DreamWorks CEO says 3-D will transform movie watching.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dream Works, believes that 3-D HDTV is the future of the TV and movie industries.
Fittingly he made his comments in a speech that was beamed by satellite across the Atlantic and displayed in glorious 3D HDTV at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2008 in Amsterdam.
In what was described as the world’s first live transatlantic broadcast in Stereoscopic 3D, Katzenburg told over a 1,000 delegates that the technology is the “most exciting thing to happen to the visual experience in 70 years”.
As well as laying out his vision for 3D, Katzenberg entertained the 3-D glass-wearing audience with 3-D HDTV clips from the animated Kung Fu Panda, which has been released in theaters, and Monsters vs. Aliens, set for a spring 2009 release.
“I believe this is the future,” he said. “Not only my future, but all of our futures.”
Katzenbugh said that 3-D is being seen as a means of enticing people away from their home screens and into cinemas.
“The theater experience, in many ways, has been trumped by the home experience,” he said.
“This is a chance for them to leap back ahead, and make it a growth business again … It’s a chance to bring people back to movie theaters who stopped going.”
While there are only an estimated 2,500-3,000 3-D-capable theaters in North America, Katzenberg said this was expected to change.
He forecast that up to 80 per cent of theater attendees would be able to see Shrek 4 in 3-D when it opens in 2010.
Video games are expected to be a driving force in 3-D viewing in the home.
Barrie Woolston, commercial director at Arqiva Satellite Media Solutions division, which broadcast the 3D transmission, said digital cinema was an important new medium and demand for alternative content was growing rapidly.
“Live 3D High Definition broadcasts add an exciting new dimension to the audience experience and present significant opportunities for live event organisers and exhibitors,” he said.
“The big screen is the perfect showcase for the 3D experience and this demonstration has highlighted its enormous possibilities for driving revenues across an exhibitor’s network.”
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