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Frame rate debate rages on with 48 fps projection of 3D Hobbit footage
With his use of Red cameras, 3ality rigs, and high frame rate 3D technology, no one can accuse Peter Jackson of being stuck in the past. Need more evidence of his anti-luddism? He just gave the first projection of footage from his 3D opus "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" in its full 48 fps glory at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas. With the public having endured 80 years of 24 fps film-watching, Jackson appealed to viewers to allow their eyes to adjust to the doubled rate during the ten minute screening. But the reaction showed that public acceptance might take a while. One projectionist compared it to made-for-TV fare, and others referenced Mexican soap-operas and TruMotion. The reply to these criticisms by Jackson (and James Cameron) has always been that 3D is better suited to faster frame rates than 2D -- making it more immersive, reducing headaches and improving stereoscopy. We'll have to wait for the film's release this December to find out whether he's right, or if this attempt at high frame speeds will go the way of Showscan.
Spider-Man reboot is being shot in RED EPIC 3D, has John Schwartzman all kinds of excited
You know that untitled Spider-man project that's set to revitalize the franchise at some point in 2012? Yeah, that's being shot in 3D (not news) using 3ality rigs and RED EPIC cameras (superhotawesome news). Peter Jackson already scooped up 30 EPICs to help him shoot his next big venture, The Hobbit, in 3D, but he's been beaten to the digital cinematography punch by the producers of the next Spidey flick, who have cornered a quartet of the cameras and actually started shooting with them on set yesterday. John Schwartzman, the dude responsible for filming the whole thing, has been extolling the virtues of using such fancy gear over on the RED forums, which is also where he promises his crew will be making further comments detailing the user experience. In slightly less thrilling RED news, the Scarlet S35 is being renamed to the EPIC Lite and will suffer the upheaval of having its features and price changed -- hit the links below for more. [Thanks, Anthony]
Australia's initial 3DTV broadcast will be delivered OTA
Australia's getting its first 3D at home OTA, as Channel Nine will have a free-to-air broadcast of three New South Wales Rugby League (rugby is all about the 3D) matches May 26. This is the first we've heard of anyone sending HD 3D over radio waves, and to accommodate things the government has apparently provided additional spectrum in the form of two bonded channels for the one-time event. Nine is looking into technology to transmit a 3D signal that's backwards compatible with 2D televisions so it doesn't need the additional bandwidth, but for now early adopters will have to retune their TVs to catch the channel when the time comes. The short term future of 3D could continue to be terrestrial only as cable and satellite providers on the continent haven't announced any tests for this year, but we'll be waiting anxiously to hear how well it works -- watching Glee in 2D just doesn't satisfy anymore.
Cablevision bumps Comcast to the back, 3D sports at home starts next week
Just as Comcast leapfrogged DirecTV's 3D plans, its claim to the first live HD 3D event has been stolen away by Cablevision, which will broadcast a Rangers/Islanders NHL matchup Wednesday, shown both in a special viewing party in the Theater at Madison Square Garden and on iO TV channel 1300 (if you already have a 3DTV but not Cablevision then keep an eye on your channel guide as, like the Masters broadcast, it may be shared with other networks.) While this is probably just the beginning of another FCC battle over who it will have to share the broadcasts with, MSG is just focusing on keeping a trend going since it was one of the first to jump on HDTV production of NBA and NHL games way back in 1998 and plans to keep 3D broadcasts coming over the next year with more games and concerts. Production is being handled by 3ality Digital, previously responsible for the BCS game that turned some of our preconceived notions about 3D with its BCS National Championship broadcast a little over a year ago, which plans to use 5 cameras from a lower angle than usual to resemble the perspective of the actual players -- minus concussion-inducing blindside hits to the head. Anyone willing to host a viewing party? We're totally down to bring snacks... if you'll cover our 3D glasses. [Thanks, William & Vinny]
NFL in 3D: Good technology overcomes bad entertainment
Simmer down athletic supports, we didn't just call your beloved NFL boring. But Thursday night's matchup between the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers wasn't going to generate this much interest on its own. As described by the LA Times who attended the 3D broadcast of Thursday night's "football" game at Burbank's 3ality Digital cinema, "The experience wasn't jaw-dropping, but it was noticeably better than a conventional broadcast. The game was drama-free, yet the novelty of 3D made it hard for me to take my eyes off the screen... The effect was subtle at times, but just as compelling as in "U2 3D," 3ality's concert film of the Irish rockers. The most striking thing in both cases was how much more you could see in three dimensions than in two."The event wasn't glitch free, however. Two hiccups caused the satellite feeds to go black in Boston, New York, and LA. and a few quick camera pans and poorly executed transitions had viewers convulsing behind their polarized glasses. As a proof of concept though, viewers generally seemed impressed which means more of this in the future.[Via Yahoo]
DreamWorks CEO participates in live transatlantic 3D broadcast
While it's not quite a hologram interview, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg still managed to wow onlookers in Amsterdam by being the subject of a live 3D broadcast originating in Los Angeles. This isn't the first of its kind, mind you, but those involved are still patting themselves on the back and dubbing it the "first transatlantic HD stereoscopic 3D broadcast." Part of the demonstration was to showcase the bigwig's belief that 3D is the future of cinema, as he stated that it was "the most exciting thing to happen to the visual experience in 70 years." Over at IBC2008, 3D HD was being pumped up by firms such as 3Ality and Quantel, and as much as we doubted that this stuff could ever catch on, we can't say the marketing teams aren't doing their darnedest to make it so.[Image courtesy of PhotoBucket]
Real-time 3D HD teleconference demo scheduled
AT&T may be missing out on this "reach out and touch someone" opportunity, but Dreamworks SKG is there to score on the first real-time 3D HD broadcast. SKG CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg will be interviewed in stereoscopic 3D HD glory by 3Ality Digital, and the resulting bits will be beamed by satellite company Arqiva to Amsterdam. The demo will be the first real-time 3D HD broadcast, and the "real-time" angle is definitely where the challenges are. The two HD camera feeds are muxed together at the source into a (very strange looking, we assume) 2D image, which is demuxed on the receiving end before being beamed out to Christie projectors. Neat stuff, and we're just waiting for the day this tech comes to distance workers all over.[Image courtesy TMCnet]
3ality Digital performs live 3D broadcast at NAB
3ality Digital, which played a huge role in the creation of U2 3D, successfully completed a live 3D demonstration today by beaming a performance in real-time from Burbank, California to Las Vegas, Nevada for viewers at NAB Show's Content Theater to see. The 30-minute program was a live feed of Howie Mandel and company showing off a new game show (dubbed Would You Rather?) that could eventually pass the muster and end up on NBC. Notably, the transmission occurred via a single stream using an existing broadcast infrastructure, and folks on the other end were able to see just how swell 3D broadcasts can be -- even when live. The demo was established in order to prove that live 3D airings (for sporting events, game shows, etc.) are indeed viable, but until folks start gathering at cinemas or ditching their current sets for 3D-ready versions, we can't imagine this (incredibly intriguing idea) having mass appeal.[Image courtesy of Yahoo]
HD cameras helped make U2 3D what it is
We'll be straight with you -- it's a touch difficult to describe U2 3D in words alone, but for those that have seen the extremely well received concert film, you may be interested in finding out exactly how it came together over at Sound & Vision. According to Catherine Owens, the film's co-director, the footage was shot entirely in high-definition in a digital format that proved much easier to handle than the reels used in years past. Additionally, the team behind the project had a Samsung HDTV shipped in to find out how the content translated from the big screen to one not so big, and results were described with adjectives including "phenomenal" and "insane." Yeah, we still think 3D in general has a ways to go before it shakes the gimmick label it has rightfully earned, but at least 3D in HD makes rocking those gaudy goggles slightly more bearable -- slightly.[Image courtesy of 3ality Digital]
