If you look at the technology, Dolby 3D Digital Cinema is somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 to bring a complete 3D experience technology into theaters. This number includes a required camera systems as well as a large number of expensive viewing glasses. After the conversion is done, you have a 2D/3D cinema, with the ability to show both standard and 3D movies back to back. Theaters are not required to change the screen, which has been the culprit in all of the previous 3D attempts, especially those that required silver-coated screens.

The playback technology of these 2D/3D movies has been developed by Dolby and Infitech, a company that was spun-off by German corporation Daimler AG. Its secret is based on a six-color disc with a diameter similar to those of CD/DVD/BD media. The disc spins at 144 Hz, with three colors targeting the left eye and three colors targeting the right eye. As a result, the disc (“color wheel”) creates a stereoscopic 3D image on the screen. However, in the case of a 2D movie, disc rests couple of inches above the lens opening, which means that system will not interfere with regular 2D recordings.

What you get in the end is a complete 3D movie, whether it is natively filmed in 3D or simply adjusted for this technology. Gone are those 20 minute 3D clips, which often required movie goers to play around with glasses and wait for appearance of “green goggles” and “red goggles” at the bottom of the screen.


3D glasses

A big part of the movie experience is comfort and convenience. The downside 3D screenings always have been cheap, heavy glasses that are just a bad fit for the average nose. Dolby said that it studied the shapes and forms of faces in order to create much better eyewear. The result shows a special curving on the sides of the glasses. Regardless of what nose has been given to you, the Dolby3D glasses should fit nicely, we are told. The frame is designed to completely cover your vision area and offer protection of lenses from any backlight (such as exit signs, or someone going to the bathroom and opening the entrance door).

The lenses of these glasses are a different ballgame. Unlike el cheapo plastics or see-through paper, these lenses have more layers of coating than almost any sunglasses on the market. Dolby used 50 layers of coating and applied a special curvature of the lens, in order to increase durability and achieve a decent 3D effect. Dolby says the lenses are scratch-proof.

Due to the complex construction the 3D glasses cost around $50 to manufacture, so they clearly are not your regular 3D paper glasses. Because of the high price, Dolby implemented a security feature on the left side of the lens, so visitors who would like to have a “permanent” memory of their visit to the movie theater might find themselves surprised when an alarm rings at the exit (just like in your everyday shopping mall). Dolby, however, said that it can cut the price of the glasses in half over time.


Effects

All of the technologies mentioned above would be nothing else but a bunch of letters on your screen, if there wasn't a memorable 3D effect. Dolby showed us trailers for Star Wars IV: A New Hope, U2 3D and Fly me to the Moon. Watching Star Wars was especially impressive. The movie looked like it has a lot of depth, with external shots showing a lot of depth without the blurriness in the background. Scenes filmed in rooms looked nice: We did not experience the usual popping-out-of-the-screen effect, but rather received a feeling of the cinema screen being the entrance into a room where the action is happening.


Conclusion

Will Dolby 3D Digital Cinema prove to be more than just a gimmick for one or two years? Even though it is really hard to predict, it is our belief that 3D will take off in a discrete way. The movie lineup for next couple years looks really solid, with Star Wars, Journey 3D, Transformers 2, Ice Age: The Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Final Destination 4, Toy Story 2 & 3, Shrek 4 and about a dozen or two more titles. The lineup is dominated by animated movies, since we all know the concept of attracting kids to the cinema. But obviously, for a dramatic effect, Dolby needs flight, space, diving and sports documentaries.

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