EXHIBITION SYSTEMS EUROPEAN 3D


Multiple players in 3D picture I


t goes without saying these are boom times for 3D. And though the 3D exhibition revolution has not occurred


as swiftly as early supporters predicted, there were some 16,000 digital screens around the world by the end of 2009, according to Screen Digest. And as the roll-out continues, there is increasing competition among 3D exhibition sys- tems for dominance in the market. When the new interest in 3D began in


earnest, the US-owned RealD rapidly became the leading system provider. It still controls more than 80% of the US market and has a 40% market share in Europe. Key to RealD’s success was tim- ing. The company was quickest to bring the major exhibitors on board: as early as 2005, RealD aggressively courted US exhibitors such as AMC and Loews. In a pre-Avatar period when there was wide- spread scepticism about whether 3D had anything beyond novelty value in the marketplace, RealD was fi rst out of the blocks. RealD allows its clients to defer some


of the one-time expenses by charging fi ve-year licensing fees and then taking a percentage of the box offi ce. However, other players such as


XPAND, MasterImage 3D and Dolby are also very active in the market, with each offering exhibitors differ- ent propositions both com- mercially and technically. The digital 3D systems


At the end of 2009 there were 16,000 digital screens worldwide


effectively work as add- ons to existing digital projectors, supplied by companies such as Barco, Christie and Sony. Each system uses either ‘active’ glasses — which rely on expensive shutter technology to create the 3D effect — or ‘passive’ glasses which are cheaper and do not require a power source. And it is a testament to the lure of 3D that a supplier such as Technicolor is now fi lling a niche with a lower cost 3D system which works with fi lm (Panavision’s 3D system also works with fi lm or digital projectors).


Share of US exhibition market claimed by RealD


80%


DOLBY The attraction of the Dolby system — aside from the fact Dolby is an established brand which is trusted by exhibitors — is that it only requires a one-time investment, and no annual licence fees. Dolby uses a standard white screen, rather than a costly silver screen and requires a min- imal investment in a simple digital projector accessory; the


projector switches easily between 2D and 3D presentations. The glasses are lightweight, re-usable


and passive — meaning they require no batteries or charging. Moreover for fi lm- makers, there is no need for extra colour correction or other compensation proc- esses in post-production. In 2009, Dolby


There is increasing competition among 3D systems for dominance


was calculated by Business Week to have around 12% of the overall 3D theatre market in the US.


IMAX “We were doing 3D before digital 3D came along,” declares Julian Stanford, Imax’s general manager, theatre devel- opment, Europe, Middle East and


Who are the major exhibition systems competing for a share of the fast-evolving 3D market? By Geoffrey Macnab


Imax digital projectors European 3D special 2010 Screen International 23 ■


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