Technicolor, Samsung, DreamWorks Bring 3D Home

Deal announced at CES means complete 3D home entertainment solution this year

Samsung Electronics America, DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor have formed a global strategic alliance for the delivery of a complete 3D home entertainment solution this year, they announced Wednesday at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Samsung will contribute a broad lineup of 3D-capable HDTVs as well as its new 3D Blu-ray disc player. For its part, DreamWorks will put together a first-time feature-length, 3D Blu-ray version of its 2009 hit “Monsters vs. Aliens,” in a disc created and produced by Technicolor. On Samsung HDTVs, via the Internet@TV feature, viewers will be able to watch several 3D selections, including short "Bob’s Big Break" and trailers for 2010 DreamWorks Animation feature films "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Shrek Forever After."

“Theatrical 3D is the gateway to in-home 3D,” said Frederic Rose, Technicolor’s chairman-CEO. “The revival of 3D movies at the multiplex has overwhelmingly engaged and intrigued consumers who now want immersive entertainment experiences in the comfort of their homes.”

“2009 was the year of 3D in theaters throughout the world as moviegoers consistently chose the premium 3D experiences,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation CEO. “Innovative technology is at the heart of everything we do at DreamWorks Animation, so we are thrilled that Samsung’s industry-leading 3D HDTVs and Technicolor’s first-of-its-kind Blu-ray technology can now bring 3D content to consumers across the globe at home.”

In other announcements Wednesday at CES, Technicolor said it has developed the first advanced compression and authoring solution to bring the recently released Blu-ray 3D specifications to production reality. Technicolor has expanded its capacity in anticipation of increased demand for Blu-ray 3D authoring.

Also, Technicolor has built the first independent 3D broadcast facility at its London broadcast location at Chiswick Park. The 3D channel is capable of transmitting both live and pre-recorded 3D content using a conventional HD channel. The solution is currently delivering content to a Technicolor HD set-top-box, and Technicolor is ready to offer this service to its network service provider and broadcast clients.

The company also said it has developed a production tool that automatically recommends the best placement of subtitles in 3D content. The various depths at which objects appear on the 3D screen can create limitations on where subtitles can be placed. Technicolor’s tool aims to minimize disruption to the content’s creative intent.

Also at CES, Technicolor will be showcasing its extensive authoring and compression expertise to deliver auto-stereoscopic (glasses-free) 3D experiences to mobile handsets.

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