Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Requirements for 3D shows

This is topic Requirements for 3D shows in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Koroye Seitonkumo (Member # 10558) on 05-11-2019, 04:24 AM:

Hello Everyone

We are a new digital cinema ( 2weeks old) and we have a few guests asking to see 3D movies especially with Aladdin coming up..

We have a barco dp2000 and a GDC 2100A server..

What do we need to know/do to get this running?

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 05-11-2019, 06:40 AM:

You need to have sufficient light-budget to do so with a single projector.

Secondly, you need to choose a 3D system that fits your liking and requirements.

There are quite some vendors out there, some of the most popular:

- Dolby with Dolby 3D. This requires filters to be installed inside your projector. Given the age of your machine and part-availability, maybe not the most practical solution.

- RealD with Z-Screen or XL unit. This requires a licensing deal with RealD. You also need to get glasses from them. Terms and conditions vary per region, so you need to get in touch with them for a quote. It should also be supported by your GDC server.

- Xpand3D. They offer both passive and active 3D solutions. Not entirely sure if your GDC server works seamlessly with them, but usually they're pretty flexible.

Also, for passive solutions that use polarizers (e.g. RealD and Xpand3D Passive), you need a silver screen. A white screen won't be able to keep the polarization and will look awful.

There are also some Chinese suppliers out there, that deliver 3D solutions for less than the established parties, use them at your own risk. [Wink]

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 05-11-2019, 08:09 AM:

The DP2000 has plenty of light budget for a 4*2m screen. What type of bulb is currently installed? Dolby went out of the xenon 3D systems, but classic Dolby 3D glasses are still available.

However, Barco built their own Dolby 3D addons for their projectors. Maybe you can buy a color wheel and controller second hand, or Barco has some left?
The Dolby color wheel, however, needs to be installed inside the projector and calibrated by a qualified tech. No shortcuts there. A few DFC 100 wheel controllers are available on ebay currently. But should only buy these if you are sure you get a color wheel assembly suitable for the DP2000. There is actually a slight chance that your DP2000 has a color wheel built in, if it has been used for 3D before. They may have missed indicating that for a second hand projector.

Considering the need for a good silver screen with other passive systems, I would probably go with Xpand or Volfoni or HiShock shutter glasses, as they are the easiest to install (only externally wired). Glasses are active, though, and need new batteries every 200-300 shows.

- Carsten

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 05-11-2019, 01:43 PM:

Dolby never made a retrofit kit for the DP-2000 as that was the first model that Barco did themselves. It takes a little skill to install as one has to drain the cooling system and recharge it as there were no quick disconnects with the DP-2000 at the color wheel.

Model C and the DP-2000 color wheels are interchangeable but the interface cable is different. Be aware that the ribbon cable to the spin motor in older units go bad. Barco did have a retrofit kit for this with a more robust ribbon cable.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 05-11-2019, 03:47 PM:

From a practical stand point, a few things to consider.
1. With the systems that use reusable glasses, they will need to be handed out before each show and collected after the show. They will also need to be washed between shows. Besides the additional labor requirements, you want to make sure your water doesn't leave a lot of mineral spots when it dries.

2. 3D is often more of a novelty than anything else. If it is completely new to your region then it might be profitable over time. However, the demand for 3D has drastically declined in the US since Avatar helped drive digital installations. I operate a 5 screen cinema, and we don't run 3D for most movies. When we do it's typically a movie we are showing on multiple screens. The opening weekend of Avengers we had 2 3D shows per day. All but one of those 3D shows had 30 or fewer people while 3 screens worth of 2D shows were averaging close to 100 people per show.

3. RealD is extremely easy to work with. You hand out pre-packaged recyclable glasses at the point of sale and don't have to worry about collecting them after the show. The equipment doesn't have any movable parts, so the operation is very trouble free.

4. Depending on your screen size, you may want to think about using a larger bulb for 3D showings. We typically run 3K bulbs in our projectors, but run a 4K bulb in the one that does 3D. When we know there are long stretches without 3D we remove the bulb and put in a 3K bulb. Not something I would recommend doing on a weekly basis, but maybe worthwhile if you know it's going to be a month or two between 3D movies.

5. Be selective of which titles you play in 3D. Fortunately this is easier now that studios are not releasing EVERYTHING in 3D. You will get far more interest from something like Jurassic World than the latest Pixar movie. Just be mindful that each 3D showing is a missed opportunity for a 2D showing.

I clicked around some of the movie theatre listings in Nigeria and didn't see any 3D times listed. This may indicate an opportunity to introduce something new, or may indicate something that has already been tried and was not well received.