Dolby announced today that it has reduced the price of its reusable 3D glasses. Starting today exhibitors can purchase new Dolby 3D glasses at a US list price of $27.50 reduced from $39.
“The success of Dolby 3D around the world has enabled us to realize significant economies of scale. We are pleased to announce that our green reusable 3D glasses are now offered at a significantly reduced price ” says John Carey vice president of worldwide sales products and services Dolby Laboratories. “We highly value our exhibitor relationships worldwide and with this announcement we demonstrate our continued effort to improve the value of owning and operating a Dolby 3D Digital Cinema theater.” Last week Dolby announced that shipments of its 3D Digital Cinema units have reached more than 500 in 24 countries since its market debut less than a year ago. Dolby continues to add new 3D screens in North America and has emerged as a leading 3D solution in Europe and Asia.
“Dolby 3D has been recognized as the premium 3D digital cinema image presentation by the filmmaking industry—exhibitors and patrons alike. Theatres around the world are selecting our system to present the optimal viewing experience for digital 3D movies ” says Carey. “We are delighted with the success of Dolby 3D in regions such as China Japan and South America as well as Eastern Europe. Our numbers continue to grow steadily in North America and we welcome the many new exhibitors around the world to the Dolby 3D family.” While Dolby executives concede that RealD can currently
claim a bigger share of the 3D glasses market they note that Dolby has only been in the business for a year as compared to five years for their competitor. Page Haun the new senior marketing director for Dolby Digital Cinema says "Dolby is delivering a premium 3D experience to exhibitors and their patrons and our market share is growing. Dolby www.dolby.com ,329
MPAA Co-Sponsors Democracy Video Challenge
,2008-09-27, The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) joined a broad coalition of partners lead by the U.S. Department of State in sponsoring the Democracy Video Challenge a worldwide video contest recently launched at the United Nations. The video competition challenges young filmmakers from around the world to create short films that capture what democracy means to them and thereby promote the international dialogue on democracy. It was fitting that the announcement was made on the International Day of Democracy.
“The Motion Picture Association of America is a proud partner of the 2008 Democracy Video Challenge offering the world’s young filmmakers an opportunity to display their creativity and share their voices in today’s global discourse ” says Dan Glickman MPAA chairman and chief executive officer. “Film has always been a medium for individual and cultural expression and the MPAA is pleased to promote the global perspectives of these emerging filmmakers.” The Democracy Video Challenge invites budding filmmakers democracy advocates and the general public to film short pieces that complete the phrase “Democracy is…” Contestants will post their movies on YouTube and winners will be selected by the online voting public. Six regional winners will be eligible to receive an all-expense paid trip to the United States that includes special screenings of their videos in New York Hollywood and Washington studio visits and meetings with film directors public officials and democracy advocates from nongovernmental organizations. The MPAA will screen the six regional winners’ videos in Washington. Sponsors involved in the film competition include representatives from the Center for International Private Enterprise the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute; youth organizations including the International Youth Foundation and TakingITGlobal; the higher education community – NYU Tisch School of the Arts and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts; as well as members of the film entertainment industry including the Directors Guild of America and NBC Universal Pictures.
Democracy Video Challenge www.youtube.com/democracychallenge The MPAA www.mpaa.org ,340
Arts Alliance Media Teams with D-Link for European Digital Cinema Rollout,2008-09-27,Networking vendor D-Link announced that Arts Alliance Media a European provider of digital film distribution services selected D-Link to supply the network infrastructure for each of the digital cinemas being rolled out by AAM. The agreement will enable existing cinemas across Europe to make the transition to fully digital cinemas thus providing an optimized viewing experience for filmgoers. Working closely with its distribution partner Azlan the networking distribution division of technology distributor Tech Data Europe D-Link will supply and support AAM on a pan-European basis as the network is deployed across 12 countries and an estimated 7 000 cinema screens over the next three years. AAM is the first company in Europe to have secured long-term digital cinema deployment agreements with 20th Century Fox Universal Pictures International Paramount Pictures International Walt Disney Studios International and Sony Pictures Releasing International. These agreements will see the conversion of up to 7 000 cinema screens over the next few years. In the UK AAM has already completed the Digital Screen Network project for the UK's Film Council which has seen the introduction of 240 digital screens across the country. The main factors that AAM considered when selecting a vendor to work with were D-Link's business strength reliability its Think Global Act Local approach to customer support and the fact that it is recognized as a trusted global brand. Richard Phillips vice president of technical operations Arts Alliance Media says The D-Link switches provide a very high level of specification and reliability at a very competitive price. On-site trials involving a number of key networking vendor products highlighted the robustness and manageability of the D-Link products. In addition our digital cinema deployments are long-term contracts and D-Link had the confidence in their products to provide us with warranties that exceeded our minimum average 10-year requirement—that in itself was very important to us. They have demonstrated a willingness to work with us as a partner not just as a supplier. Kevin Wen president of D-Link Europe says D-Link's selection by AAM for this application is indicative of the reliability performance and world-class support that D-Link provides and what a customer would expect from a market leader in networking. We are very much looking forward to seeing the digital cinema project revolutionize the way in which cinemas across Europe operate and working closely with AAM over the next years to ensure the project is a continued success. Pal Croft Azlan’s European business development manager says The partnership between Arts Alliance Media and D-Link is a significant step forward in the move towards DCI-compliant rollout across Europe and we are delighted to be working with D-Link Europe and Arts Alliance Media to support this evolution. With our established pan-European and advanced logistics capabilities we are able to provide tailored logistical services to help D-Link meet the needs of specialist providers of audiovisual solutions and the technology industry as a whole. Arts Alliance Media (AAM) www.artsalliancemedia.com Azlan www.azlan.com D-Link www.dlink.co.uk Tech Data www.techdata.com ,341
Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall Recipients of VES Lifetime Achievement Award,2008-09-27,The Visual Effects Society has named producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall of The Kennedy/Marshall Company as the recipients of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th Annual VES Awards which will be held at the Century Plaza Hotel in Beverly Hills California on February 21 2009. The VES Lifetime Achievement Award awarded by the VES board of directors recognizes outstanding contributions to the art and/or science of the visual effects industry. The Lifetime Achievement Award given last year to Steven Spielberg honors Marshall's and Kennedy's impressive individual and collective bodies of work as Hollywood's leading producers who have made many iconic films over the past 30 years while also creating extraordinary advances in the field of visual effects in order to make their stories come alive. Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall have set the gold standard for storytelling by combining true creative artistry along with the latest advances in technology to bring their stories to the screen says Eric Roth executive director of VES. Over the past few decades they've proven to be great collaborators with both above and below the line talent which has shone a bright light on the incredible uses of visual effects to not only tell a story more creatively but also to have a more positive impact on the all-important bottom line.” Marshall and Kennedy each hold leading reputations within the film industry and each has earned multiple nominations for Academy Awards. Marshall is credited with over fifty films as a visionary producer while Kennedy includes in her credits E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Jurassic Park and The Sixth Sense three of the highest-grossing films in motion picture history. It is an honor to accept this award from an organization so well-respected in the visual effects field says Marshall. We have always valued the work of visual effects artists and those whose creativity continually develops new ways to push the boundaries of possibility ” says Kennedy. “We are grateful to be recognized as contributors to this process. Marshall and Kennedy began their professional collaboration with Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981. In 1992 the pair formed their own production company The Kennedy/Marshall Company. Under their company banner they credit successful films such as The Sixth Sense Seabiscuit and the Bourne Trilogy. Their films have garnered dozens of Academy Award nominations including The Sixth Sense's six Academy Award nominations and Seabiscuit's seven. Whether it was utilizing green screens in Raiders of the Lost Ark or computer-generated scenery and character animation in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Marshall and Kennedy films have consistently employed cutting edge visual effects techniques. On their upcoming film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button the pair worked closely with director David Fincher to use visual technology to age star Brad Pitt in order to depict the character's story over the course of a lifetime. As filmmakers Marshall and Kennedy have ensured full viewer immersion through their efforts to transform their creative visions into reality. Visual Effects Society www.visualeffectssociety.com
Dolby Lowers Exhibitor Price of its Reusable 3D Glasses
