SPECIAL AWESOME - stereoscopic resource

We at SPECIAL AWESOME are keeping this blog up to date with all the exciting news coming in the world of 3D with special attention to small screens, mobile, consumer devices, and of course - AUTOSTEREOSCOPIC (glasses free). Please dig deep, so much is happening that articles of monumental importance quickly fall down the list into obscurity. Interested in Apple 3D? The latest on touch-screen 3D hand-held devices? Intel 3D? Nokia 3D? ESPN? It's all here and more.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

SA 3D rig at the Reno air races



Stereoscope were up in Reno NV the other day shooting the air races with our 3D rig. Here are some pix of the setup with Red One cameras and the rig on a crane. Can't wait to see the footage.

Stereoscope - http://www.estreo3d.tv/v2/

http://swissrig.com/

Here's the press relase for the movie:

- The Company Goes From Sea to Sky with Its First Non-Aquatic Film
- Principal 3D Photography Begins this Week in Reno

Los Angeles (CA) and London (UK) -- Sept. 14, 2009 / PRNEWSWIRE / 3D Entertainment is pleased to announce today that it has acquired the distribution rights for "Air Racers 3D: Forces of Flight," produced by Los Angeles-based Pretend Entertainment and Stereoscope. Through the eyes of first-time competitor and rookie pilot Steve Hinton Jr., son of champion air racer and acrobatic pilot Steve Hinton, the film will chronicle the preparation for and competition in the world's fastest motor sport: the legendary Reno National Championship Air Races. The film will fly into IMAX® 3D and 2D Theatres in the US beginning in Fall 2010.

"Just eight days after announcing our first acquisition for IMAX® 3D Theatres, 'Sea Rex 3D,' we are extremely pleased to add this exciting new film, which will be the first non-aquatic title in our film catalogue, to our 2010 lineup," said Francois Mantello, Chairman and CEO of 3D Entertainment Distribution. "Projected on the world's largest screens, 'Air Racers 3D's unique giant screen filmmaking style will put every moviegoer and motorsports fan in the middle of the highly competitive action, and at more than twice the speed of a NASCAR race."

"We are thrilled to have reached a distribution agreement with the passionate team at 3D Entertainment," said Christian Fry, co-owner of Pretend Entertainment and the film's producer. "With 'Air Racers 3D' audiences worldwide will explore what are unquestionably the fastest-moving machines in motorsports and experience what it feels like to race at 500 mph a mere 50 feet off the ground. Pilots fight for position, running a tight 8-mile course marked off by ten giant pylons where flying a perfect line is critical for victory. Under these extreme conditions, it takes only a single miscalculation or mechanical failure to impact the entire field of planes with potentially catastrophic results."

Principal photography on "Air Racers 3D: Forces of Flight" begins this week during the 46th annual National Championship Air Races, which will take place at the Reno Stead Airfield from September 16-20. Ultra high definition 3D cameras will be used for the very first time to capture the drama, sound, emotion, thrills and excitement of the race.

"Air Racers: Forces of Flight" will follow 22-year-old Steve Hinton in his attempt to become the youngest air race pilot ever to compete in the 'Unlimited Class', the most anticipated event, which has always been dominated by pilots with decades more experience. The film will also focus on the science of today's air racing technology, human physiology, neurology and the underlying physics that pilots depend on to take turns at the highest speeds while skillfully maneuvering within inches of their flying competitors.

Air racing is a tradition that started nearly 100 years ago with World War I-era barnstormers that eventually evolved into the grand racing events organized to celebrate the aviation heroics of World War II. The last of their kind, the Reno Air Races began in 1964 as a revival of these high-speed competitions celebrating horsepower, ingenuity and piloting skills of the men who operated these planes under much more dangerous and dire circumstances. For one week every September, the high desert north of Reno becomes home to hundreds of aircraft, their pilots, and crews. "Fly low, go fast and turn left" is their motto.

"Air Racers: Forces of Flight" is produced by Pretend Entertainment and Stereoscope in association with the Reno Air Racing Association. Roger Tonry, known for his extensive experience in aerial and aviation photography, will direct. Christian Fry and Bernie Laramie will serve as producers with John Constantine, Raul Leckie and Jeffery Pierce as executive producers. The official film website is http://www.AirRacers3D.com

source: http://www.bigmoviezone.com/articles/index.html?uniq=381

Sunday, November 8, 2009

FUJI FINEPIX REAL 3D W1


FUJI FINEPIX REAL 3D W1

Cool new find - check this baby out:


http://www.fujifilm.com/products/3d/viewer/finepix_real3dv1/

Its a consumer digital still camera that shoots 3D. It requires a 3D viewer - the FUJI FINEPIX REAL 3D V1 for glasses free (parallax barrier type) - a fancy way of saying lenticular...
Maximum resolution is 3648 x 2736 - given this aspect ratio this must mean PER EYE. It also claims to do 3D movies at 640 x 480.



MSRP for the camera is $599.95 - the 3D digital viewer will go for $499.95.
I am sure going to get one of these soon and a review will be coming.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Sony Playstation3 3D


2010 firmware update will enable the Sony PS3
to play 3D games on any 3D television.


This will be a huge boost for 3D in the home. Sony have announced an affordable (active) flat panel, and
1 in 4 gamers surveyed responded that 3D was "must have" technology. The active monitor approach is huge because it will open the market for 120hz displays to console gamers, paving the way for xBox and Wii 3D as well as putting pressure on the high priced passive screens from JVC, Panasonic, Hyundai et all.

Not only that, but (in case you didn't know) the PS3 also has a Blu-Ray player...


MUST BE SEEN Youtube - interview with Sony's display product manager:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12aM9p8N_hQ&feature=related



Lots of chatter in the gaming world:
http://playstation.joystiq.com/2009/01/08/sony-teases-3d-ps3-tech-at-ces/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0MP95OCtdg
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6217068.html?sid=6217068∂=rss&subj=6217068

Friday, November 6, 2009

Apple 3D Projection Patent


Apple receives Patent for Holographic 3D Projection Display


Nice to see some solid work from APPLE in receiving a patent for an auto-stereoscopic system.

Though actual implementation is not a given - not soon at least, it is good to know what to say when a 3D naysayer quips that it won't be any good until the glasses are eliminated - the answer is "Apple have a patent for that".



Apple_3D_patent.jpg

This article is very long detailed and interesting as heck - if you are interested in autostero (who isn't?) then you've got to check this out from Mac News Network:

http://www.macnn.com/blogs/2008/03/20/apple-working-on-3d-holographic-projection-displays.html

Thursday, November 5, 2009

3D iPhone application

3D iPhone application


Leave it to Grey advertising - it's an ad for Longhorn steak house. The surreal image of a steak flipping ...over... and ...over... in 3D is, well, surreal. The good news is that we know they're serious... are they?

Here is how gomonews.com covered it:

http://www.gomonews.com/wpp-grey-group-launches-apple-iphone-stereoscopic-3d-application-for-longhorn-steakhouse/

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

DCIP funding = 20,000 3D screens


DCIP Funding for exhibitors


DCIP funding is crucial for the growth of 3D.

Beacause the number of screens is still somewhere around 2,000 in the USA and 5,000 worldwide, release windows have become ridiculously short. All recent engagements, from Up, to Coraline have been limited to 2 weeks. Given the current release schedule, James Cameron's much anticipated AVATAR will be available in 3D for 1.8 weeks on average. With the performance figures for most 3D films, this is clearly leaving money on the table.

This $1 billion line of credit from JPMorgan Securities (DCIP) ought to go a long way towards remedying this situation allowing theater owners to upgrade their systems to 20,000 across North America - more than half the total screens.


Heres Variety's take:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993164.html?categoryid=1009&cs=1&nid=2562

Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122283741314593631.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Reuters:
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE4902NW20081001


Heres what DCIP say about themselves:
http://www.dcipllc.com/aboutus.xml

Digital Cinema Implementation Partners (DCIP) is a company owned equally by exhibition industry leaders AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark USA, Inc. (NYSE:CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE:RGC). Representing more than 14,000 screens in the U.S. and Canada, DCIP is headquartered in Bergen County, NJ with offices in Minneapolis and Denver. DCIP was created in 2007 to plan and implement the deployment of digital cinema during the motion picture industry’s transition from film to digital technology.

The primary benefit of universal implementation of digital cinema distribution and exhibition is the cost savings that result from eliminating the need to print, deliver and retrieve thousands of celluloid film reels per release. With a digital cinema distribution system in place, film studio/distributors will be able to deliver digital content via broadband or satellite links at little marginal cost.

Digital cinema promises a new world of programming flexibility, picture quality and image consistency. It is expected to expand alternative, non-traditional theatre programming, ultimately providing more choices to moviegoers.


Sunday, November 1, 2009

3D TV in England


Sky 3D TV will be launched in 2010


Englands Sky Tv will soon be offering 3D broadcasts. The service will be delivered via its (installed base of) SKY+HD boxes. Viewers will be able to watch movies sports and entertainment in 3D from their existing cable service providing they have a DLP or are willing to upgrade to one of the new generation of monitors from JVC, Hyundai, and Sony.



Nice article here from techradar.com:

http://www.techradar.com/news/television/sky-3dtv-will-be-launched-in-2010-621310