3-D Set To Revolutionize Movies and Television

Correspondent Derek Armstrong

Challenged by the call of Jeffrey Ktzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, 2009 is shaping up to be the design innovation year for movies. DreamWorks announced all movies produced at the studio will be made in 3-D–not to be confused with red-green glasses 3-D which never quite caught on.

Katzenberg expects forty percent of films to come via 3-D by spring, starting with DreamWork’s Monsters vs. Alien’s this spring and leading up to seventy percent by the big release of the next Shrek movie. He had originally set an optimistic goal of 5,000 3-D capable screens by spring, although this likely will be revised due to economic factors. Led by Real D from Dolby, which premiered with Beowolf in 2008, the new technology is expected to be mainstream by 2010.

Only slightly later in the development curve is real 3-D TV technology. Early adoption might be expensive initially, but a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas projects a future where most households have the technology.

The new technology involves optic-friendly sunglasses, doing away with the red and green throw-aways) and much higher quality of 3-D experience.