Growing Momentum for At-Home 3D – 3D movies generated over $1 billion at theatrical box offices worldwide this year, and when a movie is projected in both versions, the 3D showings typically bring in more than double the revenue of the regular screenings. So next year both Sony and Panasonic plan to introduce 3D-capable HD TVs for the mass market, using the polaroid glasses. Studios hope 3D can lift the sagging home video market the same way it has pushed up box office receipts. The initial cost of 3D sets may be about 20% higher than normal sets of the same size, but costs should fall in coming years. One analyst sees 3D-ready TVs in 28 million to 46 million homes worldwide by 2013. Some manufacturers are going with the “active shutter” instead of polaroid glasses; an infrared emitter on the TV tells the more-expensive battery-powered glasses when to flicker the left and right lenses in conjunction with the screen images, to give 3D perception. Minor upgrades to existing non-3D TV sets are possible with this system to make them compatible, though the special glasses will raise the cost. Director Henry Selick said he was disappointed with the 3D version of his animated film Coraline – which, as many others, used the outdated/headache-producing red/green anaglyph glasses. He told a conference, “I wish they’d waited to do the home 3D release until the technology caught up to what it was in the theaters. I’m disappointed in how few people got to see it in the best possible way.” There are many different versions of the new Disney/Pixar Up (3D in some theaters), but none for home 3D. About 30 features in 3D are heading to theatrical screens next year.
Naxos Has iPhone & iPod Touch Music App – As of today the Naxos Music Library offers a new free NML iPhone App designed and built so that subscribers can have remote access to their personal and account music playlists. They can stream Naxos music – from the world’s largest collection of streaming classical, jazz, wind band, choral and world music – anytime, anywhere thru their iPhone or iPod Touch. The app is available only thru the iTunes App Store at NaxosMusicLibrary.Blogspot.com
Sharp Electronics in Red as LCD Prices Fall – Sharp has posted a lost of $196 million, compared to a profit of $260 million the previous year, due to declining market share, falling prices and a strong yen. Prices of large-screen LCD panels are expected to fall 10% during this quarter. Profits at the electronic-components unit of Sharp, who make LCD panels, tumbled to 183 million yen from 32.6 billion yen a year earlier.
First Hitchcock Film on Blu-ray – is North by Northwest, with Cary Grant, just reissued by Warner Bros., along with four other Hitchcock classics: Suspicion, Strangers On a Train, I Confess, and The Wrong Man. The suspenseful images are that much clearer in hi-def and even if some of the special effects look a bit dated, they’re crisper than ever before.
Sony PlayTV Accessory for PS3 Playstation – has twin HD tuners and allows consumers to download movie and video content from a new Sony store. It could hurt sales of TiVo and other DVRs. The unit’s LiveTV feature allows access to unencrypted channels in the DVB-T network in Europe and the UK. Programming is cached as it is displayed, so users can pause, rewind and fast forward as well as record telecasts. There is a seven-day electronic program guide and wi-fi connectivity with a PS3 Portable for portable viewing of live or recorded programming. The screen size can be adjusted and recorded material can be transferred to an external storage device. Unfortunately, the unit is only going to be available in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, since North America uses NTSC & ATSC instead of DVB/T technology.
