While stereoscopic technology and content has had a cult following of devotees for decades — with ebbs and flows of interest from content creators and audiences alike — 2009 seems to be the year 3D finally breaks big.
"There's a critical mass being reached this year," says David Wertheimer, executive director and CEO of the Entertainment Technology Center at University of Southern California and an expert on 3D technology, "in part because the digital cinema standards have solved a lot of the issues that have plagued 3D in the past and kept it from becoming mainstream."
Wertheimer spoke on the subject yesterday during the Digital Cinema Summit session "3D Anytime."
"We definitely see 2009 as a breakthrough year," says Mark Hartney, managing director of the 3D@Home Consortium. "We have really seen momentum building on the theatrical side, beginning about two or three years ago. And the studios have become more comfortable with the technology and understand the workflow issues."
A cornucopia of new stereoscopic and autostereoscopic support is being introduced this year by "mainstream" manufacturers — from Sony Electronics to Dolby Laboratories, from Autodesk to Avid Technologies.
They join such pioneers in the field as the 3D@Home Consortium, RealD, 3dTV Corp. and 3ality Digital.
A wide variety of these offerings will be on display in the NAB Show's new 3D Pavilion, located in the South Hall, as well as in the Content Theater, where creatives will discuss how these tools can be used for compelling storytelling — not just "comin' at ya" gimmickry.
Among the demonstrations will be examples of new 3D monitors and head-mounted displays from Stereomedia 3D HD Digital & Films and new electronic 3D viewing glasses from 3dTV Corp.
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| Clip from the movie "Monsters vs. Aliens" | |
So is this plethora of new 3D technology feeding a trend or actually creating one?
"Both," says Matthew Chang, Sr. Manager, Consumer Electronics, Dolby Laboratories. "Though unlike HDTV/ATSC, 3D is not a mandated change; it seems clear from ... the increase in the creation of 3D movies and sporting event tests in 3D, that there is market potential and a clear move by top manufacturers to address this market."
The market and storytelling potential of 3D has been tested recently by such theatrical releases as the sci-fi-flavored adventure "Journey to the Center Of the Earth," the animated family fantasy "Coraline," the gruesome horror remake "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," the pop concert film "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" and the animated hit "Monsters vs. Aliens."
It's evident that content producers are employing stereoscopic technology across a wide spectrum of entertainment for distinct audiences. And shortly we will see almost a dozen more 3D major Hollywood studio releases — headlined by CG animated projects including Pixar's "Up" and 3D re-release of their 1995 hit "Toy Story," 20th Century Fox's "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," Disney's "A Christmas Carol" and DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek Goes Fourth" (2010).
Wertheimer adds that this bounty of 3D content aimed at young audiences will also serve to indoctrinate an entire generation of viewers who not only have experienced 3D, but enjoyed the experience.
Of the various live-action 3D offerings to bow in 2009, director James Cameron's $300 million sci-fi epic "Avatar" (December 18) is perhaps the most highly anticipated.
"The buzz in the 3D community is huge," says Wertheimer, "even though nobody has seen a frame of it. But Cameron has been one the biggest proponents of 3D for several years, so there are high expectations."
The resurgence in 3D in the theatrical sector has been propelled by rapid advances in digital-capture technology and the gradual installation of stereoscopic-capable digital-projection cinemas nationwide. With more than 1,000 such screens in place, there are enough to finally support the financial needs of big-budget projects that demand a wide theatrical release in order to recoup production and P&A costs.
Broadcast television has also dabbled in 3D this year, starting with the January 8 live Fox Sports presentation the FedEx Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game between the University of Florida and University of Oklahoma, made possible by Sony, 3ality Digital, Cinedigm, and RealD.
On January 25, NBC used 3D to enhance not only DreamWorks Animation and SoBe Lifewater promo spots during Superbowl XLIII, but a subsequent episode of the comedy series "Chuck," made possible by Intel's InTru 3D technology.
"The last year has produced a tremendous library of 3D content," said Hartney, "and now people are trying to figure out how to bring that content and that experience into the home, just as they have done with their traditional 2D content."
Popularizing the 3D experience in the home will require manufacturers and developers to offer display systems that easily integrate into established home theater setups.
"Our research shows that the more 3D is consumed by audiences in theaters, the more they want it," says Wertheimer. "And they also want it at home, which is a very strong reason why you're seeing all the growth in the field that's happening right now."