Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Real D acquires Master Image 3D

This is topic Real D acquires Master Image 3D in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 02-24-2017, 01:10 PM:

https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/reald-acquires-masterimage-3d-assets-and-technology/

quote:
BEVERLY HILLS, CA (February 23, 2017) – RealD has acquired the remaining assets of MasterImage in a transaction that closed today. Assets acquired by RealD include all intellectual property, technology, inventory, and accounts receivable previously controlled by MasterImage.

The acquisition of these assets follows several key legal victories in which RealD successfully asserted their patents against MasterImage. These victories include a recent court-ordered ban of the infringing products by the US International Trade Commission, and wins against MasterImage in various other jurisdictions around the world.

“RealD remains committed to visual technology innovation and to protecting our intellectual property around the world,” said RealD Founder and CEO Michael V. Lewis.

RealD pioneered digital 3D and has a platform of over 29,000 RealD 3D equipped screens in 72 countries. As the world’s leading 3D cinema system provider with over 570 issued or pending patents, RealD has been more instrumental in perfecting, promoting and providing a premium quality 3D experience than any other company.

RealD has offices in Beverly Hills, Boulder, London, Oxford, Moscow, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo. For more information, please visit our website at www.reald.com.

About RealD Inc.
Globally recognized as the world’s visual technology leader, RealD pioneered digital 3D cinema and today has the world’s largest 3D cinema platform. RealD’s dominant market share is comprised of a network of theatres that include more than 29,000 installed screens with a backlog of 4,000 additional contracted installations in 72 countries with over 1,200 exhibition partners. RealD is the world’s preeminent 3D brand, with well over 1.5 billion people having experienced a movie in RealD 3D.

RealD has offices in Beverly Hills, Boulder, London, Moscow, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo. For more information, please visit our website at www.reald.com.

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 02-24-2017, 01:51 PM:

If you can't beat 'em, sue 'em?

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 02-24-2017, 01:58 PM:

In the 1950's, Technicolor successfully sued Cinecolor for patent infringement in Cinecolor's SuperCineColor dye transfer color process. They eventually acquired Cinecolor's lab, and destroyed all the equipment and any SuperCineColor separations they could find.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 02-24-2017, 03:45 PM:

Polaroid sued Kodak on the instant print pictures and won.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-24-2017, 06:01 PM:

At least Techniclor didn't destroy the Cinecolor building. It now houses a small part of Fotokem..

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 02-24-2017, 06:18 PM:

quote: Frank Cox
If you can't beat 'em, sue 'em?

If you're the big guy trying to whack the smaller one, that usually works. It can get messy the other way round, though. Lee de Forest's tangles with Fox and Disney are a case (excuse the pun!) in point.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-24-2017, 06:56 PM:

And it's interesting to see those Kodak Instant Camera units draft up the prices at thrift stores and the similar where these venues sees these cameras as collector items.

I had one and liked the quality of the pictures better than what Polaroid could produce.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 02-24-2017, 07:49 PM:

What was Master Image doing that infringed Crappy D? Do they assert ownership over alternate frame 3D?

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 02-24-2017, 08:20 PM:

The second 3D supplier having a change of ownership this week.

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 02-24-2017, 08:20 PM:

I wonder what will happen to the existing theatres with Masterimage systems. I assume there must be some, somewhere. Are they just up ye olde creek with an obsolete setup now?

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 02-25-2017, 08:13 AM:

Just because MI was bought by RealDim 3D doesn't mean the new owner isn't liable for the contractual responsibilities of MI -- you buy the company, you buy it's contracts and warranties. So it depends on what the exhibitor signed in terms of service contracts and such, although most service contracts usually aren't more than a year duration -- after that, yah...no paddle.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-25-2017, 09:24 AM:

There are a bunch in my area although only one "Wave" that I actually service. I will say that what ever M.I. did differently than Real-D did was better. M.I. always had better quality 3-D image for a polarized system. Perhaps if they had stayed with spinning disks they'd still be around. The image quality out of the spinning disk system was actually superb.

Mark

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 02-25-2017, 11:31 AM:

quote: Steve Kraus
What was Master Image doing that infringed Crappy D? Do they assert ownership over alternate frame 3D?

Aside from their disc based systems, they manufactured and sold two electronic devices (Wave3D and Horizon3D), that directly competed with RealDs Z-Screen and XL systems, especially the competition between Horizon3D and XL was accompanied by patent claims from both companies.

Now, Volfoni and GetD sell similar devices. I have no idea wether the general design of the XL light recycler was the main patent issue, or certain details of the design. I know GetD and Volfoni had some fights with RealD about these systems as well, but I am not current on the state of these.

I understand that the basic Z-Screen type of electronic polarization switcher can not be patented, or is simply easier to license, while the XL is the more complex design that RealD wanted to protect.

Another important IP asset of RealD is the Ghostbusting process. You can only license it from RealD. Well you can say it's not an asset, but a pain in the ass, as it is a necessary evil to display a bearable picture through the Z-Screen at all. MI's disc based systems use rotating wheels, but static filters with much better polarization figures. Even in that rotating arrangement and without ghostbusting applied, their separation contrast was better than that of the RealD Z-Screen WITH ghostbusting.

quote: Richard Fowler
The second 3D supplier having a change of ownership this week.

Yes, Volfoni was bought by Luxin-Rio, but that takeover deal seems to have less of an impact compared to the 'unfriendly' RealD - > MasterImage transaction.

- Carsten

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-25-2017, 12:11 PM:

The Master Image Wave was also a little more than half the price of the Real-D (If you actually were stupid enough and bought the Real-D Z-Screen) and it worked way better. The Master Image also has a built in Web Server for monitoring and making settings and included the automated sled in the pricing.

Mark

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 02-25-2017, 01:39 PM:

I was unaware that the Real D stuff was available for sale. I thought it was only available for lease on a price-per-ticket-sold basis.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 02-25-2017, 02:20 PM:

I could look it up somewhere, I remember even the basic Z-Screen product was available in three different license models, of which one I think was a single payment. Later on I guess it became more complex with the XL, XS, their proprietary screen technologies, etc.

Most screens went with the per ticket model, as it meant the lowest upfront cost at the time.

- Carsten