Filed under: Feature, TECHNOLOGY | Tags: 3D, Concurrent Versions System, DreamWorks, inTru3D, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Lionsgate, Monsters vs. Aliens, My Bloody Valentine, NBC, PepsiCo, Real3D, RealD, South Beach Beverage Company, Super Bowl
3D FILM AND TV: THE HOTNESS OR THE WACKNESS?
Last night, I headed out to Union Square in NYC to catch My Bloody Valentine, the horror re-make of a 1981 Canadian film of the same name. This film is the first R-rated film to be projected in Real 3D technology. 3D film used to require 2 projectors to create the visual. Real 3D only uses 1 projector. My Bloody Valentine 3D was released on 1,033 screens nation-wide, the highest number of screens in distribution of a Real 3D film. It was released both in 3D and its standard format although viewers have chosen so far 6:1 to see it in 3D. So, people seem to dig this 3D stuff.
But the question still remains, is it really the hotness? The film and television studios sure think so.
This Sunday, during the Super Bowl, viewers who remembered to pick up their nifty glasses at one of these retail locations will be able to watch 2 ads in 3D. The first is a trailer for the animated DreamWorks film Monsters vs. Aliens debuting in March in theatres. The second is an ad for PepsiCo‘s SoBe LifeWater energy drinks. Both will feature inTru3D’s technology which features a high-powered chip from Intel. The difference between Real 3D and inTru3D? DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg would say that this technology provides more vibrant colors than others. Katzenberg is so dedicated to this new technology that he has proclaimed (yes like God) that all feature films from DreamWorks will be authored in 3D this year. You tell it Katz…
And here I thought I was being slick by keeping my RealD glasses from last night to use for Sunday. Yahhhh…turns out they won’t work. Awesome. I can’t wait to walk into my local 1st Avenue CVS and calmly ask for some 3D glasses. Keep in mind that on former occasions at this same pharmacy, employees weren’t sure where the cotton balls were. Great.
And finally, keep those inTru3D glasses you painstakingly located at CVS after a heated discussion surrounding their existence, for the season premiere of Chuck coming to NBC Monday night at 8. Check out the preview below.
Now, I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty excited to see what 3D looks like at home on my own television. But the jury’s still out for me on whether this will be cool for a minute in theatrical time or go the distance. From what I saw last night from My Bloody Valentine, it’s intriguing but not enough for me to pay extra for. Yup, that’s right. I didn’t really answer the question. That’s just how I roll.
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- Monsters vs. Aliens 3D Promo to Air During the Super Bowl (perezhilton.com)
- Tips For HD and 3D Viewing on Superbowl Sunday [HDTV] (i.gizmodo.com)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Consumer electronics, Consumer Electronics Show, High-Definition Multimedia Interface, High-definition television, Howard Stringer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Slingbox, Television
Sony Chairman and CEO Howard Stringer showed the crowd at the Consumer Electronics Show 3-D video clips from “Cars” and the Orange Bowl to make his point that the technology is “closer than you think” to becoming widely available. DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, appearing on stage with Stringer, said 3-D represented “the third great revolution” of the film industry after sound and color. Multichannel News (1/8)
The President-elect’s team called for a delay in the cutoff of analog TV signals yesterday after The Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, sent a letter to Capitol Hill late Tuesday requesting that the Feb. 17 transition be postponed to better prepare elderly and poorer consumers who still rely on rabbit ears for their television signals. The requests come days after federal officials announced that the program to distribute $40 coupons to defray the cost of digital converter boxes has run out of money. (The boxes retail for between $50-$80 each, without a coupon.) (Cynopsis 1/9)
Comcast and Panasonic announced they have started working on a new breed of digital cable set-top boxes that can link Panasonic’s Viera HDTVs to other entertainment devices in the home. Theoretically, the new boxes, which will employ HDMI-CEC technology, will enable nontru2way TVs to interact with tru2way set-top boxes via a unified remote control and user interface. CED Magazine.com (1/8) , Light Reading (1/8)
Dish Network unveiled the world’s first “SlingLoaded HD DuoDVR,” integrating Sling Media’s place shifting Slingbox technology with a dual tuner HD DVR enabling subscribers to view HD programming on their TVs, laptops or smartphones both at home and remotely. (Cynopsis 1/9)
IPTV programmer NeuLion unveils a new HD TV Box today that allows participating networks to deliver 720p and 1080i HD streaming to PCs or directly to HDTV sets. The current NeuLion box, available for $129, delivers a wide selection of foreign broadcasting services in 480p and 480i as well as sports programming including NFL football and NHL hockey to broadband customers on an a la carte basis. The new box is expected to ship in March 2009 for an undetermined price. (Cynopsis 1/9)
Like the folks who make a popular New Year’s resolution, TV sets will get thinner in the future, according to research from DisplaySearch. According to a new study, the firm estimated that ultraslim TVs — those no deeper than 1.6 inches — could account for 14 million units worldwide by 2012 and that these thin TVs could make up 18% of the North American, Japanese and Western Europe market in three years. TVWeek.com (1/8)
Sync, the voice-activated, dashboard entertainment and communication system launched by Ford 18 months ago, is beginning to look a lot like an iPhone. Like the Apple device, future iterations of Sync are expected to allow users to customize and further pimp their ride by integrating third-party applications as well as computer-generated avatars, Ford CEO Alan Mullaly said during a CES keynote address. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (1/9) , CNET (1/8)
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Monsters vs. Aliens, New York, Real Housewives of Orange County, Super Bowl, United States
During NBC’s Super Bowl XLIII broadcast on February 1, viewers will need 3-D glasses to view a 90-second commercial promoting the March release of animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens from DreamWorks Animation. DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said the 90-second commercial plus giving away 150 million pairs of 3-D glasses through 28,000 retail locations via the Pepsi/SoBe Life displays will cost “tens of millions of dollars” and he calls the deal “perhaps the biggest media-advertising event in history.” A single 30-second ad in the Super Bowl is tabbed at approximately $3 million. (Cynopsis 1/6)
Is it wrong that I want to rubber band the glasses to my mom’s dog and see what happens? All in good fun…
The eighth season opener of A&E’s “The First 48″ attracted a record 2.3 million viewers, according to the network. The episode, which originally aired Jan. 1, won the much-coveted adult 18-to-49 and 25-to-54 demographics as well. Multichannel News (1/5)
Bravo is back in Manhattan as season two of The Real Housewives of New York City debuts February 17 at 11p following the finale of The Real Housewives of Orange County. The series will shift to its normal time slot of Tuesdays at 10p starting February 24. (Cynopsis 1/6)
To promote the new season of “Big Love,” a drama about a polygamous family, HBO is installing billboards in New York and Los Angeles that feature headphone jacks that allow passers-by to plug in and listen to people confess secrets. The campaign, by BBDO New York and other shops, is based around the tag line, “Everyone Has Something to Hide,” and also includes a microsite and performing street teams in major cities. The New York Times (1/5)
NBC News is denying a Drudge Report story claiming that conservative author Ann Coulter has been banned from the network after “Today” dropped her from Tuesday’s program because of breaking-news events. “We look forward to welcoming her back in the future,” says NBC. (Iwantmedia 1/6, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i27e6523c216f71f782c2de31d9dec3fb 1/5)
If only they could ban Crazy Train Coulter… And yes, I say this with full liberal bias.
As more cable channels produce must-see programs, a top-rated cable outlet could come to reach as many viewers as one of the broadcast networks, according to industry analysts. Within three or four years, “you probably could lose one” of the major broadcasters. (Iwantmedia 1/6, http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=133514 1/5)
TV and film company Lionsgate has acquired the TV Guide Channel and TVGuide.com from Macrovision for $255 million. For Lionsgate — which controls channel FearNet with Sony and Comcast and soon will launch pay-cable movie channel Epix with Viacom and MGM — the move represents deeper involvement in the cable arena. The Wall Street Journal (1/6) , Advertising Age (1/5)
CBS plans to reduce capital spending to $350 million this year and would sell more radio stations at the right price, according to CEO Les Moonves, speaking at an investor conference. He adds that he is optimistic advertising will recover: “CBS is going to get the bulk of that revenue.” (Iwantmedia 1/6, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a87gPx6Opxhk 1/6)
WGN America formed a new partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to begin airing the first-run, original show WWE Superstars beginning this April. WWE Superstars, a 60m weekly series produced by WWE, will highlight various Superstars and Divas from the three WWE franchises. The program will air Thursday nights at 8p and 11p and with a third run on the weekend. (Cynopsis 1/6)
New York viewers will get extra financial insight into the current economic crisis as The New York Times business reporter/columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin hosts a new seven-episode series It’s the Economy, NY! What’s Happening and What It Means to You. From WNET.ORG, the series opens this Thursday on New York public television stations THIRTEEN at 8p and WLIW21 at 1130p. During each episode, Sorkin will interview top financial leaders focused on topics important to New Yorkers. (Cynopsis 1/6)
Time Warner Cable is signing a new deal to carry CBS’s flagship network and Showtime premium channel. CBS and Showtime will be part of Time Warner Cable’s “Start Over” feature that lets viewers restart shows and the “Look Back” service that makes programs available for three days. (Iwantmedia 1/6, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aISSWRB.Occo 1/6)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Broadcasting & Cable, CNBC, DreamWorks, Federal Communications Commission, Jeffrey Katzenberg, JVC, Sensio, WIRELESS
TECHNOLOGY
JVC has partnered with Sensio for its first 3-D projection system, a development that will allow home-theater owners the ability to watch 3-D movies at 1080p resolution without leaving their house. The DLA-RS2, which is expected to debut next year, will feature JVC’s Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier system and a 30,000:1 native contrast ratio. ElectronicHouse.com (11/5)
Now that 3-D technology has matured enough to transform the movie-going experience, some industry experts are wondering how long it will take before advancements in 3-D make it to HDTV screens. In an interview, DreamWorks‘ Jeffrey Katzenberg said there were still a few challenges to overcome. CED Magazine (11/2008)
Dell will put the unused part of television frequencies — known as “white spaces” — within reach of laptop owners by installing radio chips that connect with the spectrum into notebooks and other wireless devices, the company said without giving a time frame. Technology companies such as Dell, HP and Google lobbied heavily for the FCC to approve exploiting the spectrum, saying its frequencies could expand broadband’s reach and encourage innovation in wireless devices. Network World/IDG News Service (11/6)
Financial cable network CNBC is in the vanguard of using videoconferencing equipment as a way of getting far-flung analysts on camera without the expense of sending video crews out. And with today’s new “telepresence” technologies, reaching financial analysts at remote locations produces video that’s far higher in quality than in the past, said Steve Fastook, vice president of operations and engineering for CNBC. Broadcasting & Cable (11/5)
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