Volfoni muses about the 3D industry

Sin City sequel in 3D....will it work in black & white?

Passive 3D for all: More about Volfoni’s SmartCrystal Pro

We have recently seen a very in-depth article talking about building a 3D projection room, using in part our small polarization modulator which turns active 3D into passive 3D: SmartCrystal Pro. A very favorable point was the fact that it is the same quality as competitors’, but is a fraction of the price, as we manage the entire channel of production of the SmartCrystal Pro. Read the article here:

http://cosmo.gatech.edu/?p=694

Also, we had a great review in PC Mag, in case you haven’t checked that out yet:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2403680,00.asp

All in all, the SCP is a great way to bring passive 3D into your home theater, school, lecture hall, or small auditorium.

About the new French 3D screen “law”

Last week, Variety ran an article talking about the French film board’s decision to phase out the usage of silver screens over the next 5 years. The board favors using white screens for 3D and 2D, because of the image degradation seen when silver screens show 2D.

France has 2,519 screens used for 3D, and of that about 1,200 are silver screens.

Some things the article did not mention:

The law is not a ban on silver screens for 3D.

In France, the idea is that movies should be viewed as high-quality as possible. A great idea, if you ask me :-). Therefore, a movie cannot be projected on a bad quality screen.

The level of light being uniform all over the screen, is a key point. Silver screens cannot guarantee this type of uniformity, and as a result, the French don’t want to allow silver screens used for 2D projection. However, they did allow silver screens to be used for passive 3D, because at the time the law was written, silver screens were the only way you could show 3D. It’s different now, of course, with the rise of white screens and active 3D.

When 3D first started in France, an exception was granted to allow 2D projection to occur on 3D silver screens. This was a move to spur growth in the 3D industry as a whole. Here we are, 5 years later, and the French government’s plan was to allow 2D projections on silver screens forever. Filmmakers refused to have their 2D films shown on silver screens. As a result, the government has extended their plan for another 5 years, with the promise of phasing out the usage of silver screens for 2D. Filmmakers are really hoping that this is the last exception ever to the law.

If the filmmakers get their way, silver screens will still be allowed, but will have to be separate, and dedicated to 3D showings only.

And as we know, 5 years is a long time in a burgeoning industry, and much can change. We know how fast things happen in our industry, so all we can do is make predictions and just ride the waves of change :-)

Lorax has biggest opening in history for an animated film that wasn't a sequel

“The recently-released animation hit based on Dr. Seuss’ creative genius, “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax,” is currently the top grossing picture at the box office.”

Can 3D streaming save Netflix?

“The streaming video giant is rumored to be bringing 3D video to streaming subscribers. But is it enough to keep Netflix afloat?

At this time last year, nothing could touch Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]). As the only major player in the streaming marketplace, Netflix had a bit of a monopoly on the market. It also controlled a large part of the DVD rental space, despite fierce competition from Coinstar’s (NASDAQ: CSTR) kiosk service, Redbox. But then Netflix raised its prices, angered customers, and told the world that it no longer cares about DVDs. This has not sat well with customers, who loyally lined up to subscribe to the old Netflix, as they are now having a hard time coping with the new Netflix….”

Hollywood Reporter: Scorsese urges Studios to release classic 3D films

“Martin Scorsese, speaking Wednesday night at the International 3D Society’s 3D Creative Arts Awards, requested that the industry restore classic 3D movies for Blu-ray. The suggestion was met with thunderous applause.

Scorsese said he and his team screened many 3D movies as inspiration while working onHugo. “My favorites are the old ones,” he said, citing as examples Warner Bros.’ House of Wax and Dial M for Murderand MGM’s Kiss Me Kate.

“There are so many. To see the films at home (on 3D Blu-ray) is going to be really remarkable. And to see them in their original form … seeing Dial M for Murder in 3D, in particular, is an entirely different experience.”

Scorsese noted that 3D films are spread around several studios. For example, Universal has It Came From Outer Space, Sony/Columbia has Man in the Dark, and Fox has Inferno.

During Wednesday’s awards ceremony, a black tie affair held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Scrosese received the Harold Lloyd Award for filmmaking — a fitting tribute as a scene in Hugo echoes Lloyd’s iconic performance in Safety Last. Hugo won awards for best live action 3D feature, best stereography (live action), and best 3D moment of the year.

“Art Form” was the theme of the 3D Society’s awards, with numerous presenters and honorees discussing that topic onstage and off.

“(3D) is on the verge of being recognized as a great contributor to cinematic storytelling — and that is what it is,” said Academy Award nominee Chris Miller, director of DreamWorks Animation’s Puss in Boots, which won the trophy for best stereography in an animated film. “When we added it into any sequence in the film, it was about ‘how can we best (use 3D) to tell the story.’ ”

Rob Legato — the Oscar-nominated VFX supervisor on Hugo — accepted an award for the film, saying that Scorsese’s direction of the 3D was to create “art as opposed a gimmick. … that turned into drama, and that drama turned into an art form that uses depth to tell stories in such a unique way.” “

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/martin-scorsese-3d-hugo-blu-ray-286699

Volfoni’s own Jerome Testut, interviewed about our passive 3D solution - SmartCrystal Pro

Have a look around the Volfoni booth at CES 2012

Volfoni @ CES 2012

Volfoni’s Creative 3D Technology at CES 2012

Active and Passive 3D Solutions for All

PARIS January 10^th, 2012 Volfoni will showcase their revolutionary 3D products at this year’s CES (booth #25722), held in Las Vegas January 10^th - 13^th. Among Volfoni’s latest products: Smart Crystal Pro™, a polarization modulator for passive 3D, and EDGE™, cinema-quality active 3D glasses.

At CES, Volfoni will present their newest technology for 3D viewing using active and passive 3D applications for 3D projection and 3DTVs. Smart Crystal Pro™ is compatible with most 3D-Ready™ projectors using Volfoni’s brand new Switching Surface Technology. This is particularly interesting for home theater use, as well as public venues that want to use economical passive 3D glasses. In addition to the quality of its polarization, Smart Crystal Pro™ features a unique wireless synchronization, allowing for the easiest setup on the market. For use with projectors at home, Volfoni also offers a DLP™ Link® 3D-Ready version of its cinema-quality glasses, called EDGE™ 1.1+. These glasses outperform their peers in terms of energy efficiency, and are available with removable arms in three sizes (kids to adult).

“We are very proud to offer a wide range of 3D solutions catered to the needs of the user. It is the demand for passive and active 3D applications that lead us to develop creative products using both technologies. We mix creativity and technology to make the 3D experience as user-friendly as possible. Volfoni products are accessible in a “plug ‘n play” way. And our customers have responded to that,” says Thierry Henkinet, CEO and co-founder of Volfoni

Volfoni will also demonstrate their ActivEyes Pro® 3D glasses with special hybrid technology, which work with both active and passive 3D displays. This system is aimed at professionals working in a multi-3D-screen environment, and are one of the most lightweight active glasses on the market, comfortable for all-day wear.

To arrange a meeting with Volfoni at CES, please send an email to contact@volfoni.com.

About Volfoni:

Founded in 2007, Volfoni is a leader in France’s 3D solutions rental/sales business. Headquarted in Paris, Volfoni serves 70% of French cinemas equipped with active 3D technology. Now with offices in Munich, London, Valencia, Los Angeles and Hong Kong (with more openings coming to Europe, South America, the Middle East, and Asia), Volfoni is taking their 3D products across the globe. Since 2009, Volfoni has substantially invested in the R&D of product advancement, combining comfort with technological innovations. Volfoni is one of the only companies in the world developing both active and passive 3D solutions and systems. In 2012, Volfoni will be focusing on the home entertainment and education markets, having extended their product line to include passive 3D systems (such as polarization modulators) and “all-day” devices, which will combine 3D and other high-tech applications.

Volfoni’s dedication to providing the best tailor-made 3D experiences on the market has earned them praise from diverse clients across the 3D industry. Everyone from cinema owners to studio execs can attest to Volfoni’s quality and customer service.

To find out more, visit www.volfoni.com or visit Volfoni at CES, booth 25722 - South Hall 2

Press contacts:

Los Angeles: Jérôme Testut, jtestut@volfoni.com – tel: +1 213 304 5054

Rest of world: Jérôme Hamacher, jhamacher@volfoni.com - tel: +4917610337411

A chance to win a free 3DTV! Will you be…

Getting ready for CES 2012!

The motorized hanging sign for our booth is in the works:

Jurassic Park in 3D?

Will Spielberg do it? Would it work?

http://www.moviehole.net/201149909-jurassic-park-could-be-returning-to-cinemas-in-diceratopty-3d

“Sure, we have to watch them wearing Jake Ellwood attire, but glad to see some of the classics getting a re-run at the old multiplex again. From “Ghostbusters” to “Back to the Future” and soon, “Top Gun”, all the wet spots of our youth are coming around again (I could make a Carly Simon song… but most of our readers would probably spit back ‘Who the heck is Carly Simon!?). These 3D re-issues have done more than just convince Hollywood that there’s still more milk to be wrung from the 3D teat, it shows the big brass at the major studios that people will come and see these old films again – because they’re good. They know, unlike so many releases these days, they’re guaranteed to have a good time. And in the case of a film like “Ghostbusters” or “Back to the Future”, the bigscreen is undoubtedly where the film belongs – nice 35mm print, ear-shattering bass pouring out of the monstrous speakers, and stories you can invest in so much more when seeing them play out on a big screen as opposed to a home TV.

“Jurassic Park” could be the next ‘classic’ (albeit a rather recent ‘classic’) to get the 3D re-release treatment.

Universal, it seems, aren’t just pinching Steven Spielberg with a hot poker in an effort to get him moving on that long-awaited fourth instalment, they also want him to consider and consequently tinker with a 3D re-release of his 1993 hit.

Producer Kathleen Kennedy, out stumping “Tintin”, tells Collider that a bigscreen re-issue of the enormously successful feature film adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel could be in the cards.

“They have asked us. And I think it’s really gonna come down to making sure Steven has the time, and [director of photography] Janusz [Kaminski] has the time to sit down and go through it and evaluate.”

(Interestingly enough, Kaminski was the DP on “Lost World” not “Jurassic Park”, suggesting Kennedy has her cinematographer’s mixed up).

Kennedy says she’s not a huge fan of ‘add it in later 3D’, but thinks if Spielberg is involved in the process of laying a 3D coating over “Jurassic Park” that it could work.

“I’m not a huge proponent of post-conversion, but I think if the filmmaker gets intricately involved in the post-conversion—it’s not just a technological exercise—then I think it can be really, really good and I think Jurassic Park is a perfect example of a movie that could work really, really well as a 3D picture…I also think it’s tricky because unless you framed the movie with [3D] in mind, not all those shots—quick cutting, that kind of thing—it’s not necessarily going to translate, and so that’s why you’ve gotta have the DP and you’ve gotta have the director frame-by-frame involved in the process of that conversion.”

Would you go and see “Jurassic Park” again if it was re-released in 3D?”

Source: moviehole.net