UK Cinemas Get 3D Projection Rollout

CNETNate writes "The largest chain of cinemas in Britain, Odeon, has become the first chain to fully roll out 3D projection technology in its theaters. These new projectors will deliver 3D images at a resolution of 2K (2,048x1,080 pixels). Many major cities in the UK will now be able to project the new 3D movies coming out of Hollywood, without it being referred to as a novelty offered in one or two locations."

Comments

3d?

[Sobrique]

Clearly the most profitable use of 3D is going to be the pornography market.
And lets face it, who want's that in a public space...

Reality:

[ledow]

The reality is closer to this:

Bugger! People don't want to pay £15 to sit for hours in a dirty, smelly, sticky cinema to watch disgusting, blurry, washed-out reproductions of Hollywood movies that take twenty minutes to start (while accusing them of everything from theft to supporting terrorism), where a hot dog costs more than the ticket, the drinks are 99.999% water and the staff are similarly dirty, smelly and sticky.

The madmen would rather sit at home in comfort with their HDTV's and get a better quality image close up! What are they thinking?!

Hey, we need to get our customers back, so let's add a useless 3D element to our movies that everybody has been able to do but nobody has cared about in the last fifty years!

Seriously, the last four or five times I went into a cinema in a large town not 10 minutes from London, there were about three people in there, including me. They need a new gimmick and they think it will bring back the audiences. It won't. The problem isn't the type of movie projection - it's the quality of the systems (all the films I've seen this year have been blurry, out of focus and even when in focus look very horrible), the atmosphere of the cinema (which is all-but-gone now), the service recieved and the price you pay. I can OWN a copy of a film cheaper than I can go to the cinema once, and it will "appear" better quality because I'm closer to a higher-quality screen. Plus, I can pause it to get a real hotdog, or I can invite friends over.

Re:Reality:

[AndyboyH]

To be fair, most local cinemas to me are always packed on the 'cheap' night - Orange Wednesday (for those of you not in the UK - the mobile phone operator gives you 2 for 1 on a cinema ticket for a screening on Wednesday if you text them)

But despite all the failings of the communal cinema experience that you mention - for me, it's kind of worth it just to get better sound. I've got decent THX-certified 5.1 speakers - but I've not set them up correctly, because the layout of my living room's prohibiting putting the satellites where they're meant to be. Nevermind when I have to turn the sofa 90 degrees for the projector and the left channel is now behind me.

Sometimes that's worth £6-7 each. Nevermind my fiancee feeling like it's a 'treat' lol

Re:Reality:

[Anonymous Coward]

First of all, you can't "own" a copy of any cinema film, not unless you happen to be a Hollywood mogul - at least, not in the sense that ownership actually allows you to do what you want with your property.

With that out of the way - mate, you really must go to some shit cinemas. The ones I go to - and I normally go in Brighton or Worthing - are fairly clean and non-blurry and the staff are no less or more "dirty, smelly and sticky" (do you have some sort of cleanliness OCD thing going on?) than your average geek. OK, a lot cleaner than your average geek.

As for atmosphere - Worthing has the beautiful and historic Dome cinema. If you want somewhere that doesn't just show the big budget Hollywood, Brighton has the Duke of York's Picturehouse. As for popularity, the Brighton Odeon is mostly 3/4 full when I go to see mainstream films in the evening - of course you're going to get fewer patrons for the Monday morning showing of a random cartoon, but what do you want them to do, cancel the film because you feel lonely?

As for hotdogs, can't you just learn to keep your cakehole shut for a couple of hours and enjoy a film? If you walked into a great store but that store also sold over-priced chocolates at the entrance, would that detract from your experience once inside the store? If you're diabetic or have renal failure, bring in some sweets and a bottle of water; I get thirsty too often and carry a bottle of water with me wherever I go, and no-one's yet told me I can't drink.

Re:Reality:

[L4t3r4lu5]

There are more often than not sign stating that you may only consume beverages and food purchased on the premises.

I find that a large McDonalds coke bought from next door is just as flat, has just as much ice, and costs 1/3 of the price. Popcorn I don't care for, and I dare anybody to tell me that my pack of Maltesers wasn't bought from their again overpriced sweet counter.

Hell, I could walk into our "Deluxe" screen with a tin of wife-beater and they couldn't do a thing. They sell it behind the bar (again, for 3x what is costs in the supermarket).

Next thing is frame rate

[Air-conditioned cowh]

This is great news but when I say an IMAX movie the one thing that I really noticed was that 24 frames per sec looks really naff, and can even cause a headache, when everything else is so realistic.

Since the Odeon system is digital I guess it is possible to overscan it and use clever motion interpolation to make movement look smooth, like some of the newer HDTVs do now. Anyone know if they do this?

Otherwise with decreasing storage costs the native frame rate of the films will hopefully get up to 70+ fps soon.

Re:Next thing is frame rate

[elvum]

The effective resolution of a 35mm film print is about the same as HDTV. Film productions tend not to use the slow, fine-grain films that you need for recording fine detail, and the process of producing successive prints for distribution reduces the detail even further.

Also, don't forget that although the cinema screen might be twelve times bigger than a television, you'll probably be sitting twelve times further away.

Another dimension?

[houghi]

Why not add another dimension to the stories and let them go from 1 dimension to 2 dimensions. (and 1 dimension is even a stretch for some movies)

Re:They're already out in some places.

[Racemaniac]

why would they stop? it's working, you're watchin those movies in the cinema

The movie theatre sucks

[Alarindris]

I'll pay $15 to see a movie when the resolution is 50,400 x 31,500, otherwise I'll rent it for $3 and watch it at home.

Re:TFA is crap, 2M not 2K

[Jagen]

Speaking of ignorance, in digital cinema terms 2K refers to a horizontal resolution of around 2000 pixels, because of the variability of the projected format (1.85, 2.35 etc) it makes more sense to refer to the horizontal resolution rather than the vertical one.

Re:And glasses...

[joss]

> If yes, then why are you posting on Slashdot? ;)

Because I fucking *hate* Sex and the city

Once you get married, I bet you find yourself watching TV less. Part of that may be you have a richer life and other activities to occupy you but mostly its because chick tv sucks big green donkey dick