XpanD is a worldwide player in the theater-spec 3D glasses market, claiming a 90% market share in Asian cinemas and over 50% in Europe. There are several XpanD-supported cinemas littered throughout the US; however, the company is sending a message to RealD that it will make a harder push into North America in 2010.
XpanD is also touting a strong offering for its 3D tech in consumer electronics for 2010.
James Cameron’s Avatar will be shown in RealD 3D and IMAX 3D. It’s scheduled for release on December 18, 2009, just in time for Christmas.
You can bet your bottom dollar that I’m going to catch this in 3D. Although, I’ll probably stick with RealD 3D as opposed to the IMAX version. Expect a review shortly after the release date.
The latest iteration of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, was released in both IMAX 3D and Disney Digital 3D. I caught the 3D version, but not IMAX.
The 3D Setup and Previews
As with all of the recent 3D flicks I’ve attended, I received a pair of RealD 3D glasses for the show. It seems like every time I go to the movies, they improve on the quality of these glasses. This was the sturdiest pair of RealD 3D glasses that I’ve had yet.
Before I get into the meat of the movie, I’ll also point out that there were some great 3D previews shown as well. Toy Story 3 had a long full 3D trailer, as did How to Train Your Dragon. You can tell that Hollywood is really set on 3D being a big deal in 2010 and beyond. The animation and 3D effects just keep getting smoother and smoother.
How the Story Went
Now, the story isn’t any secret of course. We’ve all seen many takes on Charles Dickens’ story. From Muppets to musicals, there are so many variations, and each one has its own fans and critics. Jim Carrey’s Scrooge story will be no different.
Jim Carrey knocked it out of the park with his acting. Every time I see a Jim Carrey movie, he just gets better and better. He absolutely makes this movie and shines through all the special effects, animation and any other distractions within.
I would consider Carrey’s Scrooge story to be one of the darker versions of the tale. Some of the encounters with the ghosts are definitely scarier than what you experience from the Muppets’ story or Albert Finney’s musical version. That said, the story was well told overall and it was a fun movie-going experience for families. I would caution parents with younger children to consider their own kids’ tolerance for strong thematic elements.
3D and Special Effects
The 3D animation did not disappoint. Although, at some points in the film, I felt like it came to a bit of a stall so the creators could show off their amazing special effects. While the effects were stunning for the most part, as we neared the end of the film, I began to wonder just how many more “flying” or chase sequences could be thrown in. The effects were almost pushed over the edge at these times to a point where the tail wagged the dog.
As for the 3D effects in general, Disney nailed it again with an almost seamless display of 3D theater. The snow was spectacular, particularly in some of the solemn and still life sequences. It really looked like it was snowing inside the theater.
The 3D effects gave a depth to the entire movie that I really haven’t appreciated before. When I saw Disney’s UP in 3D, I thought it was the best 3D translation I had ever seen. I have to put Disney’s A Christmas Carol right up there with it, if not a notch above.
Looking into some of the rooms or outside of windows in scenes produced an immersing experience. It felt like A Christmas Carol was truly striving for a 3D experience from the story board to the big screen. In UP 3D, the 3D experience seemed more subtle and passive. In A Christmas Carol 3D, you are pushed into the scenes with the characters. It makes you want to reach out and capture a snowflake before it landed on the seat in front of you.
Disney’s A Christmas Carol 3D Review Conclusion
The effects were stunning, no doubt. Unfortunately, it felt like the effects were pushed too far in some sequences, creating a “just for show” feel. Disney’s A Christmas Carol is certainly worth seeing in Disney Digital 3D; however, the movie doesn’t have that “timeless classic” feel to it that should have been the case because Jim Carrey’s acting was spectacular. Additionally, the darker scenes may keep it from being a children’s favorite, and parents should definitely take a pre-screening of the film before turning your children loose to watch it at will.
It’s a pair of generally pedestrian cameras that, when joined at the hip, combine Voltron-like to do something rather more interesting: capture 3D renderings of your extreme endeavors.
Here’s another video from Tachyon of footage from the 3D cam (get your 3D glasses out):
In 2010, Panasonic is set to launch a line of 3D products for consumers in the US, Europe and Japan. Panasonic’s 50-inch Full HD 3D PDP and High-Precision Active Shutter Glasses will be shown off at CEATEC Japan 2009. Panasonic is betting that the 50-inch size with be just about right for most people looking to move up to the 3D experience.
The new prototype 50-inch Panasonic features Full HD at 1080p x 2. In other words, each eye is getting a full resolution frame of the movie, which is how most theatrical releases get the polished 3D effect that has previously just not translated that well to the living room. The new active shutter glasses are also a big deal in reducing crosstalk that often degrades image resolution in 3D displays.
Many more details on Panasonic’s latest developments can be found in the news release below. [click to continue…]
Disney is bringing Tron back to the big screen with Tron: Legacy, which will be available in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D at certain locations. The Disney Digital 3D effects in the recent Pixar flick, UP, was the best 3D experience that I have had (See UP 3D Review). While the old Tron film is quite dated, the following trailer shows how far the Tron concept has come in nearly 30 years.
UP 3D had a very subtle use of 3D effects, which was very effective. Hopefully, we’ll get the same treatment in Tron Legacy 3D, but with more wizwow thanks to the sci-fi setting and action sequences that were absent from UP.
The new Tron Legacy film clearly has the old Tron at its heart, but is so much more polished thanks to the technological advances along the way. I don’t really care much for the original Tron in terms of its dialogue and storytelling. Hopefully, those aspects will be improved as well.
Tron Legacy is set some 25 years after the original Tron, where Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), who is the son of Kevin Flynn from the original Tron (role reprised by Jeff Bridges), finds his way into the program world and is reunited with his dad. Together, they must navigate their way across the program environment to escape it once and for all.
Sony has developed a high frame rate single lens 3D camera, which purportedly will capture high quality 3D images at 240fps. The new camera is just a concept at this point and relies on an optical system that will simultaneously capture left and right images through a single lens which then reflects light to two mirrors and, in turn, two imaging sensors.
Sony is expected to show a prototype at CREATEC JAPAN 2009 in Japan on October 6.
As if we needed more confirmation that 3D is growing as a viable entertainment product, the 3D Entertainment Summit doubled in size this year. In attentence were major players like Sony, RealD, Dreamworks, Panasonic and IMAX.
You can get more details about some the latest developments from these players in the press release below. [click to continue…]
Do you have two video cameras and some video editing software? You might want to try your hand at your own 3D videos if you do. See the video above from Indie Mogul to see how it’s done.
