Tag Archives: Dolby

Daily Cinema Roundup-Thursday 27 May

May 28, 2009

–With his contract recently extended until 2013 and “Monsters Vs. Aliens” one of the year’s top grossing films so far, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has now revealed plans to release five feature films every two years, adding an additional film every other year to its existing two picture a year release schedule.
With today’s news, DWA’s release slate through 2012 now includes eight feature films, including five original films and three sequels based on the company’s existing franchises, Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. And as previously announced, all DWA features will be produced in 3D.
This commitment to 3D content should come as good news for stakeholders, but it could also mean added pressure on theater owners to install digital cinema and 3D capabilities, as well as on those working to advance 3D for the home market.

DWA’s schedule includes:
–“How to Train Your Dragon,” based on the book by Cressida Cowell, will be released on March 26, 2010. It will star a cast that includes Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
–“Shrek Forever After” will be released on May 21, 2010. It features the original cast, including Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas.
–“Oobermind” (formerly “Master Mind”) will be released on November 5, 2010. It will star Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey.
–“Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom” will be released on June 3, 2011. Returning is a voice cast that includes Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and David Cross.
–“The Guardians” (working title), based on the forthcoming books by William Joyce, will be released on November 4, 2011.
–“Puss In Boots” (working title) will be released on March 30, 2012 and star Antonio Banderas as Puss In Boots and Salma Hayek as Kitty, Puss’ love interest.
–The next Madagascar sequel is due to be released on May 25, 2012. It will find the zoo animals continuing to get back to New York. This time the road takes them through Europe.
–On Nov. 2, 2012, DWA plans to release one of three original projects currently in pre-production at the studio.

–There is more on this news announcement in a Reuters article, reporting that Katzenberg spoke yesterday at the Cowen and Co. Technology and Media and Telecom Conference and predicted that he could get its production budgets down to $130 million (including 3D) for the 2011 films. (“Monsters Vs. Aliens” was estimated to cost $175 million.) The Reuters article also said that Katzenberg expects a positive shift it distribution costs, come 2012 when DWA’s distribution contract with Paramount expires.

–In related box office news, at press time DWA’s debut 3D title “Monsters Vs. Aliens” is just shy of an impressive $194 million in the domestic box office—the highest grossing digital 3D release to date. It had also been the biggest money maker of the year so far, but today it was just passed by the Starship Enterprise. “Star Trek” reached $194.8 million. “Monsters” will surrender the majority of 3D screens this weekend to Disney/Pixar’s “Up.”

–Dolby announced new 3D installations this week: The Empire Leicester Square in London has become Europe’s first auditorium to use the new Dolby 3D Digital Cinema large screen system.
The company reported that the new Dolby 3D large screen solution combined with Barco’s digital cinema twin-projector allows exhibitors to project Dolby 3D onto standard, non-silver screens ranging from 12.5 to 21 metres, surpassing the previous size limit of 12 metres. The Empire Leicester Square, one of the UK’s oldest and largest cinema venues, offers a 20-metre screen.
In related news, Dolby reported that Sundance Kabuki Cinemas in San Francisco has installed Dolby 3D Digital Cinema in its 160-seat auditorium, in time for Disney/Pixar’s “Up” opening.

–Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release director Henry Selick’s stop-motion animated feature “Coraline” on Blu-ray Hi-Def combo pack, 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD and single disc DVD on July 21.
All editions feature both the 2-D and 3-D versions of the film and four pairs of 3-D glasses, making “Coraline” the next 3D home release to watch. In theatres, digital 3D release “Coraline” made $75. 2 million in North America and $85.2 million worldwide.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Posted in Box Office, Business, Digital 3D, Equipment Vendors

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Disney Promotes 3D with Inflatable Theater

By Carolyn Giardina

May 25, 2009

Disney's 'A Christmas Carol' Train Tour You’ve got to hand it to Disney for creating another innovative way to promote 3D.
To raise awareness of the format and the studio’s upcoming stereoscopic release “A Christmas Carol,” Disney has put together a 40-city promotional tour that will travel by train.
As part of the exhibition, at each stop Disney will put up an inflatable 3D theater that was specially developed for the tour with technology suppliers Dolby and Barco. The 50x 50 ft. theater stands 25 ft. high and can be erected in less than six hours, execs said.
Disney's 'A Christmas Carol' Train Tour The theater uses the Dolby 3D system, and its gear includes two Barco DP2000 digital projectors, Dolby servers and a Dolby sound system. There is freestanding 18 by 17½ ft. screen and seating for 125.
Here, guests preview 3D clips from Robert Zemeckis’ “A Christmas Carol,” which opens Nov. 6.
The clever theater design will no doubt have plenty of additional applications.
The “Christmas Carol Train Tour” opened over Memorial Day weekend at Los Angeles’ Union Station and wraps the weekend of Oct. 30 in New York. The tour schedule can be found here

Popularity: 38% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D, Marketing & Promotions

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Who Does Regal Love More - RealD or Imax?

By Patrick von Sychowski

May 11, 2009

If the US exhibition industry was a comic strip, Regal Cinemas would be Archie and 3D rivals RealD and Imax would be Betty and Veronica. Things seem to be coming to a head between the three with the opening of Regal’s latest multiplex Thornton Place Stadium 14 & IMAX - to give it its full and proper name - and with a shot across the bows from Veronica, sorry, Imax about just how fabulously rich her offerings are.

First the details on the opening of the state-of-the-art Thornton:

Regal Thornton Place Stadium 14 will feature a new IMAX® theatre utilizing a specially-designed screen that is slightly curved and moved forward to immerse the audience. The IMAX Experience® is further enhanced by a crystal-clear digital surround sound system. Regal’s IMAX theatre will also offer IMAX 3D® when filmmakers choose to integrate 3D images into their movies. Future IMAX releases include: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (6/24) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (7/15).

The new theatre is modern in every way, equipped with RealD® 3D to provide true-to-life 3D. RealD is a new generation of digital 3D, giving moviegoers a stunningly realistic movie experience that engages the imagination, activates the senses and invites the audience not only to watch a film, but also step inside the story. Upcoming Digital 3D movies include: Disney-Pixar’s Up (5/29), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (7/1) and Disney’s G-Force (7/24).

‘Immerse the audience’ and ’step inside the story’, OK, so Regal has both systems on the go. No major surprise there. But RealD and Imax do not see themselves as equals and do not just want to co-exist peacefully. This was made clear in an e-mail that went out from Imax today, headlined ‘Star Trek IMAX breaks record with $8.3 mil opening weekend in U.S.‘, which amounts to 11 per cent of the total box office (see Weekend BO story below).

Imax then goes on to quote from the Regal Cinemas public earnings conference call, where Regal’s CEO Mike Campbell, took a question from an analyst on whether Veronica was cutest or Betty prettiest:

Matthew Harrigan - Wunderlich Securities - Analyst

Good morning. Thanks for taking my question. Two questions. One, there’s a pretty profound asymmetry even if you adjust for the size of the auditoriums on the 3-D results for IMAX versus REAL D. Have you given any thought to re-balancing that or is it just more a matter of educating the consumer on REAL D? I heard there are some people actually think that some of the quality in 3-D with REAL D is better than with IMAX, but it doesn’t seem to have quite the marketing cachet.

Michael Campbell - Regal Entertainment Group - Chairman and CEO

As far as the Real D versus the IMAX experience, IMAX is a powerful brand and it’s not just the visuals and the size of the screen. It’s a–it’s got the best sound system in the world according to most people. So we’re seeing that when we run REAL D versus 2-D, the Real D screens show a multiple of two to three times the attendance that you’re getting out of a 2-D screen while the IMAX will run five to six times. So we view this actually as a very viable market going forward, where IMAX remains at the top of the food chain. It’s long-established as a powerful brand, attaches a higher premium. Real D 3-D is somewhere between IMAX and 2-D. And we think that it gives the customer maximum flexibility in choosing. [emphasis added]

So Regal loves Imax twice as much as it loves RealD? Or at least its audience does. Imax want to have us believe that. Regal has 52 screens contracted with Imax, but has committed with RealD for 1,500 screens. So the date count seems to go in favour of Betty. Moreover, if you read the above quote early, what Regal is saying is that RealD lacks the brand awareness that Imax has been building up over several decades. But that could of course change.

But could it be that neither of the two will end up the real winner? Archie-ologist will remember that Issue #320 saw the introduction of Cheryl Blossom, a redhead from Pembroke, England, introduced to compete with Betty and Veronica for Archie. Who might 3D cinemas Cherry Blossom be? Why, none other than UK-born American-relocated Dolby Laboratories. With studios threatening to no longer pay for RealD’s disposable (now recyclable) eyewear, the Dolby3D system with its re-usable glasses (and high gain, instead of silver screen) is becoming more and more appealing.

Not that Regal is likely to break it off with RealD for its 1,500 dates and while Imax is likely to continue to occupy a high end niche, the race for the attention of the cinema is definitely heating up and getting interesting. We don’t expect a cat fight, but we are awaiting RealD’s retaliation keenly.

Popularity: 67% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D

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Daily Cinema Roundup - Wednesday 6 May

By Patrick von Sychowski

May 6, 2009

- Irish cinema advertisisers want to point out that you can’t fast forward through a cinema ad, the way you can with your PVR/DVR at home. From Ireland’s Independent.ie “The FAME research also debunks the widely-held myth about cinema advertising being only relevant to youth brands by showing that over half of cinema audiences are the grocery shoppers for their household. The study, carried out by research firm Milward Brown IMS, comes after the most recent ticket sales figures charted an 8pc rise for February as recession-inspired escapism takes hold.” Interestingly the company behind it still calls itself CarltonScreen, despite its UK parent company changing name to Digital Screen Media some time ago;

- AMC has spent $25m doing up its flagship multiplex in Kansas City, opening just in time to set the tills ringing to the growls of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”. From Bizjournal.com, “The renovated theater has three auditoriums featuring Cinema Suites, an upscale in-theater dining and entertainment option; three traditional auditoriums; and The Marquee Bar & Grill. All six auditoriums use digital technology,part of an initiative announced Oct. 1to roll out digital projection systems at nearly 20,000 movie theater screens in North America.” So it looks like all new AMC screens and all renovated ones will get priority in installing the SXRD 4K projectors from Sony. However, the Cinema Suites concept (see above) intrigues us more - Dorothy, let’s go to Kansas City:

- The transcript of the most recent Dolby Quarterly earning conference call is now posted, thanks to Seeking Alpha. Interesting digital nugget, “In our cinema market, we have shipped more than 2,500 Dolby Digital Cinema Servers and 1,000 Dolby 3D systems across 41 countries to date. And in the second quarter, we delivered on our obligation to make these systems compliant with DCI specifications. As a result, we recognized approximately $24 million in deferred revenue related to Digital Cinema in the second quarter.” No speculation that the Hollywood studios abandoning subsidizing disposable 3D glasses might drive exhibitors to Dolby - but it is highly likely;

- Regal Cinemas is upgrading its multiplex in Charlottsville, and not surprisingly 3D is at the centre of the refurb. From DailyProgress.com we learn that, “The company said it intends to add five new screens, digital projection, stadium seating in every auditorium, new high-back recliner seats, a new lobby, a new entrance, new restrooms and more.” and, “The expansion will add several amenities, including digital surround sound, a new concession stand designed for faster service, a guest service desk in the lobby, kiosks for automated ticket purchasing and “Real D 3D” projection systems for better 3D movie experiences.” ‘Better’ than what? Damningly a reader comments, “It always amazed me how the people of Charlottesville are so willing to pay New York City ticket prices for what can only be described as a Hooterville movie theater experience. Sometimes it seems like we just got “talkies.““;

- The cinema might not open in time for its patrond to enjoy the Free Family Film Festival 2009 scheme. From the press release, “During this 9-week festival, more than 300 Regal Cinemas, United Artists and Edwards Theatres offer selected G and PG rated movies for free on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10am.” How will Regal make money? That’s right - “there is a special “Kids Reel Meal” combo pack available.” at the concession stand. (Ah, but will it include healthy snack options?) The scheme has been running since 1991 and Regal also “sponsor the Boys & Girls Clubs of America “Mornings at the Movies” program.” I still have my ‘Snuck Into R-movie at 13′ badge from the scouts;

- But being hip to the way of the kids in the 21st century, Regal is also down with the whole social networking thing, we learn from a second press release. “Regal invites moviegoers to join them online to enter a special MyRegal Sweepstakes connected to their MySpace page. Regal will be further expanding programs on Facebook and Twitter throughout the month of May. ” There is an on-line sweepstake and Regal apparently has the world’s largest cinema loyalty program with 14m members. Now let’s see how many ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ they can get. Bet they won’t beat Ashton Kutcher just yet;

- ShowCanada wrapped last week and though Co-Editor Sperling was there and reported that there wasn’t much to report, THR.com tells us that the Canadians are a head of their US cousins when it comes to digital 3D. “As talk of 3-D technology dominated the last day of the annual gathering of Canadian theater owners, Fithian said that 130 of the 222 existing digital screens in Canada already have 3-D capabilities. And while there are currently 2,030 3-D-capable screens stateside, Canada represents 10% of what is considered the domestic cinema market, which puts it in step with the 3-D rollout south of the border.” While Fithian understandably biggs up Canada in this space, he is not correct about US/Canada leading as UK will be ahead of both when it comes to proportion of 3D installs by the end of 2009, as Katzenberg noted at ShoWest. Sperling also got to watch the ‘Star Trek’ movie ahead of the rest of us, but we’re not jealous, no;

- Indian classical music concert screened in digital in the Gulf is surely proof that alternative content is going global. From the Gulf Times, “Sreeram’s camera captured every expression of the artiste, the intense absorption of Jayashri in her rendition and the emotive expressions and body language of Krishna, including his intermittent appreciation for his fellow artistes. The 110-minute concert movie was produced by C Srikanth of Aghal Films in association with Real Image Media Technologies, India’s leading provider of technology in the film, video and audio domains.” The original event had been captured with the ubiquitous RED camera. Next up we hope they record an AR Rahman concert - Jai ho!;

- European film major StudioCanal is getting behind both digital 3D (content) and digital cinema (installations). From Variety we learn that “StudioCanal is also part of a digital 3-D work group set up by French distributors, exhibitors, third-party 3-D facilitators and the Centre National de la Cinematographie, the government org that regulates and promotes the film and TV industry. The group aims to establish a fund subsidizing the digital conversion of cinemas in France. The fund could be up and running by the end of the year, said a government spokesman. “StudioCanal’s ready to help pay for conversion,” Courson added. “We just need to establish the level of support from French film authorities.”” It makes sense that if SC is producing 3D movies they will also want to help create a theatrical 3D market for them - but this being France, they are more likely to want to push the French government to pay up the Euros for it;

- Staying in France and continuing the long tradition of Americans invading the Croisette in May, Christie will be providing the digital projectors for this year’s Cannes Film Festival again. From LSI Online. “Christie reports that it has been appointed by XDC for the third year running as the supplier of digital cinema projection solutions at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, 13-24 May 2009. This includes the opening 3-D screening of Up, the new Pixar/Disney animated comedy adventure.” OK, so they are technically Canadians - though not from Quebec - but still a nice feather in their cap to screen the first digital 3D film in competition;

- Despite the good year at the box office, not all exhibitors are swimming in money, as proven by the Q1 results of US digital cinema pioneer Carmike. Despite revenue rising almost five percent Bizjournal tells us, “The Columbus Ga.-based cinema owner and operator (NASDAQ: CKEC) had a net loss of $4 million and a loss per share of 32 cents, compared with a net loss of $4.3 million and a loss of 34 cents a share in the first quarter of 2008.” However, “The results for the first quarter of 2009 included a one-time $5.5 million charge related to its former CEO separation agreement.” Read that again. A cool $5m+ is what it took to remove CEO Michael Patrick for having delivered a spectacular loss of $127m in 2007 (2008 wasn’t that great either). That will buy him a lot of tickets, popcorn and soda to console himself at having been removed from the cinema chain his father acquired in 1982 and was named after him and his brother Carl. Mike, who will continue to enjoy receive medical benefits and group life insurance coverage until Jan. 31, 2012, also helped to drag down the share price from $26 to less than the price of a cinema ticket - just $3. Reward for failure - why should banks and auto makers have a monopoly on it?

Popularity: 39% [?]

Posted in Daily News Roundup

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Daily Cinema Roundup - Fri 24 April

By Patrick von Sychowski

April 24, 2009

- Imax’s presence in China is expanding through a new deal, according to THR.com’s Asia edition. “Imax on Thursday signed a deal with China Film Group to open a super-size screen in a new multiplex in Tianjin, China, this October. The deal brings to 41 the number of screens Imax expects to have by 2012 in China, its second-largest market after the U.S.” We also note and congratulate our friends and colleague Patrick Frater, who has joined THR Asia, thus completing the hat trick of working for Screen, Variety and now THR, having done stellar work at them all;

- Projector makes Christie has given details about its digital cinema NOC (network operation centre). The press release gives some impressive stats, “Christie Managed Services currently provides round-the-clock monitoring of 32,431 devices, including 3,780 digital cinema screens and 4,700 pre-show advertising screens in over 830 sites across North America. It is staffed with over 180 remote and customer service personnel and field technicians.” Make sure you visit it if you ever pass through Cyprus, CA. Any time. We hear its open 24/7;

- The first European live 3D broadcast over satellite went out to multi locations across Italy on April 19th, showing a of a complete basketball game. This was part of an announcement at NAB about the coming together of several stereoscopic distribution pioneers, “International Datacasting Corp and Sensio Technologies announced today the beginning of their first operational roll-out of live 3D in high definition for digital cinema in Europe” and “OpenSky has formed the 3D Stereoscopic group (3DSG), a partnership with dBW Communication and Eutelsat for the end-to-end production and distribution of 3D live events across Europe.” Expect to see more in the coming year;

- On an adjacent frequency, Dolby has formed a partnership with Arqiva to deliver alternative content across Europe, according to today’s press release. “Dolby Laboratories today launched Dolby Direct Distribution Services—a pan-European satellite content delivery network for digital cinemas. The service is provided in association with leading digital network solutions provider Arqiva and uses their international satellite infrastructure to distribute feature movies, trailers, and advertising content direct to their participating exhibitors and cinemas throughout Europe.” The interesting question is whether they will open up this network wider and be a service provider, rather than equipment vendor;

- Sony does deal with Sony for digital cinema in Asia, is the essence of this press release. “Sony Pictures Releasing International Corporation (SPRI) has entered into an agreement with Sony Electronics’ Digital Cinema Solutions and Services (DCSS) group for 4K DCI-compliant digital cinema deployments in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.” But trust us, even a seemingly semi-internal agreement like this is much more difficult to orchestrate than you might think. Now the challenge will be to get more Hollywood studios to sign up. And why no India?;

- UK’s Cinema Exhibitor’s Association (CEA) is kicking off a digital road-show this coming Monday in Manchester. “The events, which the CEA is running jointly with the UK Film Council and with the support of Screen Digest, are intended to give all of those attending an opportunity to hear a comprehensive and objective summary of the challenges and opportunities presented by digital cinema projection, with discussion of funding, operational and technical matters.” It is 8 1/2 years since the last major road show in UK (‘Celluloid or Silicon?‘) that discussed the implications of all things digital cinema. [insert joke about digital cinema's long time in the coming HERE];

- Want to sell liquor for consumption with screenings of operas and sporting events in your cinema? It’s not as easy as you might think, according to this article from Grand Rapids News. “Celebration Cinema owner John Loeks Jr. must spell out the type of “special events” at which he wants to serve alcohol before city planners will allow him to uncork any bottles or tap any kegs.” Asked to define ’special events, Loeks told the commission, “I’m not sure there is a precise definition.” So much for grouping it together under the moniker of ODS (other digital stuff);

- And yet more proof if needed that box office is doing well across the globe, this time from China, courtesy of AFP. “China may be a paradise for addicts of pirated DVDs, but the box office is also booming thanks to a growing audience of well-off young urbanites and more big-ticket Chinese films… “The crisis is actually a godsend because as everyone talks about the economic crisis, people want to go to the cinema to relax,” said Zhao Jing, a Beijing marketing executive with cinema operators Wanda Group.” Wanda (pictured above) is expanding from 40 cinemas to 100 by 2010. As noted in the article, a pirate DVD may cost one tenth of a cinema ticket, but it just does not give the same EXPERIENCE;

- Only India appears to be suffering badly, with the non-release of new Hindi films entering its fourth week. A journalist from Indian Express took a tour of the deserted cinema halls and chats to employees. It’s grim. ““We’ve closed down one screen for renovation and are on a cost-cutting spree. We’ve switched to low voltage bulbs and keep half the lobby lights switched off. The air-conditioning too is not switched on till before the show.”” Not even any major Hollywood films are opening this weekend (unless you count “My Mom’s New Boyfriend“). Soon weevils will start blowing through the corridors;

- But it’s even worse for one Indian exhibitor. “Sebi on Thursday barred Pyramid Saimira Theatre promoters Nirmal N Kotecha and CMD PS Saminathan from trading in the equities market, accusing the latter of allegedly forging a letter from the markets regulator, the revelation of whose contents last December sent the company’s stock price soaring. The Sebi letter had purportedly asked the promoters to make an open offer to buy out minority shareholders.” Ouch, but the Securities & Exchanges Board of India (SEBI) can come down hard at times;

- Ending on a semi-positive note, at least if you are living in Detroit. ‘Unemployed? Movie theaters offer free tickets.‘ The headline says it all.

Popularity: 53% [?]

Posted in Miscellaneous

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Battle Brews Over 3D Glasses In Europe

By J. Sperling Reich

March 26, 2009

RealD's Disposable 3D Glasses

Late last week I picked up on a rumor that was circulating about European exhibitors. Apparently, they are rejecting digital 3D versions of DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” in lieu of 2D digital and 35mm prints as a response to being told that distributors will not pick up the tab for 3D glasses. The film opens internationally on March 27th.

Disposable polarized 3D glasses cost between 50 and 99 cents (USD) and are required to view digital 3D movies shown using systems manufactured by RealD and Masterimage. “Active glasses”, which operate using LCD lenses that flicker open and closed at the shutter rate of the projector, are reusable and cost upwards of USD $$25 to $30. Such glasses are necessary to view 3D films shown using XpanD technology. Reusable glasses for Dolby’s color wheel system cost USD $23. More than likely the dispute is over disposable glasses rather than reusable glasses since it is generally accepted that the exhibitor will be responsible for the latter.

In North America it has become a somewhat common practice for the distributor of a 3D film to pay for disposable glasses in part or entirely. This may not last however since distribution chiefs such as Mark Christiansen of Paramount Pictures have said they are determining whether they will be reimbursing an exhibitor for the cost of disposable glasses on a film by film basis.

The theatre owners that reported the unofficial boycott of “Monsters vs. Aliens” in 3D were from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and a few Scandinavian countries. Equipment manufacturers and the few dealers I spoke with confirmed the story, and were somewhat frustrated as they believe such issues will hold up the rollout of digital cinema in Europe. Read More »

Popularity: 100% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D

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Dolby Sheds Jobs From UK Cinema Manufacturing Division

By Patrick von Sychowski

February 7, 2009

As if the recent quarterly earnings reports from Warner Bros, Walt Disney and News Corp were not proof enough that the entertainment industry is far from recession proof, news is out that Dolby Laboratories will be closing down its UK manufacturing operation. Some 60 people will lose their jobs from the shuttering of their UK manufacturing base. From BBC news website:

The company, which provides products for the cinema industry, is closing the manufacturing arm of its UK operation in Wootton Bassett in April.

It blamed “changing market conditions” for its decision to close the site which employs 170 people.

Dolby says other business activities at the site will be not be affected.

This is a bitter blow for a company that started in the UK and whose British operation still sees itself as the carrier of founder Ray Dolby’s torch, even when the man himself moved back to the UK and most of the company’s activities is out of San Francisco these days. But it would not be true Brit grit if they did not put a brave face on the decision and declared in their recent earning’s statement: “Having concluded a comprehensive consultation process with our UK employees, the proposal to close our UK manufacturing operation at Wootton Bassett and consolidate manufacturing operations at a single facility has been accepted.”

Popularity: 45% [?]

Posted in Earnings Announcements, Equipment Vendors

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Hollywood’s 3D Dilemma Goes Mainstream

By J. Sperling Reich

July 12, 2008

For months now the debate over the lagging rollout of digital 3D equipped screens has been argued by both distributors and exhibitors alike, mostly in public statements to industry media outlets. Well, on Thursday, the issue jumped from trade publications and trade show speeches, to the front page of the Los Angeles Times Calendar section. Industry insiders who have been following the story since it began in March will find the article of little value, as it is mostly a rehash of the current situation, however it is noteworthy if only because a major mainstream media outlet found the dilemma important enough to cover.

The story was written by John Horn, a respected L.A. Times entertainment journalist for more than two decades who recently won the Los Angeles Press Club’s entertainment Journalist of the Year award. Using the pending release of “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and the need to drop “3D” from it’s title as his lead, Horn thoroughly laid out all the main facts and issues so that even a layman could talk about the subject like an expert.

He starts out saying only 800 theatres in North America (which account for roughly 1,200 screens) would be able to show “Journey” in 3D and that Warner Bros. had to augment it’s marketing campaign to let audiences know that the film would also be shown in 2D on about 2,000 screens. He points out that 2D Hollywood releases such as DreamWorks Animation’s 2D “Kung Fu Panda” open on more than 4,100 screens. And he doesn’t leave out that DreamWork’s head Jeffrey Katzenberg, one of the industry’s leading 3D proponents, has been upset over the slow speed in which exhibitors are installing the digital 3D equipment.

Horn goes on to detail how the low number of screens poses a problem for studios who have plans to release at least nine 3D features next year, including some by renown filmmakers such as James Cameron (”Avatar”) and Robert Zemeckis (”A Christmas Carol”). Disney, DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox stand to lose the most. While exhibitors also stand to miss out on the increased revenue which will come from the higher ticket prices charged for 3D releases, Horn explains that the high cost of digital cinema equipment is keeping them from upgrading their auditoriums.

He pegs the cost of a digital cinema conversion at a whopping $150,000, which seems to be an exorbitant figure no doubt provided by an exhibitor. Another slight misstatement by Horn is the confusion exhibitors have over the two 3D formats; RealD and Dolby. While these two companies (they aren’t really formats) are definitely the market leaders, certainly NuVision and masterImage may be upset over not being mentioned. Those are about the only two gaffs in the L.A. Times feature, as Horn goes on to properly highlight the stalemate between exhibitors and distributors over virtual print fees (VPFs) meant to finance the rollout of digital cinema.

To be sure, all of this is not news to anyone working in exhibition (or distribution), but at the very least Horn should be credited with writing one of the most accurate statements about the world-wide digital cinema rollout to date:

“At a time when the rest of the media world is transforming at light speed, movie exhibition is struggling to keep up. . .”

Popularity: 40% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D

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3D Makes Impact At Sundance

By J. Sperling Reich

January 30, 2008

Last week at the Sundance Film Festival one of the hottest tickets in Park City, the Utah mining town cum ski resort in which the festival is held, was to the premiere of the concert film “U2 3D”. Like at the Cannes Film Festival, all four members of the Irish rock group U2 showed up to promote the film. Unlike in Cannes, they did not perform on the red carpet. This may have been due to the snowy weather and freezing temperatures which dipped into the teens on most nights.

Even before the film officially screened at the festival, there was a flurry of media attention focused on the premiere sparked in part by Dolby Laboratories’ press release announcing that the film would be screened using Dolby 3D technology. This wasn’t much of a surprise given that Dolby has been sponsor and providing sound support to the festival for many years now. Sarah Pierce, the director of operations for the Sundance Film Festival pointed out that Dolby wound up being the perfect technology for exhibiting films in 3D:

“. . . it allows us to easily switch between 3D and 2D films. Since we have a full slate to screen, we cannot afford to devote one theatre entirely to 3D. By using the white screens already in place, we can shift between formats within minutes.”

What Pierce was referring to is the color filtering technology Dolby licensed from Infitec that allows 3D films to be screened without the use of a special silver screen, the kind used by Real D to display films in 3D. However, this also meant that the festival would have to provide more than 1,200 pairs of Dolby’s special shutter glasses to view the premiere, rather than the cheap disposable polarized lenses which Real D requires. At upwards of $50 a pair one can only imagine Dolby was biting their fingernails hoping festival goers didn’t walk off with them as a souvenir.

Sundance is primarily known as a film festival meant to promote independent films and while the titles in the premiere section of the event have been known to attract celebrity attendance, it is safe to say U2, arguably one of the most popular rock bands in the world, is one of the biggest names to ever slush their way through the snow into one of the event’s screenings. And as is the case at Sundance, the press was there to cover every moment. One piece that truly captured what it was like to be at the Eccles Theatre where “U2 3D” premiered appeared on Conde Nast’s Portfolio where Fred Schruers wrote:

“. . . a solidly enjoyable experience for not just U2 fans but anyone who wants to see where exhibition technology is heading.”

Even BusinessWeek tried to raise their hipness factor by having their media columnist Jon Fine write about the premiere. His piece uses the “U2 3D” premiere as a means to examine how the film industry is in a time of transition, fighting to maintain a dwindling audience as it searches for “a technological silver bullet”. Most of Fine’s column details the tech panels he attended, before eventually turning to the premiere, of which he was admittedly impressed:

“The film was gorgeous; refreshingly, few objects and people popped out at you, although at one point Bono reached so far out of the screen that you could practically smell what was under his fingernails. . . I don’t care for U2, but the experience was undeniable. For a brief time, a thousand of us sat agape in the dark, utterly submerged in an ocean of visual delight. For a brief time at Sundance, no one checked e-mail or chatted on the cell.”

Speaking from personal experience, sitting through a screening at the Sundance Film Festival in which nobody checks email or answers a cell phone call is definitely a newsworthy occurrence.

Popularity: 36% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D

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Q: Which 3D technology is best? A: Dolby’s!

By Patrick von Sychowski

December 6, 2007

All stereoscopic cinema technologies are not created equal, or rather, the presentations are not identical. But it is not just, say, the size difference between, say Imax and a RealD presentation that is noticeable, but even differences between different types of digital 3D presentations stand out (if you pardon the pun). cNet’s Stephen Shankland (NB: NOT the man in the picture above - that’s scary looking CrunchGear Guy sporting Dolby 3D specs) sat through three of the four different types of 3D cinema solutions available commercially today (NuVision/XpanD’s active glasses screenings appear not to have been available to him in the US).

It turns out that it was not so much an apples, apples and oranges as Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and clementines type of experience. It is worth reading the whole article (Who shows the best view of 3D ‘Beowulf’?) for many interesting insights. For those who want to cut to the chase (and missed the headline of this item), the winner was the newest kid on the stereoscopic technology block:

Based on watching the movie start to finish three times, the 3D winner is Dolby 3D–and not just by a nose.

Dolby’s technology gave a sharp image that showed every beard bristle, the colors were relatively rich, flicker from moving objects was nonexistent, but most significantly, the sense of depth was strong. Even the subtle differences between a character’s facial features were perceptible, and group shots with a host of characters showed as true depth, not as a number of gradually more distant two-dimensional layers. I was truly impressed.

Now there are several things t be said about this comparison. The first is that it was a ‘comparison’ and not a ‘test’, let alone a ’shoot out’. I cannot voucher for Mr Shankland’s vision, but chances are that he is not what Hollywood considers a pair of ‘Golden Eyes’. He is a knowledgeable and perceptive writer. So while I don’t doubt his judgment - and not having seen ‘Beowulf’ in ANY 3D form I’m in even less of a position to comment - it is important to remember that this was not a controlled experiment but an assessment of the average viewer’s experience.

As such, it is in some ways more important than a test in the old Pacific Theater that was the ETC’s Digital Cinema Lab. The writer says as much himself, so with all these caveats in mind it is interesting to dig deeper into his findings. The first is that artistic interventions have obviously been made in calibrating the 3D experience, particularly between Imax and digital 3D. This is an area that is just beginning to be understood and discussed Disney’s Howard Lukk has given several excellent presentations on this, talking about the ‘plane’ of the stereoscopic image.

Imax is ‘in your face’, whereas RealD is more the type of 3D that has been described as ’surround sound for your eyes’, ‘box’ or ‘Doll House’ type of stereoscopics. Yet Dolby appears to have won out on the strength of the three ‘C’s (coherence, colour, clarity). This is surprising to industry observers, as the colour separation that underpins the Dolby (it was licensed from Germany’s Infitec) was long thought to cause it problems with accurate colour separation. Now the talk is instead that the struggle is to make the glasses that employ 16 or more layers of colour-separating film, cheap enough to manufacture in volume to compete with the disposable RealD circular polarized glasses.

Ultimately ‘Beowulf’ is not the best films to judge the merits of all three technologies (or even four or five, if you add active glasses and the Korean system under development) because it is CG-animation and mostly takes places in dark and dim caves, so the light-loss that all 3D systems suffer is masked. But this article is not just the first but a very, very good comparison that will hopefully stimulate more discussion and research around the subject.

Popularity: 66% [?]

Posted in Analysis, Technology

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