Hahn also discussed the $50,000-per-minute 2D-to-3D conversion of “Beauty and the Beast” and showed 3D footage from the French documentary “OceanWorld 3D” that Disney licensed for domestic theatrical release to demonstrate the seamless blend of footage shot in 3D and converted footage added later.

(Story continues below the following video showing highlights of the panel speakers.)

Hahn was a panelist on the second of two 3D panels sponsored by Panasonic on Friday, Aug. 17, at the Blue Ocean Film Festival in Monterey, Ca. Both were dominated byIMAX filmmakers touting the virtues of IMAX 3D and its superior quality and immersive impact on audiences because IMAX 3D movies push images out into the laps of audiences who feel like they can touch the characters, compared with digital 3D movies in traditional theaters that keep the depth effect behind the screen.

“Once things are beyond arm’s reach, it’s not as satisfying,” said filmmaker Howard Hall, whose 3D underwater large format theater documentary “Into the Deep” has grossed $77 million.

Panasonic North American CTO Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, who participated in both panels, said his company is interested in licensing 3D movies for its 3D TV channels in partnership with DirecTV, but he said the company has no interest in 2D programs converted to 3D, and will not help finance TV series specifically created for 3D. Rather, the company prefers to either license existing 3D productions or help find financing to pay for the upgrade of a show to be produced in 3D that is already set for 2D production.

Tsuyuzaki predicted there will be 12 dedicated 3D channels by the end of 2011. Panasonic and DirecTV already offer three in addition to ESPN3D. IMAX is partnering with Sony and Discovery Channel on another to launch in 2011.

Tsuyuzaki also said that the average consumer upgrades his TV every eight years and that consumers began buying HDTVs 12 years ago, so those consumers are switching to 3DTVs now, more and more of which include an Internet connection, which he believes will eventually be a vital source of 3D programming when bandwidth expands.

There will be two million homes with 3DTVs by the end of this year, Tsuyuzaki said, and Panasonic will be making 70% of all its big screen TVs 3D-capable by 2013.

Hahn, who also oversees the Disneynature franchise, said there is no longer a choice about whether to make animated films and nature films in 3D because “there is a perceived value.” He says that audiences tend to think there must be something wrong with the movies if they are not available in 3D.

– By Scott Hettrick

The announcements were made at the U.S. Open where Panasonic is partnered with CBS Sports on the first 3D broadcast of the tennis tournament.

The two new full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc home theater systems to be available late this month are models  SC-BTT750 and SC-BTT350, each of which comes with a Blu-ray player and speakers. Prices were not announced.

The innovation center will complement a similar center in Japan and another in Berlin that was also announced this morning. A branch of the innovation center will also be established in Los Angeles, where more than 15 years ago the company opened the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory R&D facility to develop entertainment-related technologies and ongoing liaison with major studios for the development of the 3D Blu-ray Disc format.

The new innovation center will focus on engaging with the entertainment and broadcast communities to enhance 3D production technologies and work flow and foster collaboration with industry partners to develop new applications for 3D technologies. It will also serve as a platform for developing alliances and partnerships with companies that are exploring how to apply 3D technologies in their own operations and serve as a forum to share 3D content, exchange ideas and establish best practices for creating and delivering 3D services.

“Panasonic foresees the expansion of 3D technology into nearly all aspects of the entertainment electronics industry, but we also see it being applied in a diverse range of other industries including healthcare, education, and beyond,” said Joseph M. Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Panasonic Corporation of North America.

– By Scott Hettrick

Likewise, Sony is said to have made an agreement with Disney to be the exclusive provider of the 3D Blu-ray of “Alice in Wonderland” with the purchase of Sony 3D products.

So, you just bought a Samsung or Sony 3D TV and you want to see what “Avatar” looks like? You’re out of luck unless you buy another 3D TV and 3D Blu-ray player from Panasonic or wait many months until it is eventually released to traditional retailers.

Now that “Avatar,” already the top-grossing movie of all-time, has collected another $4 million from a special edition in U.S. theaters last weekend, Fox is expected to soon officially announce the Blu-ray special edition of “Avatar” for release in November. The April 22 Blu-ray release with no bonus features and nothing but the movie quickly became the all-time top-selling Blu-ray title. Director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau will discuss the special edition at the annual Blu-Con conference on Nov. 2.

What will not be announced soon, and will likely not be discussed much, if at all, by Cameron and Landau, is the 3D Blu-ray edition.

That’s because Fox gave Panasonic an exclusive license to include the 3D Blu-ray of “Avatar” with sales of its 3D products, just as Samsung has had DreamWorks’ 3D Blu-ray versions of “Monster vs. Aliens” locked up so that is has only been available all year with the purchase of Samsung 3D TVs and 3D Blu-ray players, and will do the same this fall with DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon” and all four “Shrek” movies, including the first-ever 3D versions of the first three movies in that series.

The “Avatar” exclusive bundle deal is said to be unusually long, which means it will be quite some time before the biggest movie of all time and the movie that revolutionized and mainstreamed 3D will be available on 3D Blu-ray without the purchase of a Panasonic 3DTV and 3D Blu-ray player. Panasonic was working closely with filmmaker James Cameron on “Avatar” for years before the movie was released and is believed to have negotiated a very favorable deal for its support of the production financially and with equipment and marketing.

While Sony’s home entertainment unit has released its own 3D movies on 3D Blu-ray in the traditional 3D fashion, such as “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and the Sept. 14 3D Blu-ray release of “Monster House,” Sony’s electronics division has landed an exclusive distribution deal with Disney, according to the source, to prevent consumers from getting their hands on the 3D Blu-ray version of “Alice in Wonderland” without purchasing a Sony 3DTV and 3D Blu-ray player to go with it.

Although Disney has had as many or more 3D movies in theaters than other studios the past several years, the first and only 3D Blu-ray title coming from the studio is “A Christmas Carol” on Nov. 16.

– By Scott Hettrick

The Century Award is the highest honor bestowed by the membership of the International 3D Society and a blue ribbon panel of stereoscopic experts. The black-tie awards program recognizing technological achievement across the stereoscopic medium will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

IMAX is being honored for its “Solido Systems” technology; RealD for its “Cinema System” digital 3D projection technology; and Texas Instruments for its “DLP Cinema” technology.

“These Century Awards will record for history the technologies, organizations and individuals responsible for 3D’s extraordinary journey,” said Jim Chabin, President of the International 3D Society.

“IMAX Solido was an important stepping stone in the evolution of IMAX 3D technology, said Brian Bonnick, Executive Vice President, Technology at IMAX. “It introduced millions of moviegoers to IMAX 3D and we’re honored to be recognized with this award as we continue to break new ground in 3D cinema with our current digital projection system.”

Joseph Peixoto, President of Worldwide Cinema at RealD, says, “The RealD Cinema System introduced today’s digital 3D revolution by blending cutting-edge 3D science with a new breed of digital cinema projection to solve the issues inherent to film-based 3D of old.”

“Who would have thought that our 3D technology invention that started in our lab would now be enabling a major part of digital cinema 3D worldwide,” said Dave Duncan, business manager for Texas Instruments, DLP Cinema Products. “We are very proud to receive this award and are committed to furthering 3D from the theater to the home and now the classroom for interactive learning.”

Buzz Hays, Society Chair and Executive Stereoscopic 3D Producer for the Sony 3D Technology Center, Sony Corporation of America, said, “The field of stereoscopic 3D has progressed dramatically in the past decade and continues to evolve daily as more and more talented individuals get involved and identify new needs and opportunities. As 3D technologies continue to advance, it is important to recognize the achievements of the visionaries who created the tools to empower the artists who, together, will propel our medium forward.”

– By Scott Hettrick

Scott Hettrick

Meanwhile, the first Blu-ray edition of “Beauty and the Beast” was announced for Oct. 5, but no 3D version there either. (The studio has been a little unpredictable with its 3D Blu-ray strategy — announcing a 3D Blu-ray version of “A Christmas Carol” for Nov. 16 but no 3D version of “Toy Story 3″ with the Nov. 2 Blu-ray of that title and no 3D versions of any of Disney’s other 3D titles from “Chicken Little” and “Nightmare Before Christmas” to “Bolt” or “Up.”)

The unofficial word from the studio about the theatrical delay was that Disney wanted to rerelease it during the movie’s 20th anniversary year in 2011. Insiders say that worked out conveniently to give the non-3D Blu-ray release this fall enough of a sales window before the movie came out in theaters next year, which will then set up a holiday 2011 release of the 3D Blu-ray version of the movie. It’s not unlike Fox’s even tighter windowing of “Avatar,” first on Blu-ray April 22 and then a theatrical rerelease in late August to be followed by an as yet unannounced “Avatar” special edition Blu-ray in November (and a quiet 3D Blu-ray release on Dec. 1 exclusively with purchase of Panasonic equipment) and an eventual retail release of the “Avatar” 3D Blu-ray in 2011.

Meanwhile, it’s encouraging to hear that Disney still feels strongly enough about 3D and converting its library titles that it has set to work on the studio’s modern-day masterpiece, “The Lion King.”

– By Scott Hettrick

The company is officially launching its new 3-year partnership with the U.S. Open by working with CBS Sports to produce the first-ever 3D coverage of the tennis tournament.

The company is also expected to introduce a lens adaptor that will allow for extreme close-ups in 3D, something that has been a challenge to date since the two lenses for 3D are too far apart to be able to capture the same object between them up close.

The very next day on Thursday, Sept. 2, Panasonic is also partnering with Verizon FiOS on the 3DTV production of the NFL preseason football game between the New England Patriots at the New York Giants.

– By Scott Hettrick

“Digital delivery is a key element of our business strategy, and Digital Media Pipeline allows us to network with our partners in the digital marketplace and share knowledge about this growing business,” said Mitch Mallon, Vice President, Sales and Marketing – Digital Distribution and Television, Image Entertainment.

At the conclusion of the one-day event, which brings together digital entertainment content owners, service providers, and retailers to focus on business-to-business opportunities in the digital delivery of home entertainment to consumers, EMA will present its Digi Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in digital entertainment retailing, content, and innovation.

The registration fee for Digital Media Pipeline, which has The Hollywood Reporter as the media sponsor, is $295 for EMA members and $395 for non-members. Discounts are available for multiple attendees from a single company.

Burns will speak on “Turning The Corner From SD to HD to 3D,” one of four panels in the DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group’s conference programming block called Home 3D: Solutions and Strategies.

“I’m looking forward to examining the events of the last decade that have led ESPN to its industry leading position in 3DTV,” Burns said, “as well as considering the challenges and alliances that need to be formed between those who have business interests in 3DTV to further ‘turn the corner’ and drive future consumer interest in this new opportunity.”

The two-day conference produced by The Bob Dowling Group and Unicomm on Sept. 15/16 at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City, Ca., is presented in association with Variety.

“With ESPN leading the charge, televised sports is proving to be a powerful driver for consumer adoption of 3D,” said Dowling,” and we are delighted that Bryan Burns, the network’s go-to executive on all things 3D, will address our conference on one of the industry’s hottest sectors.”

In addition to ESPN 3D, Burns currently leads ESPN’s domestic high-definition services, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, ESPNU HD and ESPNEWS HD, and has been an integral part of creation of the HD services from business planning prior to the announcement of ESPN HD in 2002.

3DHollywood.net is an industry partner with the 3D Entertainment Summit.

– By Scott Hettrick

The story about a squadron of Chinese and volunteer American pilots who teamed up in aerial combat against the Japanese during World War II was first brought to cinema in a 1942 John Wayne movie of the same name.

Woo and producer Terence Chang’s film, with lead financing by China Film Group, will be digitally re-mastered into The IMAX Experience and is slated for release in spring 2011. It will be the second Chinese film to be released in IMAX’s format.

“It has always been a dream of mine to explore shooting with IMAX cameras and to work in the IMAX format,” said Woo. “The strong visual element of this film is incredibly well-suited to the tastes of cinemagoers today. Using IMAX for Flying Tigers would create a new experience for the audience, and I think it would be another breakthrough for Chinese movies.”

“The combination of John Woo, Terence Chang, China Film Group and IMAX will enable this film to attract the widest possible local audience, while also presenting the charm and diversity of Chinese films for fans around the globe.” said China Film Group Chairman Han Sanping.

“Establishing relationships with top filmmakers remains an important part of IMAX’s growth strategy in China, and today’s announcement builds on the momentum created by our recent box office success in that market,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond.

“John Woo and Terence Chang have been enthusiastically integrating the IMAX format into Flying Tigers to ensure the story is told in a way that takes advantage of the unique qualities of The IMAX Experience,” added Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment.

– By Scott Hettrick

• 1.) “Time Bandits” (Image, 17.98) is one of Terry Gilliam’s best films alongside “Brazil,” and his most successful since it appealed to all ages, yet carried his trademark bizarre inventiveness in a typically Gilliam original concept of a group of disgruntled assistants to the Supreme Being who travel around through time stealing things. They wind up collecting a young boy who is unhappy at home and dreams of adventure.
  .
  – The 1981 film looks better than ever in this HiDef transher.
  – Sean Connery was a terrific bit of casting, as he brings charm and warmth to the film.
  – Gilliam’s video Q&A offers fun anecdotes: this film only got made as a last-minute idea when Gilliam’s “Brazil” was languishing, but then “Time Bandits” provided the clout he needed to make “Brazil.” Connery’s final scene as a present-day fireman was shot during a 90-minute window Connery had during a brief stop in England when Gilliam stalked him at the airport and asked him to oblige.
  – A terrific cameo by fellow Python member John Cleese as Robin Hood, and a couple of silly bits by Python troupe member Michael Palin.

• 2.) “The Back-Up Plan” (Sony, $34.95) is a sometimes cute romantic comedy about a young lady (Jennifer Lopez) who no sooner gives up on finding a boyfriend and decides to get artifically inseminated than she meets the man of her dreams. So, what to do with her baby?
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  – Comedian Robert Klein in a small supporting role as the doctor is the best part about the movie and gets the most laughs; Lopez is fair and co-star Alex O’Loughlin is less so, saddled with unconvincing dialogue that he doesn’t improve, and looking far too handsome and ripped for his character’s credibility.
  – Several amusing and interesting deleted scenes that reveal a little more about the supporting characters and too more of an already uncomfortable scene of a friend giving loud and visually disturbing birth while on her knees in a plastic kiddie pool in her living room.

– By Scott Hettrick