need active shutter glasses that are more expensive to produce, and needing batteries to be charged.

There was also the Philips-backed multi-camera 3D system, that needed no glasses and might still have a role in public spaces, shopping centres, point-of-sale, digital signage, etc, but few see a theatrical role for such technology.

Meanwhile, the pay-TV broadcasters are looking for another revenue stream, and as a method to win - and hold onto - their male-skewing viewers, those keen on sports, films and games. There's now a huge audience who own flat-panel displays, mostly LCD but also Plasma. And the argument goes that viewers are ready for 3D.

At present, 3D content producers have to hand-build their own 3D production systems by physically connecting multiple 2D production devices. Panasonic, for example, is currently developing a professional Full HD 3D production system, which consists of a twin-lens P2 professional camera recorder and a 3D compatible High Definition Plasma display. The twin-lens P2 camera recorder enables the capturing of natural and high-quality live 3D images. One can expect the items to be on show, perhaps only in advanced prototype form, at IBC.

Technologies and expertise obtained from their use in post-production has enabled Panasonic to further develop high-quality 3D viewing performance in its Plasma technologies. As a result of this process, Panasonic say their 3D Plasma display system will help 3D content producers to quickly and easily evaluate the image quality of 3D content.

But which 'standard' might win? HDMI's 1.4 version recognises 3D and - when connected with the correct equipment - can provide the switching tags that can take the TV set into and out of 3D. Retail ready products will appear in 2010. The Blu-ray Disc Association is also working on its 3D standard although has yet to set a finishing timetable. Membership of the BDA's 3D Taskforce comprises all the usual suspects, not least Panasonic, Disney, Fox, Warner Bros, Sony Samsung, Pioneer, LG, Mitsubishi, Intel, Dell, HP, Apple - and others. Everyone accepts that BD's 3D protocols and 'standard' are needed, and soon. The protocols are need for the pressing and authoring plants as well as the consumer goods end of the value chain.

Panasonic is pushing hard for 'Full HD', not simply because of the end-result quality issue, which is important, but also because its suits their Plasma display range. With refresh rates climbing beyond 120 Hz, and ever-larger screen sizes, and the speed of pixel response that Plasma achieves, they think these elements are also key and place Panasonic into a winning position.

Time will tell. Certainly Panasonic is making a few major statements at IFA in Berlin on Sept 3 and at IBC a few days later, and most observers expect them to be making a major push on 3D (helped by an exhibition of their fabulous 103" Plasma display).

Satellite operators are somewhat passive. They give their broadcasting clients whatever the client wants. But in our view they should also be pushing (sorry, educating) those clients as hard as possible to deliver the full 'Wow' factor of 3D, and then happily supplying the extra bandwidth needed for 'Full 3D'. Much the same education process was needed, at least over Europe, to inform consumers and broadcasters of the merits of full HD. Gabriel Fehervari's Euro 1080 channel made its debut in 2004. Here we are barely 4 years later with more than 150 HD channels on air amongst Europe's major satellite operators. That's progress. 3D will not generate as much activity, but one or two initial channels per platform could quickly grow to a half-dozen over the next few years – and that can only be good news for the industry.

Best,

Bob "looking for an agent" Johnston
3D/2D Producer and Technology Strategist
johnston.rw@gmail.com

818-679-7095 Mobile

For relevant Production and Distribution news pertaining
to the 3D Stereoscopic market, you may view my blog @:

http://3dproductionnews.blogspot.com/

'Final Destination' arrives at No. 1 with $28.3M

2009-08-31T00:44:00.001-07:00

Final Destination' arrives at No. 1 with $28.3M

By DAVID GERMAIN (AP) –

LOS ANGELES — Movie fans have made fear their top destination at the weekend box office.

The horror tale "The Final Destination" debuted as the No. 1 movie with $28.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Warner Bros. sequel is the latest installment in the franchise about people stalked by death after a premonition saves them from their destined demise.

"Final Destination" took over the top spot from Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt's World War II saga "Inglourious Basterds," which slipped to second place with $20 million. The Weinstein Co. release raised its total to $73.8 million after 10 days in theaters.

Weinstein also had the No. 3 slot with the horror flick "Halloween II," which opened with $17.4 million. The movie is Rob Zombie's sequel to his update of the slasher franchise about crazed killer Michael Myers.

It's unusual for two horror movies to open over the same weekend. While "Final Destination" and "Halloween II" competed for the same audience, both managed solid receipts.

"They got their $17 million, we got our $28 million. That's a lot of business all around," said Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager for Warner Bros.

"Final Destination" continued Hollywood's streak of 3-D successes. The 3-D component accounted for 70 percent of the movie's revenues, even though only 54 percent of the 3,121 theaters where it played offered the movie in 3D.

The Weinstein Co. plans to release "Halloween 3" in 3-D next summer, said Bob Weinstein, who co-founded the company with brother Harvey. While Zombie will not be back to direct, the next sequel will pick up from his story and give a new twist on slasher Myers, Weinstein said.

Article of Interest - THE INDEPENDENT - British 3D technology ready to come of age - 23 Aug 09

2009-08-28T10:49:00.001-07:00

THE INDEPENDENT

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/british-3d-technology-ready-to-come-of-age-1776201.html

British 3D technology ready to come of age

UK film companies are set to muscle in on their US rivals as 'Avatar', James Cameron's new sci-fi blockbuster, opens up the market

By Danny Brierley
Sunday, 23 August 2009

A still from Avatar, which 'blew people away' when it was trailed to industry insiders

Specialist British film companies are preparing to exploit the hype created by Avatar, James Cameron's epic 3D science-fiction blockbuster. The film, which reportedly cost £180m to make, will open up new opportunities for an elite group of 3D specialist companies in the UK.

Avatar is already expected to join the handful of films that have grossed more than $1bn at the box office. Tantalising trailers of the film this weekend whetted the appetites of rival Hollywood studios which are now scrambling to get a slice of a burgeoning 3D market. Avatar was filmed using a ground-breaking camera system developed by Cameron, the Canadian director whose past projects include The Terminator, Aliens and Titanic.

A number of UK companies that have been developing new 3D technologies over several years are poised to capitalise on the response to his latest film. They include Axis, which is filming a promotional 3D video for the US television drama 24. The company filmed the world's first live 3D sports broadcast at the Calcutta Cup rugby union match between England and Scotland last year, and is about to begin shooting a full-length horror film early next year.

Paul Carter, head of cameras at Axis, said yesterday: "There is now money in the system and we will see things move forward on the back of Avatar. Once the public gets a real look at the film it will take off.
"The UK's 3D industry is still very much in its infancy but is growing up rapidly. The Americans, as always in film, are leading, but they see us getting involved in what they are doing."

Avatar, due to be released in the UK in December, comes 115 years after the 3D film process was patented by the British film pioneer William Friese-Greene. The Queen's coronation in 1953 was filmed in 3D and will be shown for the first time on Channel 4 later this year, during a week-long series of programmes devoted to 3D.

According to the UK Film Council, which recently organised a 3D master class for film-makers, digital 3D cinema screens in the UK are set to increase tenfold by 2012.
Street Dance, featuring the break-dancing Britain's Got Talent winner George Sampson, will be the UK's first full-length feature to be shot in 3D.

Dennis Laws, manager at London's Imax cinema, said: "The reaction to the footage of Avatar that we have shown has blown people away. It is a huge leap forward."

Panasonic Going Hollywood To Market New 3-D TV Sets

2009-08-22T11:56:00.001-07:00

TECHNOLOGY

Panasonic Going Hollywood To Market New 3-D TV Sets

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted 08/21/2009 06:35 PM ET

Australian actor Sam Worthington is shown in director James Cameron's sci-fi adventure "Avatar," which was filmed in 2-D and 3-D. AP View Enlarged Image

TOKYO — "Titanic" director James Cameron has signed on with Panasonic(PC) to promote new 3-D TVs.

The deal disclosed Friday comes as Cameron and 20th Century Fox Film Corp. are aiming to break new ground with the release of "Avatar," a movie shot entirely in 3-D.

At the same time, Panasonic is making a big push to get consumers excited about 3-D viewing in the home — excited enough to buy new flat-panel sets and new Blu-ray disc players. Consumers will have to wear special glasses to experience the 3-D effect.

Panasonic is planning to start selling 3-D TVs next year.

Rivals, including Sony (SNE), which has its own movie division, and Samsung Electronics of South Korea have shown prototypes and may offer similar products. It's not clear how much 3-D TVs would cost.

The manufacturers face a problem in that 3-D content is scarce.

There's also no agreement on a disc or broadcast format to bring the content to TV sets, though the industry group behind the Blu-ray disc may be close to finalizing a standard.

Several animation films are already being shown in theaters in 3-D, along with a handful of live-action movies.

"Avatar," set for release Dec. 18, will be the first major live-action Hollywood film debuting worldwide in both 2-D and 3-D.

"I believe 3-D is how we will experience movies, gaming and computing in the near future. 3-D is not something you watch. It's a reality you feel you could step into," Cameron said on video.

Panasonic is hoping its collaboration with Cameron will give its brand an edge as a 3-D leader, and give the company ideas for technological improvements for home TVs, said General Manager Masayuki Kozuka.

"We want to get global interest rolling," he told The Associated Press. "For people to want to watch 3-D at home, the movie has to be a blockbuster."

Panasonic plans to have several trailer-vans driving around in the U.S. and Europe next month with large-screen 3-D TVs inside showing "Avatar." In Japan, footage from "Avatar," a science fiction romance set in a futuristic jungle, will appear in ads for 3-D TVs.

The next generation of 3-D has arrived at movie theaters

2009-08-21T21:45:00.001-07:00

The next generation of 3-D has arrived at movie theaters

04:53 PM CDT on Friday, August 21, 2009

By MICHAEL GRANBERRY / The Dallas Morning News
mgranberry@dallasnews.com

When it comes to electronics, innovation is everything. And when it comes to the movie industry, innovation often means staying ahead of what it is you're able to duplicate at home – at least for a while.

So it is with Dolby 3D, which industry experts say puts an entirely new spin on the 3-D experience, which up to now has often put the clunk in clunky. On Friday, the upwardly mobile Dallas-based chain Studio Movie Grill became the first cinematic exhibitor in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to roll out Dolby 3D.

It did so with X Games 3D: The Movie, which, at least initially, is showing only at its location at Royal Lane and North Central Expressway.

"I would compare it to the difference between a regular TV monitor and a high-definition monitor. It's that significant," says Brian Schultz, 40, the owner and founder of Studio Movie Grill.

Sarah Pearce, director of operations for the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, says any theater would be dramatically enhanced by Dolby 3D, which caused quite a stir at Sundance in 2008 with the U2 concert movie, U2 3D.

"For us, it was really incredible," Pearce says. "It blew everyone away. And because it was a concert movie, the audience dealt with it like it was a real concert. They were so moved by the technology, they would do the things you normally do at a concert. They were standing on their seats, holding up their cellphones."

Not every theater has Dolby 3D, of course, and James Meredith, the vice president of marketing and communications at the Plano-based Cinemark chain, says his company is thrilled with RealD, which he contends "provides the brightest 3-D image and clearest picture for the largest screens." At its West Plano flagship, Cinemark sports a 70-foot-wide, 38-foot-tall screen that Meredith says has helped it become the highest-grossing movie house in the area.

Regardless of brand, Meredith describes the present as a landmark era in motion picture exhibition, with a flood of new technology pouring into theaters seemingly every day.

"With the advent of digital projection, you have the ability to do a lot of things that you simply couldn't do in the past," he says.

Studio Movie Grill has seven locations in the Dallas and Houston metro areas and will soon expand, with locations in Atlanta and Kansas City, Mo., set to open in 2010.

"The 'staycation,' as we call it, has boded extremely well for us," says Schultz, who lives in Dallas.

Schultz launched the concept at the Granada Theater in 1994. In 2000, it became Studio Movie Grill, which treats patrons to a big-screen, big-sound experience while letting them lounge in reclining leather chairs and order from a varied menu that includes beer and mixed drinks. Schultz long ago left the Granada, but Studio Movie Grill, whose team also includes Schultz's business partner Martin Massman, now shows the flag at the Dallas Royal Lane location and in Addison, Plano, Lewisville, Arlington and two Houston locations.

Schultz cites the company mantra of "creating an immersive experience" in explaining the advent of Dolby 3D, which he concedes is quite expensive. It is, he says, "two and a half times" costlier than either of its two competitors in the 3-D market.

Dolby 3D requires more sophisticated eyewear, which Schultz says costs a daunting $28 a pair. He ordered 900 pairs for each location, which adds up to more than $25,000 at each Studio Movie Grill. He checked out Dolby 3D at a recent trade show in Las Vegas and loved what he saw.

X Games 3D: The Movie, a documentary that offers a 3-D cinematic version of the X Games as seen on ESPN, is the first of a stream of new releases that Studio Movie Grill plans to show using Dolby 3D. Later this year, Schultz has scheduled The Final Destination, a horror movie opening Friday, followed by the animated Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Sept. 18) and the re-releases of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 (Oct. 2) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (Oct. 23).

But that's not all. There will be a Dolby 3D version of Michael Jackson's This Is It, a musical documentary about the rock star opening Oct. 30, followed by A Christmas Carol (Nov. 6), with Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge. Lynne McQuaker, director of creative affairs at Studio Movie Grill, says one of the boldest examples of Dolby 3D promises to be the highly anticipated Avatar, director James Cameron's first feature film since Titanic. It opens Dec. 18.

Schultz says the chain is exploring plans to show college and professional football and live concerts, with one already booked – an appearance by Kenny Chesney in Dolby 3D on April 21.

Schultz held out for a better version of 3-D, he says, because he never felt that conventional 3-D came close to "the immersive experience" he hopes to offer.

"Literally, I've never seen anything like it," Schultz says of Dolby 3D. "It is absolutely unbelievable."

Vangaurd - OOH 3D Trials Article

2009-08-03T00:58:00.001-07:00

VANGUARD - Nigeria

3D Impact unveils OOH media solutions
" ...proven to increase sales by over 80 percent"

Business - Aug 2, 2009

The Nigerian advertising and marketing industry is set to witnessing
a new advertising solution device, code named 3D advertising
solutions, an Out Of Home (OOH) platform, introduced by 3D Impact
Media West Africa.

3D Impact Media west Africa is a partner of the 3D global network. The
3D advertising solution is an OOH media that bring products and
services to life with capacity to attract consumers at least four
times higher than the current 2D advertising solutions currently used
by advertisers. Information had it, that it is proven to increase
sales by over 80 percent and preferred by about 90 percents of
audience compared to other formats.

Dr. Mike Kronenberg, Marketing Director and Media, Global Chief
Executive Officer, of 3D global network at the unveiling ceremony that
all around the globe, with particular reference to Brazil, South
Africa and Australia, said that 3D is the latest solution in the
world of new media, whilst advising that practitioners needs to take
advantage of it.

His words, "our mission is to introduce this new cutting edge
innovation to sub-Saharan Africa starting with Nigeria, to aid brands
and organizations get the desired attention of their target consumers
in a very speedy and engaging manner."

"Hitherto, people could see the illusion of 3D on screens only when
they wore special glasses designed for that purpose. With our software
and screens 3D images can now be seen with the naked eyes" Kronenberg
stated.

In addition, he said that the organization will deploy the solutions
primarily for media advertising, in-house networks, fairs and
exhibitions.

While he noted that it will subsequently be deployed for
architectural, military and other technological uses.

Continuing, he said, "for Advertising, we will set up indoors, in Key
public places including malls, airports and others with special 3D
screens and feed_in advertising materials that will show in 3D format
– with their key messages right in front of their audience"

Speaking, Solomon Itegboje, President, 3D Impact Media West Africa
said that the medium is a shift from other advertising formats.

"Its versatility ensures that brand messaging can be everywhere and
targeted – impact is wherever and whenever customers go."

Source:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/08/02/3d-impact-unveils-ooh-media-solutions/

LG Adds VUDU to Its HDTVs

2009-07-30T13:54:00.001-07:00

Written by Ryan Lawler

Thursday, July 30. 2009 at 01:05 PM EDT

VUDU Inc. is making its way out of the set-top box business and into consumer living rooms on consumer electronics devices, starting with high-definition televisions (HDTVs) from LG Electronics Inc. (London: LGLD; Korea: 6657.KS) .

VUDU announced yesterday that its service would become available on four upcoming LG HDTVs, including two LCD screens (42" and 47") and two plasma screens (50" and 60"). The addition of a VUDU channel on the TVs will enable consumers to instantly purchase or rent from VUDU's library of 15,000 video titles.

The new service, which will include the same user interface (UI) and library of content that is available on VUDU's set-top boxes, will use instant streaming technology rather than the download model that existing VUDU users have become accustomed to. So a high-definition title that would have taken up to three or four hours to download in the past will be viewable in a matter of seconds on LG HDTVs.

Titles will be available in a number of quality formats, from standard definition (SD) to 720p HD to the service's 1080p HDX video quality. VUDU videos are encoded in H.264 format and delivered via HTTP using an adaptive bit-rate technology that was developed in-house.

VUDU has encoded three version of each title and quality level,and the service seamlessly switches between different bit-rate files depending on the bandwidth that is available to the end user. By doing so, the company can ensure that users are watching the highest-quality stream that is available to them.

The deal with LG will give VUDU a new outlet for consumers to access its video rental and electronic sell-through service, without having to purchase one of VUDU's broadband set-top boxes.

Despite the fact that VUDU content was available exclusively on its own hardware prior to partnerships with LG and other CE manufacturers, Edward Lichty, the company's executive vice president of content and strategy, says VUDU has always planned to expand its distribution onto other devices.

"The reason it's now happening is because these devices now exist," Lichty says.

VUDU plans to increase its distribution with other CE devices, although the company is mum on the particulars. Lichty did note that the company has an existing partnership with Vizio, even though LG will be the first CE company to come to market with a VUDU-enabled device.

VUDU joins a growing number of content providers that are finding ways to bring their broadband services into the living room through Internet-connected HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and other devices. In addition to VUDU, the LG NetCast HDTVs will have content from Netflix Inc. , YouTube Inc. , and other Internet content providers.

3D projects new vision for the movie industry - Digital Biz

2009-07-30T11:34:00.001-07:00

3D projects new vision for the movie industry

Story Highlights
Digital tech impetus behind 3D films; studios still working out how best to use
Format could lead to new creative boom in Hollywood, say analysts
Movie industry suggests 3D films are much harder to pirate
Advocates estimate tipping point of 5,000 3D theatres in U.S. in two years

July 23, 2009 -- Updated 0752 GMT (1552 HKT)

By Nicolai Hartvig
For CNN

(CNN) -- It's being presented as the future of cinema and a movie-going revolution.

Specs appeal: 3D is on its way to being free of 3D glasses as the format is rapidly advancing.

While literally adding a new dimension to cinema-goers' experience, 3D is also being touted as a means to help filmmakers reach new creative heights, make millions of dollars for Hollywood studios and curb the scourge of the industry -- piracy.

Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has likened the new 3D to the first sound and color in movies. Director James Cameron's $200 million-plus sci-fi epic "Avatar" is an expected genre-killer. The prestigious Cannes Film Festival this year opened with a 3D screening of Pixar's "Up".

But even as Hollywood studios and producers embrace digital 3D, they admit they are still learning how to use it.

"We've really gone past the point of seeing the technology as a barrier," Phil 'Captain 3D' McNally told CNN. McNally heads Dreamworks' drive to produce all its animated features in 3D after this year's blockbuster "Monsters vs. Aliens."

"The challenge now is 100 years of experience in how to make movies in 2D," said McNally, speaking of a movie industry that has spent its existence flattening the 3D of real life for the silver screen.

"As filmmakers, we have very little experience in thinking spatially, unlike a sculptor," he said.

"There's going to be great filmmakers that are going to deliver experiences like you've never seen before," said Jason Clark, a motion picture producer who helped launch Dreamworks' 3D foray and worked on "Monster House" and "Stuart Little," the first time a photorealistic character was spliced into a live action movie.

But "the storytelling is always king," Clark told CNN. "You can use these techniques to create a unique experience that makes that story impact on a more personal level with the audience. But it should never take away from the experience or lead the storytelling."

Creative boom or creative killer?

Filmmakers are greeting 3D with cautious excitement.

"2D is completely a mistake," said Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the Academy Award-nominated director of Babel, at a recent press conference in Seoul, South Korea.

"It's like when they criticized me because I use handheld, they said 'you're very gimmicky'," the director said of his preferred camera style. "The way I experience life is handheld. 3D is the way we experience life."

But, Inarritu noted, there was a risk that the technology could distract from the story's emotional catharsis, something that other creatives have also voiced concerns about.

"[3D] doesn't guarantee a success or a good movie or a good movie experience," said Syd Field, widely appreciated as a screenwriting guru. He noted that the talking pictures had their growing pains in the 1920's; Hollywood imported playwrights to craft dialogue but filmmakers paid more attention to cameras and sound recorders.

"As we learned to use the technology, then it began to become an art form," Field told CNN. "3D right now is at its infant stages."

The rise of digital cinema has given 3D its legs. Gone are the days of struggling to synch two separate projectors to create a 3D effect that would sometimes come with nausea or headaches. The iconic kitsch of the red and blue-lense cardboard glasses has been replaced by sleeker polarized aviator models. The future is 3D without glasses, delivered through autostereoscopic displays.

Digital projection is "rock steady" and could define how different generations take on 3D, said Clark.

"The way you interpret 3D images is that your brain looks at each separate image, the left and right image, and it stitches them together," Clark said, likening it to adults using muscles they don't normally use.

"But kids, it's all new to them, and they haven't had the painful experience of watching misaligned 3D in the 1970's, the 1980's, and the 1990's. So I think the experience for them is a lot easier to interpret."

It's no coincidence that animation is leading 3D releases, along with horror, Clark said, as the children who watched 2004's "Polar Express" are growing up. "Now you're going to have to deliver them different kinds of content. So your audience is growing."

Eyes on the prize

For theatre owners, studios and distributors, 3D appears a healthy cash cow, with higher-priced tickets helping titles gross up to three times as much as their 2D counterparts.

The United States will have around 3,000 3D screens by the end of this year when "Avatar" is scheduled for release, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO). About 90 to 100 screens are being added every month, though theatre operators are pausing in a tight credit market.

"Movie theatre owners are highly conscious of the expense involved in installing a 3D system," said Patrick Corcoran, Director of Media & Research at NATO, noting that out of approximately 600 theatrical releases this year, only 12 to 15 will be offered in 3D.

"No one knows right now how big the market will be," Corcoran told CNN.

The studios are looking for scale. About "5,000 screens in 2,000 to 3,000 locations" is the tipping point that would allow an exclusively 3-D release, said McNally. "That point should be reached within one or two years."

Filling those theatres will be people who don't want to watch bootleg versions, Hollywood hopes, as 3D comes with a promise that it's hard to pirate.

"If you are really determined, you can make a copy of anything," said McNally, suggesting that 3-D movies could be recorded through the same kind of lenses used in 3-D glasses, but pirates would have to be "pretty serious" to pull it off.

The real deterrent appears to be the widening gap between home and theatre. Leaked DVD quality movies are being downloaded on better broadband Internet and played on surround-sound home entertainment systems. 3D promises to deliver a unique experience in theatres that could allow Hollywood to take something back. Studios and theatre owners insist there's no real comparison.

"Comedies are funnier when everybody's laughing. Movies are scarier when everybody's frightened. And that's something that can't be replicated in the home," Corcoran said.

"It comes down to the kind of enjoyment you want from your movie experience," McNally said, likening the choice to visiting the Grand Canyon or seeing a photograph, that "doesn't capture the sense of the place, the space, how you felt when you were there."

Bloomberg News - 3-D home movie race set to kick off

2009-07-30T10:55:00.001-07:00

3-D home movie race set to kick off

BLOOMBERG NEWS

Thursday, July 30th 2009, 4:00 AM

'Up' was an enormously successful 3-D movie in 2009.

COMING attractions: 3-D movies in your living room.

When television makers release products that can display 3-D films early next year, the rush will be on to rev up the availability of those films on DVDs and Sony's Blu-ray discs, a high-definition video format ideal for displaying 3-D movies, experts said.

Samsung and LG Electronics will release 3-D-capable TV screens in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2010, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said yesterday.

"We have seen demonstrations of what 3-D in the home will look like," Katzenberg said. "There are meaningful technological advances that deliver a high-quality experience at home."

Discs with 3-D movies are no more expensive to produce than standard DVDs, Katzenberg said. Consumers may soon be able to watch 3-D movies in theaters without glasses with technology being developed by Intel, he noted at a media conference in California last week.

Box office sales have increased 10% to $5.98 billion this year, according to researcher Hollywood.com.

The gains have come with increased attendance and higher revenues from 3-D films like DreamWorks' "Monsters Vs. Aliens" and Disney's "Up," which fetch higher ticket prices.

DreamWorks, which produces the "Shrek" movies, reported quarterly results that beat expectations despite lower profits and revenues.

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It said net income fell 7% to $25.6 million, and revenues were 6.7% lower at $132 million. A video-game agreement with Activision Blizzard added $24 million.

We need more content - BSkyB to launch Europe's first 3D TV channel next year

2009-07-30T10:30:00.001-07:00

BSkyB to launch Europe's first 3D TV channel next year

Service will use standard Sky+ HD set-top boxes but will require new '3D ready' television set and special glasses

Mark Sweney
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 30 July 2009 12.02 BST

BSkyB filiming Royal Ballet in 3D. The ballet was filmed using high-definition 3D cameras, which use two lenses to record separate footage for each eye. Viewers then wear special polarising glasses which give the impression the picture is in three dimensions. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

BSkyB is to launch Europe's first 3D TV channel offering movies, entertainment and sports programming in the UK next year.

The satellite broadcaster, which recently said that 3D TV could be a reality within several years, has stepped up its roll-out programme after a major boost in the numbers subscribers to its Sky+ HD set-top boxes, which are capable of broadcasting 3D services.

BSkyB, which has doubled the number of customers with Sky+ HD boxes in the last year to 1.31m, said that it will launch a channel offering 3D movies, entertainment and sport.

However, to watch 3D programming customers will also require a new "3D ready" TV set, which are expected to be on sale in the UK next year, and special glasses.

At a recent demonstration BSkyB used a Hyundai TV which retails at £2,500, although the broadcaster hopes that ultimately 3D TV sets will not cost much more than a standard HD plasma screen.

BSkyB also confirmed today that it will launch a "pull" video-on-demand service using the broadband capability in Sky+ HD boxes. Until now Sky has only been able to offer what is termed "push" VoD services – such as the Sky Anytime service – and the Sky+ personal video recorder.

The new "pull" service aims to broaden consumer choice by allowing programmes to be watched on-demand in the way other services, such as on cable operator Virgin Media's TV plartform, offer extensive libraries of shows.

"3D is a genuinely 'seeing is believing' experience [and] next year we will make our HD boxes work even harder for customers by launching Europe's first 3D TV channel," said Brian Sullivan, the managing director of Sky's customer group. "[We are also] introducing a comprehensive video-on-demand service to complement Sky+ and the current Sky Anytime service."

3-D wins day at Comic-Con - Variety.com

2009-07-23T23:35:00.001-07:00

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1118006429&categoryid=10

Posted: Thurs., Jul. 23, 2009, 5:09pm PT

3-D wins day at Comic-Con

Studios take the campaign to the masses

By MARC GRASER

SAN DIEGO -- Hollywood has essentially rolled out the red carpet for exhibitors around the world to get them to embrace 3-D. At Comic-Con on Thursday studios took the campaign to the masses.

To help sell the format, Comic-Con organizers outfitted Hall H with four silver screens to show the 3-D footage and handed out thousands of pairs of Dolby 3-D Digital Cinema glasses to attendees as they entered the room.

The format's biggest cheerleaders, Disney, Sony and Fox rolled out exclusive 3-D footage from the upcoming tentpoles "A Christmas Carol" from Robert Zemeckis, Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," "Tron Legacy," "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" and James Cameron's "Avatar."

The purpose was not only to energize the crowd of more than 6,000 people that filled the massive Hall H in the San Diego Convention Center but also to entice them to pony up the extra coin to see the pics in 3-D once they're released in theaters.

Having on hand talent like Burton, who made his first appearance at the show as a presenter, and surprise guest Johnny Depp certainly helped amp up the excitement. The pair's "Alice" opens March 5.

But the focus was on the technology. As Zemeckis put it after a lengthy montage of "A Christmas Carol," in which Jim Carrey plays eight characters, "it's the future," calling 3-D technology a "tool that's been perfected.

"It's happening," Zemeckis said. "We're there."

Getting more studios interested in 3-D should encourage more exhibitors to build the additional silver screens needed to show pics in the format.

There are approximately 1,700 3-D locations as of now (some of those locations could have multiple 3-D screens).

Disney's 3-D "G-Force" is going out in 1,603 locations today.

In case exhibitors don't build the screens, Fox topper Tom Rothman wanted to remain cautious and let attendees know "the film is great in 2-D and will be shown in the format as well."

Participation was a major push for Dolby, considering it controls a tiny sliver -- an estimated 10% -- of the 3-D market compared with Real D, which Disney embraces.

Imax also made the trek to San Diego to show off its own technology in presentations downtown, away from the convention center.

The branding of the 3-D format was unavoidable, with Disney plastering the screens with the fact the footage was a "3-D Showcase" and the footage was being shown in Disney Digital 3-D and Imax 3-D.

Disney's early morning panel benefited from throngs of "Twilight" fans, many of whom camped out overnight to get a first-look at footage Summit screened Thursday afternoon.

The "Twihards" filled the main hall just to secure a seat for the panel that would take place hours later.

But Fox didn't need any extra help. After the "Twilight" contingent emptied Hall H, another crowd quickly filled the room again to see the mesmerizing 23 minutes of footage Cameron brought from "Avatar," which bows Dec. 18.

Crowds were wowed by the photo-realistic computer-generated visuals featured in the sci-fi epic that stars a cast of blue-skinned cat-like aliens who live in a world influenced by oceanic settings and creatures.

Cameron has spent the past four years producing the pic and spent 14 years developing the technology.

To push the pic, Cameron and Fox are taking over 3-D theaters globally on Aug. 21 for free screenings of 15 minutes of "Avatar" footage on what he's calling "Avatar Day." They'll also be previewing the videogame and toy line.

"This is the movie you've been waiting for," said Sigourney Weaver during a panel that followed.

Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006429.html

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