SID - Society For Information Display

Contacts:
Marie Labrie
MCA
(650) 968-8900, ext. 119
mlabrie@mcapr.com

Tom Miller
SID
(480) 502-9334
tmiller@sid.org

For Immediate Release

Presenters from DreamWorks, Dolby Laboratories, Quantel, RealD, Sony Imageworks and 3ality Digital Systems to Share the State of the Art and the Cutting-edge Future of 3D Movies on May 21, 2008

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 23, 2008-The Society for Information Display (SID), the leading global organization dedicated to the advancement of electronic-display technology, today announced a unique 3D technology-focused addition to its program lineup for Display Week 2008, May 18-23, 2008, at the Los Angeles (Calif.) Convention Center. The Special Session on 3D in Cinema, slated for Wednesday, May 21, will feature invited talks from leading experts in the field, on topics spanning the full 3D movie process-from content creation (animation and live action) and editing, to post production and theatrical display.

Leading 3D technology and experience provider RealD will provide stereoscopic projection equipment and viewing glasses for audience members, enabling speakers to screen illustrative clips. DreamWorks Animation, Dolby Laboratories, Quantel, Real D, Sony Pictures Imageworks and 3ality Digital Systems will present at the session.

The session topic is timely, given viewer attendance at 3D versions of recent films such as Beowulf and Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds. Both generated record-breaking per-screen averages from 3D locations, delivering eight times the box office revenues of theaters showing the films in standard format. Moreover, conversion to digital cinema technology continues to escalate rapidly, according to U.K.-based Dodona Research. The cinema-focused consulting and research firm estimates that by 2013, half of all cinema screens worldwide will have converted to digital technology from traditional 35mm projectors, whereas about 5 percent of the global total had made the conversion as of late 2007. And, Dodona emphasizes, 3D will serve as the driver for this explosive growth.

According to the 3D in Cinema session co-chairs, Brian Berkeley and Brian Schowengerdt, "Today's 3D experience isn't, as they say, your grandparents' 3D movie. Some people still associate 3D with the gimmick-filled horror films that first emerged in the 1950s, but the technology today is both more impressive and more subtle. To truly appreciate it, you have to not only see it but understand how it works, as well."

To help Display Week attendees gain this in-depth understanding, SID created the 3D in Cinema session, inviting speakers who are working at the cutting edge of contemporary 3D moviemaking to explain how the characteristics of 3D display technologies shape every aspect of the movie creation process. Topics and speakers for the session will include:

Throughout the presentations, session attendees will be treated to clips of such 3D features as Beowulf, Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Monster House, The Polar Express and U2 3D. These and other 3D pictures have each played a part in helping digital cinema continue to move to the next level. The 3D in Cinema special session will kick off with a luncheon keynote address by Andy Hendrickson, VP of technology for Walt Disney Animation Studios, who will delve into the evolution of display technology and the various display-related challenges and opportunities specific to the entertainment industry.

Jeremy Devine, vice president of marketing for Dallas-based Rave Motion Pictures, the United States' largest digital-only movie exhibition company, noted that revenues for 3D features can be up to three times those generated by a 2D film. "If you didn't have the killer app of 3D cinema, digital would be limited to running other alternative content, like operas, rock concerts, some sporting events, and some animated and anime products coming down the pike. The reality is that the return on those has simply not been as dramatic as 3D, so it probably would have slowed our adoption process," said Devine.

The technology has implications beyond the movie theater, as well. Gamers have embraced stereoscopic 3D in rapidly growing numbers, as evidenced by the popularity of stereoscopic 3D certification and advocacy group Meant to be Seen (MTBS)-its year-old website has more than 3,000 registered members and 10,000 unique visitors a month. Other markets poised to make the shift to 3D digital within the next few years include home entertainment and professional displays.

The 3D in Cinema special session will be held in the L.A. Convention Center on Wednesday, May 21, from 2:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., with a question-and-answer period to follow. The cost to attend is included in the fee for the Symposium technical program, which features additional sessions on 3D display technologies and applications ("3D Applications and Measurement Techniques" from 3:40 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20; "Novel 3D Displays" and "Stereoscopic Displays" from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the morning of the Special Session; and "3D Integral Imaging and Autostereoscopic Displays" from 10:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 22). For those not attending the full Symposium, the session registration cost is $100. More information, including synopses of each talk, is available at http://www.sid.org/conf/sid2008/program/3d.html. Media interested in attending the 3D in Cinema special session or Display Week in general, please contact Marie Labrie at mlabrie@mcapr.com.

ABOUT DISPLAY WEEK 2008
The 46th SID International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, dubbed Display Week 2008, will take place Sunday, May 18, through Friday, May 23, 2008, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Display Week is the premier international gathering of scientists, engineers, manufacturers and users in the field of electronic information displays. For more information on SID 2008, visit www.sid2008.org.

ABOUT SID
The Society for Information Display (SID) is the leading international professional society exclusively devoted to the advancement of electronic-display technology, manufacturing, and applications. Its international headquarters are located at 610 South Second Street, San Jose, Calif. Visit SID online at www.sid.org.

Note to Editors: A quote sheet of relevant comments from slated speakers follows {or is available upon request}.

SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION DISPLAY (SID) DISPLAY WEEK 2008
3D IN CINEMA SPECIAL SESSION PRESENTER QUOTES

3ALITY DIGITAL SYSTEMS

"The word 3D conjures up images of the theatrical misfires of the 50's and the 70's. The technology now exists to create live action content in both the movie and broadcast worlds in a manner acceptable to working professionals. There are tools and techniques that have eliminated the black magic associated with 3D in the past, and content can be created that is comfortable and compelling to watch with no limitations on viewing time. This can be done in pre-recorded material, and in a live broadcast environment. Digital technologies have enabled the solutions in both acquisition and exhibition."

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

"The poetry of cinematography is that filmmakers can actually represent a spatial world in a flat environment. Now we're at the point where we need to convert flat space into a movie space while realizing that there are different levels of comfort that one can tolerate in the real world versus in the theater. So, we're in a new interpretation phase, which I call a "3D-to-3D conversion" process. That's really what we're doing-capturing real-life space and manipulating that into a 3D movie space."

"The certainty of 3D is here. This conference session explores how innovations in 3D affect content creation, mastering and exhibition technologies. We are all focused on delivering the next level of entertainment to our audience-and this includes more than feature films and animations. 3D will quickly become an integral platform for live-action and alternative content such as sporting events and concerts."

"This session will help the display community realize that, at least on the cinema side, 3D is coming, and is pretty unstoppable. That will, hopefully, get them to think about what that will mean eventually for entertainment and professional displays-those technologies will eventually have to accommodate stereoscopic imaging as well. The marketing, engineering and business people in the display companies are fairly aware of what has to happen technically to move this forward, so I'm hoping this symposium can really illustrate to this industry how important the stereoscopic business will be in the future."

"People need a sense of history. Very, very strong arguments were used against sound and color, and looking back, how ridiculous was that? We don't see applications where you wouldn't use stereo in some form at some point in the future. After all, most of us have two eyes, so when people say that stereo will only be suitable for certain applications, you ask-which applications do humans routinely close one eye for?"

"Imagine if we had stereo camera phone and you could have a stereo telephone conferencing, or if the desktop on your computer was actually dimensional. As 3D gets better and cheaper, it will be everywhere."