Tag Archives: Real D

No More Silver Screens In France

March 11, 2012

By 8:00 am Friday morning I had three voicemails and five emails all either trying to pass along or confirm the same implausible news. Rumor was spreading fast that France’s Le Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, otherwise known as the CNC, had banned silver screens throughout the country, giving exhibitors a five year timeframe to comply. If true, it could have enormous implications in the 3D market.

I initially thought some announcement the CNC had made was being misinterpreted after the rumor mill twisted it into something far more alarming. As a part of France’s Ministry of Culture the CNC is responsible for regulating cinema as well as the production and promotion of “audiovisual arts” within the country, so it’s easy to see how such a rumor could be easily believed. However, a quick trip to the CNC website informed me the news was accurate.

At the start of a six day conference on technology in exhibition and distribution, CNC president Eric Garandeau announced an “agreement to ensure the quality of film screenings in movie theaters in the digital age.” In his opening remarks Garandeau acknowledged all the hard work that goes into making a movie and that, “if so many people put so much care to seek perfection in the image, it is necessary that these efforts are visible and even sublimated on the screen, in the most beautiful manner.” Wanting to see the difference for himself, Garandeau held a test screening to see “if a layman could make a comparison and tell the difference between a white screen and a silver screen.”

Garandeau says he saw the bright smile of Oscar winning actor Jean Dujardin switch from white to gray during the test and that the brightness level at the edges of the screen, compared to the center, decreased significantly. Not surprising since color balance, luminance consistency, and hot spots are the major drawbacks when it comes to silver screens, especially when they are used for 2D films.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D

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A Deeper Look At Sony’s Battle With Exhibitors Over 3D Glasses

By J. Sperling Reich

September 30, 2011

Some industry professionals will look back at September 27, 2011 as the day motion picture studios took their first step on what may be a long road to end the practice of subsidizing 3D glasses for their movies. Others will remember it as the day the inevitable finally happened.

For those who still aren’t aware of the events of the past week, I’d like to be the first to officially welcome you to the planet earth and invite you to join us as we read between-the-lines of this latest industry scuffle. On Tuesday of this week The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Sony Pictures Entertainment had sent a letter to North American theatre owners stating as of May 1, 2012 they would no longer pay for 3D glasses. What makes this major industry news is that Twentieth Century Fox tried a similar move back in 2009 with the release of “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” but retreated when exhibitors revolted en masse. They now fear Sony might succeed this time around causing other studios to follow suit. Talking to the Reporter, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution. Rory Bruer said:

“This is an issue that has to be resolved between us and our exhibition partners. We are trying to give them a very lengthy lead time in regards to the change in policy.”

As one might expect, it didn’t take long for the National Association of Theatre Owners, the trade organization which represents exhibitors, to respond to Sony’s move. Their press release dated September 28, 2011 stated:

NATO believes Sony’s suggestion is insensitive to our patrons, particularly in the midst of continuing economic distress. Sony’s actions raise serious concerns for our members who believe that provision of 3D glasses to patrons is well established as part of the 3D experience… we are concerned that Sony’s attempt to change this business model would unilaterally upend long-standing industry practices… Sony would be well advised to revisit its decision.

There were some grumblings from theatre owners and the media that NATO’s statement had no bite, though making sweeping threats is not necessarily their responsibility. This is not true of the organization’s members, like Amy Miles, chief executive officer of Regal Entertainment, who said if Sony stuck with their announced plan to stop paying for 3D glasses, then her circuit might show 2D version’s of Sony’s films in the future.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D

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RealD Gets Bigger With XLW and Regal

By J. Sperling Reich

January 27, 2011

RealD is showing signs that they have no intention of slowing the pace of their growth in the cinema marketplace. Already the leading worldwide provider of 3D technology for motion picture exhibitors, the company made two big announcements over the past week which will help push its share of the market even higher.

The first bit of news was about the XLW Cinema System, a new RealD product capable of projecting a 3D image on a screen up to 82 feet (25 meters) wide. Given that the XL Cinema System could already throw an image onto an 80 foot (24.4 meters) the big news here seems to be that the 1.0 throw ratio of the XLW.

Most throw ratios fall between 1.8 and 2.0, meaning if the screen is 40 feet wide, the distance between the projector and the screen has to be 72 to 80 feet. With a throw ratio of 1.0 and a maximum screen width of 82 feet, the XLW can project large images in a smaller space. It’s not hard to see why RealD developed the technology. With the popularity (not to mention increased revenue) of Imax screenings, many major theatre chains have begun to retrofit traditional auditoriums into branded “large screen” venues. Regal has RPX, AMC has ETX and Marcus Theatres has UltraScreen, to name just a few.

The XLW system will allow exhibitors to install much wider screens in stadium seat auditoriums which generally have shorter throws.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D, Large Format

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Designer Brands Give 3D Glasses A Makeover

By J. Sperling Reich

November 30, 2010

Oakley's Limited Edition Tron 3D Gascan Glasses

Sometime last month I tagged a couple of blog posts about designer 3D glasses intending to write about them in the near future. After a Los Angeles Times story covered the subject yesterday, I figured it was about time to aggregate all the information into a post here.

More than a year after RealD announced that they would be teaming up with manufacturers to certify 3D glasses from name brand designers, the first models began hitting the market in October. Making waves first was Oakley, which announced they had created a pair of 3D specs with a proprietary technology named HDO-3D. The company claims their “premium glasses are engineered for unrivaled 3D performance, superior visual clarity and signature Oakley comfort”.

In a smart marketing move, Oakley is teaming up with Disney on the studio upcoming “Tron: Legacy” release by offering a special collectible limited edition “Tron” version of their Gascan 3D glasses which look as if they were take straight out of the sci-fi flick. A regular pair of Oakley 3D glasses will set you back USD $120, while the “Tron: Legacy” model goes for USD $150.

Gucci also began selling a pair of upscale 3D glasses last month for $225 and Marchon Eyewear has licensed their glasses to both Calvin Klein and Nautica who will sell pairs for between USD $95 and USD $150. Meanwhile, Australian based Look3D has been offering stylish RealD certified glasses since late last year.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D

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Cinemark Announces NextGen Cinema Concept

By J. Sperling Reich

October 26, 2010

What is the next hot trend for theatre owners and moviegoers? Cinemark, North America’s third largest theatre chain, thinks they may have the answer and they have begun publicizing a new cinema concept. Last Friday the Plano based circuit announced plans to build what it has dubbed Cinemark NextGen theatres. The first such complex will be the Cinemark Frisco Square which is set to open in Frisco, Texas some time in December.

Based on the press release and various news reports it seems as if the NextGen theatre concept is being marketed as a technologically advanced, and thus superior, moviegoing experience. Alan Stock, Cinemark’s Chief Executive Officer said in a statement:

“The new Cinemark NextGen theatres represent the next generation in cinema. We have designed an entertainment environment that offers technologically advanced amenities and a movie-watching experience that simply cannot be duplicated.”

The environment Stock refers to will feature giant screens that cover an entire wall of each auditorium, Barco digital cinema projectors, 3D systems from RealD and a customized JBL sound system. There is no mention of how the sound system will be any different from the standard 5.1 or 7.1 digital surround setups that can be found in most theatres these days. Nor is it clear how NextGen theatres will be any different than the 29 Cinemark XD Extreme auditoriums they have opened since 2009.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Posted in New Theatres

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Cinema Expo Thoughts: C.J. Flynn of DCinemaTools.com

By J. Sperling Reich

July 10, 2010

We continue our series of posts featuring the comments of leading industry members about last month’s Cinema Expo with a robust entry from C.J. Flynn of DCinemaTools.com.

Theatre owners thinking about converting to digital cinema (or even those who already have) should swing by Flynn’s website for detailed information about long-term operation and maintenance of d-cinema equipment.

In the meantime, here’s what Flynn had to say about Cinema Expo:

C.J. Flynn of DCinemaTools.com

As usual, the most interesting parts for me at this year’s Cinema Expo were the the sporadic 15 minutes of hanging out with people of similar ilk, trying to stretch nuance and rumors thin enough to see a bit of truth through them. Reviewing them in my head, they seem to mostly to have centered on big-company finance and politics.

From a helicopter view, projectors and servers continue their momentum into being commodity items. This leaves some breathing room for other portions of the infrastructure. Audio systems have made inroads into the “Enhanced Experience” cinemas, which is a good sign, and hopefully one that will continue.

Unfortunately, it isn’t a “Build It and They Will Come” issue for the new Audio Processor offerings of QSC, Datasat and DMS Cinema. But it is good to see that they are incorporating fresh ideas like the Trinnov (DMS), Dirac (Datasat) and the systemic approach of QSC (plus Meyer, though their system is post AP.) I guess the common theme is getting feedback from the speakers to the processor… good feedback, that is, bringing quality assurance to those who care.

Dolby, to their credit, was casually elegant about the whole matter; they presented their 12.1 system with a work-in-process/got-any-ideas-for-us motif, letting the 7.1 take on the luster of a future standard-in-the-making that only costs $300 if you upgrade now (and politely reminding about the $700 amplifier that might need to be added to the system).

Popularity: 8% [?]

Posted in Events, Trade Shows

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It’s Official: TI Targets 4K; Cinemark Makes Deal

By Carolyn Giardina

June 17, 2009

dlp_logo1 It’s official: On the heels of our previous Celluloid Junkie post on this subject, TI announced that it plans to develop 4K as an extension of its next-gen DLP Cinema projection technology.

The new platform—which TI said would comply with the DCI spec—is slated to launch at the end of the year and initially support 2K. TI aims to offer 4K sometime in 2010.

Meanwhile, Barco inked a deal to deploy TI’s developing 4K technology to the Cinemark theater chain—a notable move, as additional DCIP members Regal and AMC both recently announced deals with Sony.

“Regal and AMC are no stranger to DLP Cinema,” said Nancy Fares, business manager for DLP Cinema Products Group. “I hope this will give them an option to think about.”

Fares reported that a 1.2 inch 4K chip would be developed and released first, “but there are not limitations.” She added that TI would also continue 2K development. 4K, she said, would offer choices, including support for 2D screens as big as 100 feet, and 3D screens as big as 75 feet. It’s not expected that the developing technology will be able to be retrofitted to the current system.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Posted in Business, Digital 3D, Digital Cinema

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Real D Raises $20 Million In Funding

By J. Sperling Reich

January 29, 2008

Fresh off the hype surrounding the release of “U2 3D” it appears Real D, the leading provider of digital 3D exhibition technology, has raised an additional $20 million in their fourth round of venture capital financing. PEHub.com is reporting that Pequot Capital led the most recent round of financing.

No doubt Real D will be using this latest round of financing to fund their aggressive expansion plans as they try to reach their goal of being installed on 4,000 screens by 2009. They are already a quarter of the way there with a reported 1,100 screens as of November 16th, 2007, the day Paramount Pictures released “Beowulf” in 3D.

Back in March of 2007, when Real D’s install base was 700 screens, the company announced a third round of financing of $50 million from Shamrock Capital Growth Fund. If you do the math you’ll see that in eight months during 2007 (between March and November) Real D managed to install their technology on 400 screens meaning the company will have to increase it’s install rate by more than 300% in 2008 and maintain that rate in 2009 if they are to reach 4000 screens.

While on its face this may seem downright impossible Real D may just be able to pull it off. They already have a 500 screen deal in place with Odeon and UCI in the United Kingdom. As well, the film industry has fallen in love with digital 3D since they began to see incremental box office gains in films that are projected using the technology. During the opening weekend of “Beowulf” in North America, Real D screens alone grossed $8 million, nearly a third of its total weekend take. With A-list filmmakers such as Peter Jackson and James Cameron presently working on 3D films and DreamWorks Animation planning to produce all their films in 3D demand for the technology Real D specializes in is sure to grow over the next several years.

It’s not all sunshine and roses for Real D however, as companies such as Dolby and NuVision have entered the marketplace with alternative technologies. An additional $20 million will certainly help Real D stay competitive in an expanding market.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D

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