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

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

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

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

TODAY3D

'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.

© Rapid TV News 2009

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

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

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

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.