Hands-on demos from leading technology companies will be available.
Refreshments will be served after the presentations.

“3D-Focus: 3D Blu-ray Authoring” is hosted by DTS, presented by MESA, THX and 3D@Home Consortium, and sponsored by DTS and Netblender

Pre-Register Now!

Preliminary program:

* Video Masters > Compression > MVC Encoding – Tools and Processes
* Authoring – Tools and Processes
* Menu and Subtitle Creation – Tools and Processes
* Human Factor and Physiological Review
* 7.1 Surround Audio for 3D
* Testing and Verification – Tools and Processes

A screening of several minutes of footage from the Aug. 20 “Piranha 3D,” including the objectionable scene, will be held from 10 p.m. — 11 p.m. Thursday at the UA Regal Horton Plaza theater (475 Horton Plaza) near the San Diego Convention Center.

A Q&A panel will follow with Aja (”The Hills Have Eyes”) and other cast members as well.

– By Scott Hettrick

Actually, there were a couple of hits like that that caused everyone from the director inside ESPN’s production truck in the parking lot to those watching on the first 3D TVs at home to jerk their heads back to avoid the ball that was surely coming out of the screen. I’m certain that thousands of people from Anaheim to Annapolis simultaneously yelled “whoa!” Only upon reflection did any of us realize that ball could not have hit all of us in the face at the same time.

(Story continues below the following video highlights of ESPN’s 3D production from inside the truck to the field and insightful comments from four ESPN producers and executives.)

While the ballplayers were putting on a display of power, the guys at ESPN came prepared to put on quite a display of their own for the first 3D broadcast of the Home Run Derby and first national primetime 3D telecast of a Major League Baseball program. Two production trucks separate from the regular HiDef production trucks, the expertise of 3D guru consultant and producer Vince Pace, twelve 3D cameras — one to shoot super slow-motion at a whopping 1,000 frames per second — and the first or at least most elaborate 3D on-screen graphics. They also had a completely separate trio of announcers who wore glasses to watch a 3D monitor in their booth, same as the guys in the truck.

If you think all of that sounds like a lot of extra expense, it is. And that has not escaped ESPN executives. “We can’t do this for every game,” said Anthony Bailey, ESPN’s VP, emerging technology. In addition to the enormous extra cost, logistics are a bigger immediate concern. Most stadiums don’t have as big of a production compound as Angels stadium and therefore cannot accommodate four trucks just for ESPN.

Logistics and expense are big challenges and question marks for live 3DTV sports. When ESPN was making the transition to HiDef, it was basically only a matter of switching out the SD cameras for HD cameras and getting used to a wider image. Still just one director in the same truck. In the early stages of the consumer transition to HiDef TVs (and still to a certain extent, but less so every day), cameramen and directors were careful to keep primary action and graphics in that portion of the screen that could be seen by non-HD TVs.

But with 3D, everything must be separate. 3D cameras cannot double as HD cameras (for the most part, though sometimes a signal can be pulled from one of the two lenses to use for a standard HiDef feed), and 3D cameras almost always have to be positioned in unique locations in order to create the best perception of depth (in most cases, the lower and closer to the action, the better). An exhibition like the Home Run Derby is well suited to 3D because producers had the flexibility to position cameras in places they could never be placed during a game — that one on the pole by the pitcher and two more small ones right in front of the batter’s box above the ground (not in-ground “lipstick” cameras as Fox uses for 2D games).

But regular baseball games are more challenging, as are football games that require lots of high-angle and wide shots showing a large part of the field but which provide the least perception of depth.

While the camera angles are production challenges that will surely be worked out with time, the financial and logistical hurdles of producing two completely separate productions of the same live sporting event appear to be here to stay, at least for the next year or two, says Chris Calcinari, ESPN’s VP of event operations. Or until the vast majority of consumers convert to 3DTVs.

In the meantime, Phil Orlins, ESPN coordinating producer, says that 3D productions must not only deliver exceptional added value to sports fans through unique 3D camera angles and graphics, but must continue to deliver every production element the viewer currently enjoys in the 2D HiDef broadcast, and at the same high quality, including the separate announcers, a sports ticker, etc.

ESPN executives are still living through the conversion to HiDef since they broadcast their first game in HD seven years ago. But there is reason for optimism. In addition to strong positive response from consumers who have seen the few live sporting events in 3D so far, including recent broadcasts of The Masters and this month’s World Cup carried on ESPN 3D, programming is much more widely available and advertisers are jumping on board more quickly than at this stage of the HD development cycle, according to Sean Bailey, executive VP of Disney and ESPN Media Networks. While only a few regional cable systems carried ESPN’s first HiDef broadcast, ESPN 3D is already offered to nearly 50 million homes through DirecTV, Comcast, and AT&T U-verse. And Bailey noted that four advertisers created 3D spots specifically for the network’s World Cup and Home Run Derby broadcasts. Granted, one was ESPN’s own “SportsCenter” and one was from ESPN sister company Disney Studios for “Toy Story 3.”
ESPN VP, strategic business development, Bryan Burns, says advertisers understand the added value of a commercial in 3D because of the extra visual impact and increased attention the viewer is giving to the 3D spot. There are also unique opportunities for 3D ads that could draw premium prices — think about 3D versions of those ads that pop-up on the bottom of your screen and with graphics such as tickers.

All that’s needed are eyeballs. For that, Bratches says it’s critical that the entire industry work together to create as much 3D programming and as many networks and TV displays as soon as possible for the good of everyone involved. It will be impossible for ESPN to shoulder the entire cost of building the market, he says.

But ESPN has an important proponent in its camp, the president and CEO of ESPN parent The Walt Disney Company, Robert Iger, who told 3DHollywood.net while standing at his seat a few rows behind home plate moments before the All-Star game the following night, “Having seen a lot of ESPN 3D, I’m a believer.”

At least for one night, the network did its best to showcase what is possible with live 3DTV sports.

– By Scott Hettrick

You can experience some of the new King Kong 360 3D ride yourself in the following 3 1/2-minute video, though you can’t possibly sense the feeling of being enveloped in the environment without being on the tram car, wearing the 3D glasses, and feeling the wind, slobber, and jolts and swaying of the car as the beasts use the tram for stepping stones.
(Story continues below the video.)
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On the red carpet prior to the media presentation and preview, Universal Studios president and COO Ron Meyer said the company is just entering the 3D cinema arena with its first such release next week on July 9 with the animated family comedy “Despicable Me.” The studio, which has no specific plans yet for the home 3D Blu-ray market, will be selective about what movies it releases in 3D, working with its filmmakers to determine what productions warrant the process to enhance the story.

Even though the studio simultaneously announced the release of the “Back to the Future” trilogy on Blu-ray, Meyer said there were no plans to convert the movie or the popular BTF giant-screen ride-film attraction at Universal Studios parks to 3D. And that’s just fine with BTF star Christopher Lloyd, who told 3DHollywood.net while attending the event on Tuesday (June 29) that he felt the original movies are fine just the way they are, but then he admitted not being much of a fan of new technologies, including HiDef Blu-ray, etc.

Universal Parks and Resorts president and CEO Tom Williams says 3D has proven to be a valuable enhancement with park customers who feel it allows them to become more immersed and interactive in the experience.

– By Scott Hettrick

IMAX Filmed Entertainment chairman and president Greg Foster warned studio executives during the day’s first panel at the Radisson Los Angeles Westside about undercutting the credibility of 3D by giving in to the temptation to use 3D as a factor in deciding whether to greenlight a movie for production.
(Story continues following the 2-minute video below featuring highlights from the conference and sponsor tables and products.)

During a later panel at the sold-out conference with more than 300 attendees, Prime Focus president Rob Hummel said studios trying to save costs are handing over 3D work to companies unfamiliar with the nuances of 3D and then coming back to Prime Focus in panic mode asking them to fix it when it turns out to be disastrous.

In response to moderator and iHollywood Forum CEO Michael Stroud, 3ality CEO Sandy Climan said that his company and others are trying to train filmmakers how to do 3D right and avoid just the kinds of problems Hummel described. He referred to his company’s work on a 3D episode of the TV series “Chuck” last year as being done in the inferior anaglyph format, but noted that it still resulted in a ratings boost for the show and that TV series fitting the early adopted demographic should consider producing new episodes in the new 3D technology.

Sony 3D Technology Center senior vp and general manager Buzz Hayes, one of three keynote speakers, said learning to produce high quality 3D is important for everyone involved in the industry.

DirecTV senior VP Steven Roberts said his company, which launched ESPN 3D only three days earlier, said it was important for DirecTV to be the leader in 3DTV as it has been with HD and with sports programming. With the morning’s keynote speaker Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, CTO of Panasonic North America, returning to the stage just before lunch to join Roberts in discussing sports 3DTV programming, Roberts said DirecTV and Panasonic would produce original 3DTV programming in the near future to fill out the three 3D channels offerings by DirecTV and supplement ESPN 3D, the coming Sony/IMAX/Discovery joint venture, and other 3D programming.

– By Scott Hettrick

The company’s 3D-capable Bravia HiDef TVs are finally available for pre-sale at Sony Style stores; new integrated Blu-ray 3D devices will be in stores next month; a free firmware update that activates Blu-ray 3D capability for player models BDP-S470 and BDP-S570 players and home theater systems BDV-E570 and BDV-E770W, and the studio’s first Blu-ray 3D title, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” will be released on June 22 for $39.95. “Cloudy,” along with the IMAX 3D title “Deep Sea” will be bundled with Sony Bravia TVs. “Cloudy” is also the first Blu-ray 3D title available in retail stores, to be followed “Monster House” and “Open Season.”

(Story continues below the following 4 1/2-minute video highlights from the Sony 3D event.)

“3D is revolutionizing the entertainment industry and only Sony is involved in every stage of the ecosystem,” said Chris Fawcett, vice president of Sony’s television business.

Sony Bravia 3D KDL-HX800

Sony’s 3D Bravia TVs range in size from 40-inches to 60-inches and in price from around $2,100 to about $5,000, and each includes a copy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray 3D titles “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” and “Deep Sea,” and a voucher to download stereoscopic 3D games for the Sony PlayStation3 videogame system, including “WipEout HD” and “Super StarDust HD.”
Sony active shutter glasses, required for 3D viewing, cost $150 per pair.

Sony 3D Blu-ray player BDP-S470

The company’s new BDP-S770 Blu-ray 3D player coming in July for about $300 offers built-in Wi-Fi (802.11n). Sony’s BDP-S470 and BDP-S570 Blu-ray Disc players and Blu-ray theater systems BDV-E570 and BDV-E770W can be upgraded to play Blu-ray 3D with a free online firmware update that is now available.
Also coming next month is Sony’s new full HD 1080p 5.1 channel Blu-ray 3D-capable home theater system (model BDV-HZ970W) for about $800 that features wireless capabilities via the included USB wireless LAN adapter (802.11n) and two HDMI inputs with 3D pass-through, HDMI repeater function, and a universal remote.

The Blu-ray 3D version of “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs,” mastered at Colorworks and authored at Sony Digital Authoring Center (DAC), will include a 2D HiDef version of the film and sneak peeks in 3D of “Open Season” and “Monster House.”

The new Sony/IMAX/Discovery Channel will feature 3D programming from all three companies and third-party providers. Cosgrove will oversee all business and creative areas, reporting to the board of directors of the joint venture which was finalized only last week.
Sony Pictures Entertainment will lead Sony’s involvement with the network. SPE chairman and CEO Michael Lynton said, “We’re at a turning point in entertainment history, not unlike the transition from silent movies to ‘talkies’ or black-and-white to color. This is the start of something really big, and we’re excited about delivering high-quality 3D entertainment to people every day, all day.”
Rebecca Glashow, senior vice president of digital distribution for Discovery Communications, will oversee distribution for the channel, with Sony Pictures Television providing ad sales-related services under SPT ad sales president Amy Carney, president.

– By Scott Hettrick

HollywoodInHiDef.com video highlights from previous three Comic-Con shows below:

3DHollywood.net has arranged a special 25% discount off regular conference pass prices ($275.00 in savings!) for the Summit. The special discount code for registration is: “3DHW” and should be entered in the discount code box area when registering online. Or, to register by phone, contact Chris Deluca at 203-878-2577 x109 and mention “3DHW” to receive the discount. Click here for a PDF of the full conference agenda and for registration information, please visit: www.3dgamingsummit.com. For hotel, call 1-800-Hiltons and mention 3D Gaming Summit.

Sony’s involvement will include a major speaking presence, 3D equipment, demonstrations, display, and an array of entertainment and gaming in the event’s 3D Gaming Lounge.

“The 3D Gaming Summit is delighted that Sony is a Premier Sponsor of an event bringing together the biggest names and brightest minds in the sector,” says Bob Dowling, Summit Co-Producer. “The participation of Sony demonstrates the potential of stereoscopic 3D to change the face of the gaming universe and to drive screens to the home, a key goal of our entertainment constituency.”

“Only Sony is present in every stage of the 3D ecosystem and can leverage its breadth and expertise to create the best 3D products, content and unique entertainment experiences,” said Christopher Fawcett, vice president of Sony Electronics’ Home Division. “From games and movies to the equipment that captures and displays them, Sony truly delivers 3D entertainment like no other company.”

“Avatar” producer Jon Landau and director/producer Paul W.S. Anderson are among the 3D Gaming Summit’s keynote interviews.

Sony Computer Entertainment America and Sony Electronics Inc. join previously announced RealD as Premier Sponsors. Official Sponsors are NVIDIA and MASTERIMAGE 3D. Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Sensio, Virtual Images, and Harkness Screens are event Sponsors.

And thank you for demonstrating once again how a good filmmaker can bring 3D images way off the screen and keep it in the viewer’s face almost continually for maximum dynamic effect without using a single gimmick of poking anything at the camera, without making us feel like we are in a theme park attraction, and without giving us eye or brain fatigue.
(Story continues below the following video from the March 11 premiere at the California Science Center, including interviews with Myers and astronaut Mike Massimino.)

Myers told 3DHollywood.net (in video above) that she and her filmmaking partners approach 3D the exact opposite of their Hollywood brethren who, so far, use what she characterizes as a more cautious approach, or at least prefer to take the image depth behind the screen rather than in front.

For 43 minutes you’ll swear you are right inside the cramped shuttle cabin with the astronauts who appear only inches away. You’ll feel like you are one of the lucky ones on the bleachers at Cape Canaveral cheering the spectacular launch of the shuttle; that is, until you feel like you’re one of the birds almost too close to the lift-off and dangerously close to the torrent of water below the soon-to-be-massive flames from the black rocket cones moments before ignition. You sense the tedium and nervous tension as astronauts work exhaustively in the silent dark vacuum of space to remove dozens of screws — a task they liken to performing brain surgery while wearing boxing gloves — all the while aware that the tiniest rip in their own gloves could be fatal.

Astronaut Mike Massimino says Myers’ IMAX 3D production is so realistic that for the first time he doesn’t feel frustrated at not being able to convey to his family and friends the grandeur and exhilaration he felt on previous missions.

And finally you’ll feel a very different kind of star-struck and humbled by the 3D computer-generated fly-bys of star Sirius and Orion’s Belt and beyond our Milky Way to neighboring galaxy Andromeda and the Virgo Cluster of two thousand galaxies, just one of which is ten times bigger than the Milky Way.

You can practically turn your head left and right to see the celestial bodies sail past. You have never felt so surrounded by stars or simultaneously awestruck and insignificant.

In addition to the primary behemoth 700-pound IMAX 3D camera fixed in the cargo bay loaded with nearly 1-mile of film that yields only 8-minutes of footage and which therefore had to be judiciously turned on and off and affixed with the proper lenses and correct exposure settings each time by astronauts who were trained for months by Myers, the flight also included several HD cameras that were manipulated back home so the images filled the seven-story tall IMAX film frame and were converted to 3D.

For the space flight simulation, Myers, in cooperation with NASA, used actual data and images from the Hubble and created by the imaging team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, and the computing facilities at the Advanced Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. One can imagine that the resulting visualization could look very close to an actual inter-galaxy flight light-years in the future.

Warner Bros., which is distributing the film, will expand the release to newer and smaller digital IMAX screens in multiplexes such as AMC in August. Here’s hoping that Hollywood filmmakers embarking on their maiden 3D voyage take 43-minutes to learn just how dynamic and potentially powerful 3D is when used properly with restrained aggression.

Panasonic has teamed up with NVIDIA for the new software that allows any computer-based videogame to be displayed in stereoscopic 3D. It is expected to be available around June at a price point anticipated at less than $50.

The debut was part of Panasonic’s kickoff off a five-week 15-city  tour of new 3D and HiDef products. 3DHollywood.net /HollywoodInHiDef.com spoke with Panasonic exec Jeff Samuels about the tour in L.A. at the Hollywood and Highland Theater (video below) and with a rep from Nvidia which has partnered with Panasonic to deliver any videogame in 3D on Panasonic displays (separate video below).
Story continues below the following videos.

Panasonic’s full 1080p HD 3D TVs and Blu-ray players are available now exclusively at Best Buy stores via Magnolia Home Theater.

The total combined SRP of the Panasonic Full HD 3D Plasma Home Theater System components is $2899.99. The system consists of a 50-inch class Panasonic VIERA VT20 Plasma 3D HDTV (TC-P50VT20 – SRP $2,499.95) which includes one pair of Panasonic 3D Active Shutter Lens Eyewear (TY-EW3D10U), and the Panasonic BDT300 3D Blu-ray Disc Player (DMP-BDT300 – SRP 399.95). Additional pairs of 3D eyewear will be available with an SRP of $149.95. The individual components of the system will also be sold separately.

A schedule of the next cities on the tour is below and at the Panasonic web site and Panasonic’s website of 3D products.

– By Scott Hettrick

Tour Dates & Locations

3/15 – 3/17         New York                      Penn Pavilion – 401 7th Ave at 33rd St

3/15 – 3/17         Chicago                        Tribune 445 – 445 S. Michigan Avenue

3/15 – 3/17         Los Angeles                  Hollywood and Highland – 801 Hollywood Boulevard

3/20 – 3/22         Boston                          Copley Place – 2 Copley Place

3/22 – 3/24         Detroit                           Detroit Opera House – 1526 Broadway

3/22 – 3/24         Scottsdale                     Fashion Square Mall – 7014 East Camelback Road

3/25 – 3/27         Philadelphia                   King of Prussia Mall – North Gulph Road

3/29 – 3/31         Minneapolis                   IDS Tower – 80 8th Street South

3/29 – 3/31         San Francisco               One Market Plaza – 1 Market Street

3/31 – 4/2          Washington, DC            Union Station – 50 Massachusetts Ave, NE

4/6 – 4/8            Dallas                           Grapevine Mills Mall – 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway

4/6 – 4/8            Seattle                          Top of the Market – 93 Pike Street, Suite 307

4/7 – 4/9            Atlanta                          595 North – 595 North Ave, NW Atlanta

4/12 – 4/14         Houston                        The Warehouse – 4108 Dupont Street

4/15 – 4/17         Miami                           Ice Palace – 59 Northwest 14th Street

Here are highlights from the official Panasonic media release:

The Panasonic Touch the Future Tour features hands-on demonstrations of Panasonic’s 2010 cutting-edge products and features including Full HD 3D Plasma Home Entertainment Systems,  flat panel VIERA Plasma, , LCD and LED HDTVs; Blu-ray Disc Players, Home Theater Systems; and LUMIX Digital Cameras and Camcorders.  Highlights of the Tour include:

* Experience VIERA Full HD 3D Home Theater – Visitors to the Panasonic Touch the Future Tour will be able to experience the world of 3D for the home with Panasonic’s award-winning Full HD 3D Home Theater System featuring the VIERA VT25 Full HD 3D Plasma TV, the BDT350 3D Blu-ray Disc Player and Panasonic Active Shutter Eyewear.  Panasonic Full HD 3D Home Theater Systems are now available at select Best Buy Magnolia Home Theater stores.

* See the World’s First Commercial 3D Television Channels – Panasonic will be the exclusive presenting sponsor of DIRECTV’s new HD 3D channels set to debut in June 2010.  Demonstrations of the channels, which will deliver movies, sports and entertainment content from some of the world’s most renowned 3D producers will be on display at Panasonic Touch the Future Tour events.  DIRECTV’s HD 3D channels, powered by Panasonic, will offer a 24/7 3D DIRECTV Cinema and pay per view event channel focused on movies, documentaries and other programming, a 24/7 3D DIRECTV On Demand channel and a free 3D entertainment channel featuring event programming such as sports, music and other content.

* Test Drive 3D Gaming – Computer graphics innovator NVIDIA will debut NVIDIA 3DTV PlayTM, a software solution that allows consumers to connect their GeForce® GPU-powered desktop or notebook computer to new 3D TVs, for the ultimate in big screen 3D gaming action. For the launch of 3DTV Play, NVIDIA  is teaming up with Panasonic on the Panasonic Touch the Future Tour, where visitors can test drive 3DTV Play-based PCs running on Panasonic’s new VIERA® Full HD 3D TVs.

* Connect with Skype-enabled HDTVs – Panasonic and Skype are taking VIERA HDTVs to a whole new level of connectivity in 2010 with Skype on Your TV.  Visitors will see demos about how select Panasonic 2010 VIERA HDTVs will enable you to place free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls, make calls to landline or mobile phones at Skype’s low rates, receive inbound calls via a user’s online Skype number, access Skype voicemail, participate in voice conference calls with up to 24 other parties.

* Explore and Share with VIERA CAST IPTVs – Explore Panasonic’s VIERA CASTTM enabled HDTVs which give owners access thousands of television and movie titles, share photos and videos with family and friends, make video calls, listen to their favorite musical artists, and stay up-to-date with the latest sports news and information.  In 2010, VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs will feature wireless connectivity and add new features such as Netflix®, Twitter™, Skype™, Pandora®, and Fox Sports to an existing list of features which includes Amazon Video On Demand™, Google’s YouTube™, Picasa™ Web Albums, Bloomberg and weather services.

* Capture Your Memories – Learn about the intuitive features on Panasonic’s range of easy- to-use Camcorders and LUMIX Digital Cameras.  See how simple it is to take great photos and videos and share the with family and friends right on your HDTV and online via VIERA CAST.  Tour visitors will also be able to meet professional photographers from the LUMIX Digital Photo Academy to learn tips on how to take the perfect picture.  Visit www.panasonic.com/future for specific dates and times to meet professional photographers in each city.

* Join the Full HD 3D World – Panasonic’s Touch the Future Tour Sweepstakes* will award one lucky visitor (18 years of age or older as of 3/15/10) in each of the 15 cities on the Tour a Full HD 3D Home Theater System featuring a Panasonic Full HD 3D VIERA Plasma HDTV, Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Disc Player and one pair of Panasonic Active Shutter Eyewear.