Entertainment Technology Center @ USC

[By Sean Williams, www.arabianbusiness.com]

It’s funny: sometimes something is so lauded, so hyped-up and sung about, that no-one has an idea what the truth actually is. Welcome to the world of 3D. Since James Cameron launched Avatar into the public eye the format has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue: there’s even a whole series of 3D keynote speeches, debates and masterclasses at this month’s NAB Show in Las Vegas.

But ask any three people what the future holds for the third dimension and you’ll likely get three different answers. On one hand there are the 3Dphiles; those who can’t help but see it as HD’s fast-approaching heir apparent. On the other, the vast majority of broadcasters are yet to take the 3D plunge: most haven’t even dipped their toes in the water. Even the vanguard of satellite services, such as YahSat’s forthcoming YahLive, has actively positioned itself firmly within the HD bracket. If most broadcasters are preparing for a 3D assault, they’re hiding it pretty well.

That said there have been breakthroughs, and big ones at that. As with most cutting-edge technology, Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB has been instrumental in bringing 3D from the silver to small screen, and its Sky 3D channel regularly broadcasts top sporting events to customers in the UK. Likewise German branch Sky Deutschland. Last month at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit, News Corp Europe and Asia chairman and chief exec James Murdoch told an audience that while he admitted 3D TV production was difficult, its growth was worth the trouble. “Customers will not want big events that are not in 3D at some point in the future,” he said, “because it is such an exciting and immersive experience.”

In the Middle East, progress has been slow. However OSN became the first channel in the region to offer a 3D service in December, and du’s video on demand (VOD) offering is allowing Middle Eastern viewers the chance to view selected content in 3D with the help of the On Demand Group (ODG), a subsidiary of SeaChange. “SeaChange’s ODG has been leading in availing 3D VOD content in Europe and the Middle East, demonstrating our extensive content handling capabilities, as was the case to deliver titles such as StreetDance 3D, the U.K.’s top grossing dance movie,” says ODG general manager Georges Dabaghi. “This started on the 25th December 2010 on du’s VOD service, and was a 3D first for the Middle East. In France ODG is currently confirming availability of further premiere titles from main studios Paramount and NBC Universal in 3D, and others are planned for availability over SFR-Nuef’s VOD service shortly and within the course of 2011.”

GlobeCast has played its role in the development of 3D content, from coverage and management to aggregation and distribution. Last year’s FIFA World Cup presented the industry with a mouth-watering catalyst, says head of global distribution Simon Farnsworth. “When we first started out with 3D we did some Burberry fashion shows about 18 months ago,” he says. “Back then 3D was a concept that people put into reality and I think 3D started out in the States. Where our involvement in 3D really kicked off was the FIFA World Cup last year, where Sony was one of the sponsors of the tournament and wanted to create a theme to its sponsorship, which was 3D. And as part of that, and a value-inclined deal with FIFA, they put a lot of money behind 3D production and prior to that developed the camera technology that allowed 3D depth budgets to grow in a live environment. So Sony took the view that essentially, to sell their 3D TVs in the consumer market, they had to develop the technology behind live production. And the World Cup was a great launch pad.”

However the World Cup coverage was beset with image quality issues, something Farnsworth believes came down to the lateness in choosing which technology to implement. “There were essentially two kinds of technology used in cinema projectors that could deal with live 3D feeds, Sensio and RealD, which are side-by-side anamorphic encoding techniques. And both of those parties claim that they have the bigger market shares. So prior to the World Cup there was a bit of a box war going on between the two parties, and FIFA were unclear as to who had the best market.

“In the end they went with Sensio,” adds Farnsworth. “And Sensio’s side-by-side was the one that was delivered to broadcasters. Since then the general consensus was that because this was done very late on, we weren’t giving enough bandwidth to give the quality the picture deserved.”

Following the struggle, Farnsworth claims that there has been a marked shift in the philosophy behind presenting 3D content. “We’re thinking much more logically now, because cinemas generally wanted to take a 720p picture and broadcasters wanted 1080i. When you broadcast 1080i on such a large screen you’re still getting a ghosting effect that was giving consumers headaches. With 720p you’re not giving as much quality, so the data is given a better chance to deal with the motion of the pictures. Now what we’re thinking of doing, in order to retain maximum quality, is to encode and transport two video streams, which is essentially the left eye and the right eye. So when you deliver to these cinema networks they can make it their choice whether they want to broadcast in Sensio or RealD, 720p or 1080i. As a production and delivery mechanism, we’re giving them the best source video quality we can.”

Since the World Cup, however, the industry has struggled to keep up with the pace, and Farnsworth feels that last year’s push has not energised broadcasters enough to upgrade from HD facilities so soon. “Sky has pushed very hard on its 3D channel in the UK. And I know that the Premier League is now delivering 3D matches internationally. But that’s more being driven by the Asian market to be honest. Outside of that there’s been very little movement in the 3D market, firstly because it’s immensely costly to produce: all the OB vans need to be completely refitted with 3D technology provided by Sony or other providers.

“At the moment I just don’t think there are economies of scale where there are distinct returns on revenue to make it happen,” adds Farnsworth, “because broadcasters have recently invested huge amounts of money in HD infrastructure upgrades, and are still probably trying to recoup that cash. And to go to them again and say, “Ok, now we want to move to a 3D environment,” there is still debate as to how they will monetise that 3D content, and whether they can charge more for the 3D content than the HD content.” Sky has decided not to charge its HD customers more for 3D content. So why would broadcasters bother with the format? Farnsworth thinks that any pay TV operator brave enough to enter the 3D market now would be doing it to protect from the onslaught of IPTV; to show that it is keeping ahead of the game.

The Middle East has its own issues where 3D is concerned. “Existing infrastructures for cable, satellite and broadband distribution of 3D content are limited in bandwidth,” says Dabaghi. “3D content typically requires twice as much image data to be delivered compared with 2D. While this may be less of an issue for fibre-based broadband deployments, bandwidth remains one of the biggest infrastructural challenges. In addition to that, many if not all of the existing customer premise equipment (CPE) terminating the video stream, namely  set-top boxes, are not equipped to handle two separate image streams required to enable 3D.”

Mashood Ahmad is the Middle East’s regional managing director for network specialist Ciena. His firm recently upgraded core networks in Riyadh to carry up to 100GB/s capacity with telco Mobily, the first commercial network in the region to break three figures. He reckons that this could be the bandwidth breakthrough that enables widespread use of 3D in the KSA and beyond. “One of the issues often overlooked is the role of networks, where we fit in behind emergent 3D services,” he says. “To give an example, a standard SD channel on an IPTV-type network compression is only around 2Mgs bandwidth per second, whereas a 3D channel broadcast in HD can consume up
to 30Mg/s. That requires 15 times more capacity.

“Essentially what Ciena does is provide networking equipment in the core, and also in the access to support the various layers of applications or network layers that operators have. We are in the core of the network,” adds Ahmad. “If an operator wants to build a 3D, IPTV, voice or broadband offering on top of that, we’re pretty much agnostic to whatever traffic we carry. What we specialise in is being able to carry whatever type of traffic that may be, all as wavelengths that can have the highest capacity.”

As with most leading-edge broadcast ventures, the GCC is leading the way in the Middle East thanks to its push for fibre. But 3D is essentially hamstrung by its own technology, and broadcasters are increasingly having to address a chicken-and-egg scenario. “Do we create 3D content then enable the consumer segment to access it, or do the reverse?” asks Georges Dabaghi. “As VOD is in its infancy regionally it’s difficult to answer, but availing a few quality and premiere titles helps to gauge the market, and the initial uptake, albeit with a few titles, beats expectation. From a user interest the appetite is there, and consumption is definitely made higher by the falling price of 3D TV sets – in the UAE I note a significant decline of approximately 40 per cent in the price of a 3D TV set from the beginning of 2010 – and by the infiltration of broadband into the homes.”

Mashood Ahmad’s opinion certainly runs towards the higher end of optimism: “We’ve seen a large adoption of 3DTV and HDTV, and next-generation video content, for the last couple of years. Certainly 2011 has become the year of 3DTV, the natural successor of HD. Across the industry, several firms have launched their product ranges; TV stations have started broadcasting their major events in 3D, and we’re starting to see new 3D movies coming up as the emerging format. It’s not sufficient just have an HD experience.”

Yet Simon Farnsworth is far more cautious. For him, there are simply too many unknowns floating around the market for anyone to tout this year as a breakthrough. However, he does feel that the move towards 3D will be led by consumer manufacturers such as Sony. “Eventually mainstream 3D will happen because the technology is there, and if you look at the model that Sony is taking for example, for Wimbledon, whereby they’ve bought the out-of-home 3D viewing rights worldwide, they are deciding that it’s time to take matters even further into their own hands.

“But broadcasters and cinema networks are concerned about their return on investment,” he adds. “Right now I just don’t think there are enough 3D television sets out there to make this work. But if the likes of James Murdoch want to do something they’ll do it, because they have control over so many markets. If he has Sony on his back saying, “Keep doing this, because we will sell more TVs and will spend X amount of money advertising on your networks,” then clearly he will do it.”

So is 2011 the year the breakthrough year for 3D? Probably not, says Farnsworth – mainly as the uptake on consumer 3D technology is based around major sporting events like last year’s World Cup; something which won’t be happening until the European Championships and Olympics kick off next summer. “This year we’re in an ‘off’ year, with the Cricket World Cup not being produced in 3D. I don’t think the Rugby World Cup will be produced in 3D either,” he says. “Next year, however, we’ve got the European Championship in football and the Olympic Games. If those host broadcasting organisations decide to produce content in 3D then you might see a bit of a rush. The movie market will obviously continue to grow in 2011. But I’d be surprised if the consumer market moved a great deal this year.” As far as 2011 is concerned, it looks like being another year of hyperbole and posturing. 2012 on the other hand – now that might just be 3D’s year.

See the original post here: http://www.arabianbusiness.com/time-be-threealistic–394276.html

See the original press release here: http://www.dcinematoday.com/dc/pr.aspx?newsID=2297

[Source: SMPTE LA Chapter email]

[By KAREN IDELSON, Variety]

In the world of 3D exhibition, the companies that make the glasses and add-ons systems used by theaters to screen films in 3D are knocking heads over screens in this country and worldwide.

Though RealD got to the party early and locked in some impressive contracts, a group of tough challengers — some among the biggest names in entertainment tech — is developing their own set of relationships and strongholds.

The three largest players in the 3D exhibition market are still RealD, Dolby and Xpand. RealD is the undisputed frontrunner, with greater than 85% market share in the U.S. Company recently announced it had passed 15,000 installed screens worldwide.

Started in 2003 by CEO Michael Lewis, RealD adds complex technology to a d-cinema projector but requires only simple polarized glasses, which can be disposable. RealD also uses a unique business model. Instead of selling its systems outright, it collects a royalty on each ticket. Exhibs have liked that because they’re not on the hook for an expensive add-on should the format — or RealD itself — go belly-up. RealD has aggressively pursued long-term deals with major theater chains to lock in market share.

The company has approximately 8,600 screens in the U.S. and Canada at about 2,300 locations. There are around 6,500 international RealD-enabled screens at 2,150 locations outside the U.S. These numbers translate to a 182% increase in their base of installed theatres in the last 12 months alone.

Dolby, a much older company with a proud brand and deep relationships with exhibitors, entered the 3D market later with a (color-based) interference filter system that requires more expensive, reusable glasses, but the glasses are still “passive” — they have no electronics built in. Dolby doesn’t sell to theater chains but to aggregators who put together d-cinema systems for theaters.

X factor

Xpand has built a reputation for their high performance active shutter 3D glasses ($35 a pair, reusable) and in the process won 3,500 screens in total, many in Asia and Europe. Because the Xpand glasses have electronics built into the frames, it requires somewhat less tech in the projector — or in the TV, as Xpand makes universal glasses for today’s active-shutter 3D TVs. Company also just introduced a 3D plug-in for PowerPoint.

“It’s true that it might be cheaper to see a 3D with passive glasses but I don’t think audiences are stupid,” said Xpand’s chief strategy officer, Ami Dror. “They can tell the difference between good 3D and bad 3D. When it’s bad, people get headaches or it just doesn’t look as good. Our system looks good and it costs more. That’s the choice exhibitors have to make.”

All three companies claim to have superior tech, though, and in fact all are rated high by experts. RealD is arguably the most vulnerable to cross-talk (a double image when the left eye and right eye frames aren’t fully separated), but the difference is small.

Trailing the big three are upstart Masterimage, which uses tech similar to RealD and has sold systems to more than a dozen mid-sized theater chains; Panavision, which uses a “spectral comb” filter that’s a cousin to Dolby and is starting a push in the Americas; Technicolor, which is focused mainly on helping film projectors show 3D; and startup Oculus, which has another 35mm-based 3D system but for now is focused on making eco-friendly polarized glasses.

“We have relationships with all these exhibitors for a reason,” said RealD’s Lewis. “If our product didn’t give a great experience at a price that works for the exhibitors, we wouldn’t be there.” But nowadays the 3D companies aren’t really competing on the quality of their technology but rather on economics. And that may give RealD’s competitors an opening.

Though Lewis won’t discuss details of RealD’s exhib deals, its standard deal charges a royalty on each ticket sold for a RealD showing plus fees for the system itself over the course of the time it’s used by the theater. Exhibs pay the royalty and fees as they go but are spared having to buy the system.

Specs and bucks

At the heart of the competition is 3D glasses, and here RealD has a major advantage. In North America, distributors supply RealD disposable glasses to theaters, so RealD’s glasses are cost-free to exhibs. Distribs don’t subsidize reusable glasses. Outside the U.S., RealD sells the glasses to the theater, which then resells them to patrons for a cost of approximately €1, Lewis said. Patrons are encouraged to carry their own and avoid the extra charge when they return.

Cleaning, loss, breakage and theft are significant expenses with reusables, but even with those costs reusables are arguably cheaper over their life. However, since exhibs don’t bear the cost of disposables, RealD’s competitors lose that advantage.

RealD’s rivals also claim to offer a better deal since they don’t force a theater chain to sign a multiyear deal or pay a per-ticket royalty. Masterimage’s pitch has convinced more than a dozen mid-range theater chains, including Bow Tie Cinemas, to buy their 3D systems. The company’s glasses are also subsidized in the U.S. Outside the U.S., the glasses are sold to the theater and then resold to patrons as well. Masterimage prexy Peter Koplik believes his glasses are less expensive than RealD’s.

All companies offering 3D systems with polarized glasses have to worry about cross-talk. The big advantage of the Xpand shutter glasses is that there is no cross-talk; only one eye sees the screen at a time. That earns them plaudits among some 3D experts, though the glasses are relatively heavy, can fail and need recharging.

Lewis doesn’t believe RealD’s glasses are outperformed or that Xpand’s business model will work over the long haul.

“The best way to do 3D has been established,” Lewis said.

Panavision entered the 3D market only in October. “We know we’re coming into this late,” said Eric Rodli, general manager of 3D systems for Panavision. “When you’re late to a party, you have to bring a really good dessert, and that’s what we think we’ve done.” Panavision has just over 50 screens between the U.S. and South America. Rodli believes its biggest areas of opportunity for now will be outside the U.S.

Technicolor has designed low-cost systems designed to upgrade film projectors to 3D — an opportunity even Technicolor thinks is only going to last a few years. Their pitch is to theaters and chains that lack resources for a digital upgrade. With the Technicolor system, they can show 3D (and collect the 3D upcharge) with a 35mm projector. Technicolor uses polarized glasses modeled on RealD’s design but specially designed by Technicolor.

These smaller companies clearly have no intention of giving up the fight despite the considerable advantages RealD brings to the battle. They hope that the d-cinema wave is big enough for a bunch of companies to surf, and they may be right.

The studios want to push the digital transition and lose the expense of release prints. And while auds seem indifferent to the quality advantages of d-cinema, they’ve flocked to 3D, even at an upcharge, so it’s become the biggest inducement for theaters to go digital.

As Koplik puts it: “RealD is Goliath and we’re David, but we’re getting better with our slingshot.”

See the original story here: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118034654?refCatId=3764

Today, Barco achieved another industry first by shipping its new DLP Cinema 4K projector to Cinemark Holdings, Inc., marking the first commercial installation of DLP Cinema Enhanced 4K in the world.

Digital cinema pioneer Barco began shipments of its newly released DLP Cinema 4K projectors to Cinemark’s theatres today, starting with Cinemark’s West Plano, Texas theatre. This shipment of native 4K DLP projectors is another milestone demonstrating Barco’s technology leadership. In the same way that Cinemark has achieved differentiation in the market with its XD concept, Barco will continue to help deliver a premium experience for moviegoers with its 4K projectors.

“Across the globe, the Cinemark brand represents a premium digital cinema experience. As a premiere movie exhibitor, it is critical for us to continually offer the best technology available at all times and with Barco’s unparalleled brightness, image quality and reliability, we know that we can deliver the ultimate theatre experience to our patrons time and time again,” commented Alan Stock, CEO of Cinemark. “Just as importantly, Barco has met every single commitment they’ve made to Cinemark, including 100% on-time installations even with a very aggressive deployment schedule.”

Barco has rapidly lifted production to fulfill demand around the world, providing several models of its DLP 4K projectors for the various theatre footprints maintained by Cinemark. The DP4K-32B will be installed in Cinemark’s largest theatres, including XD premium auditoriums, while the DP4K-23B will be deployed in the majority of Cinemark’s standard auditoriums. Barco’s projectors feature the highest image quality and Guinness world record brightness, with a modular design that enables easy installation and maintenance, an intuitive user interface and smart auto lamp alignment, all at the lowest total cost of ownership, thanks to low lamp and electrical operating costs, reusable filters, and minimal maintenance requirements.

“Cinemark continues to be a fantastic partner to Barco and we are very happy to keep them at the forefront of movie exhibition. Our continued technology leadership, featuring numerous industry firsts, ensures that our projectors perform at the highest caliber to provide a rich, immersive, and differentiated experience for their moviegoers,” commented Todd Hoddick, VP of Barco’s Entertainment Division in North America.

Cinemark is a leading domestic and international motion picture exhibitor, operating 430 theatres with 4,945 screens in 39 U.S. states, Brazil, Mexico and 11 other Latin American countries as of December 31, 2010. Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco is active in more than 90 countries with about 3,500 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 897 million euro in 2010.

See the original press release here: http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/prc/Barco-and-Cinemark-Are-First-to-Initiate-Commercial-4K-DLP-Deployments_12957.html

As it launches a new range of 3D TVs, Korean electronics giant LG has boldly targeted five million 3D TV sales for 2011.

Such sales would represent around a fifth of sales and LG’s sets will use a new 3D technology film patterned retarder (FPR [their polarized display technolog]) which it is hoped by the firm will address nagging issues regarding image quality that have to date been associated with its sets. The sets will though need glasses in order to realise a full 3D effect.

“[FPR] is a second-generation 3D technology and the market is evolving to this new generation. We are confident that this technology will lead the market and we’ll aggressively push for FPR,” commented Havis Kwon, head of LG’s home entertainment division.

See the original post here: http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/2011021610384/lg-targets-5-million-3dtv-sales-for-3d-leadership.html

Christie, the world leader in digital cinema projection, is the brand of choice for the first multiplex in Missouri that eliminates the traditional projectionist booth and requires no human operator, B&B Theatres’ Wildwood 10. The groundbreaking multiplex’s booth-less auditoriums, installed by Kansas-based Sonic Equipment Company, are powered by Christie Solaria™ Series digital cinema projectors.

The projectors sit on platforms supported by 16-foot beams that moviegoers can walk under, with a control room on a lower level that is the heart of the digital cinema system. A total of 10 Christie Solaria CP2220 4K-ready DLP Cinema® projectors were installed with six of them set up for Real D 3D presentations.

“The booth-less auditoriums are a first for us. They create a ‘cool effect’ that we believe is the way to go in our new theatres,” said Dennis McIntire, Director of Strategic Planning for B&B. “We have a very strong track record with Christie. Since the projectors platforms are designed to be low maintenance, we needed a projection system of the highest quality and durability, and Christie was the best fit.”

“Booth-fewer auditoriums are an exciting new development and, at Sonic, we thrive on being on the leading edge,” said Eric Olson, Director of Operations, Sonic Equipment Company. “We needed digital projectors that would eliminate the fear of the unknown, and Christie took the fear factor out of the equation. Their projectors perform continuously, without worrying about frequent access for servicing. We have enormous confidence in the reliability of Christie projectors and wouldn’t have attempted the booth-less auditoriums without them.”

The Wildwood 10 Theatres represent the new face of the B&B brand. In addition to being Missouri’s first, all-digital multiplex, it features two plush “Marquee Suites” for patrons who are over 21, as well as a spectacular 56-foot wide, wall-to-wall Grand Screen, also lit up by a Christie projector, that offers the latest in 3D video and audio technology. The building’s façade incorporates an Art Deco spire and vertical signage that were built from the ground up on the site of a former bank, while the interior décor features murals of stylized Hollywood scenes. The Wildwood 10 had its grand opening in October, bringing the family-run chain’s total digital screens to 62 and putting them on track to digitize all of their 204 screens within two years.

Sonic’s Eric Olson noted that Christie Managed Services also played an integral role in his decision to recommend Christie projectors.

“The service allows us to offer our customer a wider range of support and maintenance to help them best manage their new high tech digital systems,” he said. “Christie Managed Services blends seamlessly with our technical capabilities to provide a solid foundation of support that includes expertise in planning, procurement, logistics, pre-staging and integration, as well as implementation of system rollouts.”

Olson added, “I am amazed with how little the theatre manager has to worry about, considering the sophistication of these projection systems. Christie Managed Services is like a full time projectionist continuously monitoring the systems.”

“The best projection systems in the world are of little value if they are not also highly reliable,” noted Craig Sholder, vice president, Entertainment Solutions, Christie. “Christie’s strong reputation in the exhibition community is based on providing products of proven dependability, backed by unmatched technical expertise. B&B’s new booth-less theaters are a tribute to the confidence they have in Christie projectors and our commitment to meeting the most challenging needs of our customers.”

Original press release here: http://www.dcinematoday.com/dc/pr.aspx?newsID=2168

Cobb Theatres will complete the digital conversion of its entire circuit with the purchase of an additional 100+ Barco digital cinema projectors for eight of its theatres serving Florida, Alabama and the Southeast.

Digital cinema pioneer Barco announced today that Cobb Theatres of Birmingham, Alabama has purchased an additional 105 digital cinema projectors to complete the digital conversion of its entire 19-theatre chain with Barco’s Series 2 projectors. Cobb already has over 60 Barco Series 1 and Series 2 projectors installed throughout its circuit, and the proven reliability has cemented Barco’s standing as Cobb’s projector of choice. Cobb is planning to install a Barco projector in every auditorium and every theatre throughout the circuit, with many venues featuring Cobb’s innovative new “CineBistro” concept, a rapidly emerging trend in digital cinema entertainment.

As a “leader in providing the ultimate entertainment experience,” Cobb has fully embraced the concept of a “destination theatre,” offering specialty cocktails and gourmet restaurant-quality fare, with an emphasis on plush comfort and elite-class customer service. The cornerstone attraction is its “CineBistro,” an intimate lounge and restaurant area in a boutique setting surrounded by multiple theatres seating 80-100 customers. After dining, tables are retracted and patrons enjoy a movie in true “private Hollywood movie screening” style.

“Cobb is building a premium brand targeted to the sophisticated moviegoer who looks beyond merely catching a quick movie to seek a richer, multi-faceted cinema experience. Barco projectors are a natural part of this equation, perfectly complimenting our offering with unparalleled quality, high efficiency and proven reliability,” commented Jeremy Welman, COO of Cobb Theatres. “Moreover, we can count on Barco to stand behind their products with excellent service, making a ‘Barco exclusive’ the natural and easy choice for us.”

Cobb installed Barco’s DP-1500 and DP-2000 projectors in its first three CineBistro venues, attracted by the crystal-clear images displayed by the combination of Barco’s superior optics and Texas Instrument’s DLP Cinema® technology. Additionally, for the Hyde Park (Tampa, FL) CineBistro, a Barco ACS-2048 alternative content switcher was installed to expand the theatre’s display capabilities, enabling input and scaling of alternative content formats such as DVDs and satellite feeds directly into the projector. With this innovative and inexpensive addition, the CineBistro venue is a viable option for showcasing private corporate events and screening live telecasts such as sports and musical entertainment. The new deployments will include an additional 105 Barco projectors spanning the full gamut of Barco’s extensive suite of DCI-compliant 2K projectors, including the brightest digital cinema projector in the world – the DP2K-32B.

“We are honored that Cobb has chosen to partner with Barco for this innovative CineBistro concept and to deploy our projectors throughout Cobb’s entire circuit. They clearly recognize the importance that supreme image quality and top-notch service play in delivering an upscale entertainment experience,” commented Todd Hoddick, VP Digital Cinema for Barco North America. “Cobb’s innovative spirit and attention to detail are traits that we highly value at Barco, and we share their enthusiasm for bringing this new avant-garde concept to a new genre of moviegoers.”

Original post here: http://www.dcinematoday.com/dc/pr.aspx?newsID=2165

(Phil Lelyveld note: this is a Home 3D Theatre solution.  The 3D Lab’s home theatre is from Lightspeed Design.) Offer Includes the DepthQ HDs3D-1 Projector, DepthQ Polarization Modulator and 5 Pair of DepthQ 3D Circular Polarized Passive Glasses
—

This limited time offer consists of a DepthQ  HDs3D-1 Projector, a DepthQ Polarization Modulator (Small Aperture: 2.75×2.51″) and 5 pair of DepthQ  3D circular polarized passive glasses for a total price of $6500. This is a $2500 discount from the regular price of $9000.

Art Feierman, in his 1/20/11 review for ProjectorReviews.com, said, “The overall image performance of the Modulator resulted in a cleaner 3D picture than the other 3D systems we looked at at the same time.” Read Art’s entire review titled “Lightspeed’s 3D DepthQ Polarization Modulator and Their 3D Projector System” at:www.projectorreviews.com/lightspeed/3d-modulator/index.php.

The DepthQ  HDs3D-1 high-definition 3D projector is the 3rd generation of Lightspeed Design’s patent-pending portable stereoscopic projectors, offering superior contrast and synchronization for 3D professionals. These projectors leverage nearly two decades of professional 3D knowledge and expertise to deliver the highest quality, most satisfying and hassle-free 3D experience possible.

New to the HDs3D-1 is higher brightness (2700 lumens in 3D mode), an all-digital HDMI input path for unsurpassed clarity and a specialized 3D image sequence optimized for brighter polarized projection. Additionally, these professional-level 3D projectors can easily display 10 ft (3m) wide high-definition images using the latest Texas Instruments DLP  and BrilliantColor(TM) technologies – for wall-filling imagery with stunning colors and a 2100:1 contrast ratio at a truly unprecedented level of price-performance.

The DepthQ  Polarization Modulator electronically switches the polarization orientation of light passing through it. In combination with a polarization-preserving screen and the DepthQ  HDs3D-1 projector, the modulator enables high-brightness, low-ghost viewing using lightweight & comfortable passive 3D eyewear.

The modulator utilizes a unique combination of separate liquid crystal elements bonded together, enabling both high polarization efficiency over visible wavelengths from 400 to 750 nm (predominantly achromatic spectral response) as well as fast transition switching speeds (0.6ms at room temperature) between polarization states at a frequency of 120Hz. Efficient, high-speed switching between the eyes ensures bright, low-crosstalk, flicker-free operation.

To order now and take advantage of this special bundle pricing, contact Lightspeed atwww.depthq.com/contact.html, or call our sales department at +1-206-784-1385. Linear polarization available upon request. The DepthQ  Polarization Modulator is also available in a large size for projectors with apertures up to 7.12 inches (180.85mm) and lamp outputs up to 35,000 lumens for use in large venues including Digital Cinema. If you are interested in larger venue or Digital Cinema applications, please contact Lightspeed at sales@lightspeeddesign.com or call our sales department at +1-206-784-1385.

Lightspeed Design, Inc./DepthQ , located in Bellevue, WA, USA, has 17 years experience in 3D film & video productionand stereoscopic 3D technology development. Our knowledge and expertise allows us to create immersive, impactful experiences and precise technology solutions for clients such as Mercedes Benz, Microsoft, Disney, IMAX, DreamWorks, NASA, and Intuitive Surgical.

Original Press Release here: http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/prc/Lightspeed-DesignDepthQ-Announces-3D-ProjectorPolarization-Modulator-Bundle_12891.html

1.0 Throw Ratio Designed for Large Stadium Seating Auditoriums With Screens up to 82 Feet Wide

RealD Inc. (NYSE: RLD), a leading global licensor of 3D technologies for cinema, consumer electronics and professional applications, announced today that it has developed and begun deploying to motion picture exhibition venues the XLW Cinema System.  An extension of the award-winning XL Cinema System, the XLW Cinema System can accommodate a throw ratio as wide as 1.0 (projection distance divided by screen width), and is designed for use in premium large screen motion picture auditoriums, theme parks and specialty theatres with stadium seating.

The XLW Cinema System is capable of delivering crisp, clear 3D images on screens up to 82 feet (25 meters) wide and maintains the industry-leading performance of the XL Cinema System by delivering to a screen twice the light of competing 3D projection technologies while utilizing a single DLP® digital cinema projector.

“Many exhibitors are rolling out their own premium large screen auditoriums equipped with RealD 3D so they can give moviegoers a big screen experience across the full slate of 3D movie releases,” said Joseph Peixoto, President of Worldwide Cinema at RealD.  “The XLW Cinema System, with its 1.0 throw ratio and industry-leading light levels, is designed for these premium auditoriums’ stadium seating configuration.  The XLW will assure that exhibitors have optimal 3D projection so moviegoers experience crisp, clear images for a fully immersive RealD 3D experience.”

RealD 3D technology is currently deployed in premium large screen auditoriums with a number of motion picture exhibitors including Regal (RPX), AMC (ETX), Cinemark (XD), Carmike (BigD), Marcus (UltraScreen), Cineplex (UltraAVX) and Essex Cinemas (T-Rex).

The XLW Cinema System utilizes light efficiency technology introduced with the XL Cinema System, which captures light lost by other 3D projection technologies and recycles it back onto the screen for a brighter and more immersive 3D experience.  By utilizing a single digital cinema projector, XLW Cinema Systems do not suffer from the imbalance and misalignment issues of dual projector systems and offer exhibitors cost savings on power usage and equipment such as projectors and lamps.

RealD plans to demonstrate the XLW Cinema System at the Digital Cinema Symposium January 24-25, 2011, at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX.

RealD is a leading licensor of 3D technology for motion picture theatres.  As of the quarter ending September 24, 2010, RealD had deployed its 3D technology on approximately 9,300 cinema screens worldwide.

Original Press Release here: http://www.dcinematoday.com/dc/pr.aspx?newsID=2160