WELCOME! NOW AVAILABLE ON NEWSSTANDS · 2014. 6. 7. · Issue 130, April 2008 of Widescreen Review:...

Issue 130, April 2008 of Widescreen Review:• “2008 International CES Part 1” By John Kotches

• “Sharp AQUOS™ LC-52D64U 52-inch 1080p LCD HDTV” Review By Mike Marks

• “Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray Disc® Player” Review By Bill Cushman

• “Yamaha RX-V3800 The Swiss Army Knife Of A/V Receivers” Review ByGary Altunian

• “LG Super Blu BH200 Blu-ray Disc And HD DVD Player” Review By Danny Richelieu

• “Sharp AQUOS BD-HP20U Blu-ray Disc Player” Review By Doug Blackburn

• “The Mi Casa Magicians: An Interview With The Team Behind 7.1” By Gary Reber& Danny Richelieu

• Plus the new department “Connecting Dots...” By Amir Majidimehr, “Your Letters,”“One Installer's Opinion” and over 40 Blu-ray Disc®, HD DVD, and DVD picture andsound quality reviews and more...

Here it is, March already, and business is anything but usual in Home Theatre Land. With the announcement of the high-definition war finally over, everything looks rosy for the future of Blu-ray™. In light of this, we've decided to include one of thefirst articles we ever printed about the two competing formats as the first of two archive articles (from Issue 66, November2002); the second archive article is all about CinemaScope® (from Issue 26, December 1997). Also included is “The StudioScoop,” products that are “Coming Soon...” and some of the recent news that is available on our Web site. News is nowupdated daily, so be sure and visit www.WidescreenReview.com often to be one of the first to know what’s new in the world ofHome Theatre.

If you haven’t ordered your FREE DTS® 2008 High-Definition Audio Demonstration Disc in Blu-ray or HD DVD yet, be sure and

2 Recent News

3 New Equipment: Coming Soon To A Retailer Near YouBy Tricia Spears

5 The Studio Scoop: Rumors, Reports, & RamblingsBy Stacey Pendry

8 Drawing The HD-DVD Battle LinesBy Paul Sweeting

9 CinemaScope®—The “Poor Man’s Cinerama®”By Scott Marshall

WELCOME!

NOW AVAILABLEON NEWSSTANDS

ATTRACTIONS

Gary ReberEditor-In-Chief, Widescreen Review

WIDESCREEN REVIEW NEWSLETTER 22 1 MARCH 2008 - www.WidescreenReview.com

March 2008 • Volume 3, Issue 22 • The Official FREE Newsletter Of Widescreen Review Magazine

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Recent News

Industry View

Here are some of the recent headlines that have made it to the News section of WidescreenReview.com,which is now updated daily, as our Web staff finds worthy home theatre-related stories and press releases. VisitWidescreenReview.com throughout the day to find out what’s going on in the world of Home Theatre.

Microsoft “Moving On”AfterHD DVD Breakup(BusinessWeek)“Just a few weeks after the Blu-ray Disc® Association unequivocal-

ly won the high-definition video format war, and Microsoft canceledproduction of its HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360, Microsoft says it'salready trying to figure out the best way to align itself with Blu-ray...”

3-D touted as the format ofthe future (The Los AngelesTimes)“The marquee topic was 3-D on Tuesday at the movie industry's

ShoWest conference, as DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. ChiefExecutive Jeffrey Katzenberg teased exhibitors with footage from nextyear's Monsters vs. Aliens, and four studios announced deals thatcould enable 10,000 more theatres to show films in the format...”

Samsung Cancels Second-Gen Combo Blu-ray™ and HDDVD Player (PC World)“Samsung's statement today that it would no longer proceed with

its BD-UP5500 player doesn't come as a surprise given Toshiba's with-drawal from the HD DVD format. The player was announced at the2008 International Consumer Electronics Show in January...”

One Fifth Of U.S.Households Will SpendStimulus Package Funds OnConsumer Electronics, CEASurvey Finds“One out of every five U.S. households will spend at least a por-

tion of their economic stimulus rebate check on consumer electron-ics, totaling some $5 billion, according to new research by theConsumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. Before plans for the stimu-lus package were announced, CEA predicted wholesale revenues of$171.6 billion for the consumer electronics industry in 2008...”

Global Market For OLEDDisplays To Exceed U.S. $4.5Billion By 2010, According ToNew Report By GlobalIndustry Analysts“The global Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) display industry

is anticipated to experience stupendous growth in the coming fiveyears, according to a new report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc.Major OLED manufacturers are upgrading their production techniquesto offer quality products, so as to stay ahead in the highly intense com-petitive environment...”

CDSA President RemindsIndustry Blu-ray™ Won Battle,But War Is Not Yet Over“Although Blu-ray may have won the battle against rival format HD-

DVD, the war for ultimate consumer acceptance of the format has real-ly only just begun, Charles Van Horn, President of the Content Deliveryand Storage Association, told attendees at the 38th Annual ContentDelivery and Storage Forum in La Quinta, California on March 7,2008...”

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Mitsubishi has added 3-D capabilitiesto its 73-inch 1080p DLP® DiamondSeries HDTVs. The inherent speedadvantages of DLP technology make itcapable of displaying 3-D content in full1080 resolution on DLP HDTVs. Nowavailable on all Mitsubishi Diamondseries 1080p DLP HDTVS, the 3-D fea-ture will soon be incorporated into

more of the company’s DLP models.

Tricia SpearsThe easy-to-install, non-tensioned,electric retractable HOME2 projec-tion screens from Elite Screens, Inc.offer a wide viewing diffusion angleof 160 degrees. The Maxwhite pro-jection surface is a matte white,multi-layered, woven screen materialwith 1.1 gain. The textured materialhelps eliminate distracting moire

patterns and hotspots, and the fiberglass-reinforced material hasblack backing to prevent light penetration. With an interchangeablethree-way wall switch or extended infrared “eye” sensor, the screensalso include a built-in 12-volt trigger that can synchronize screendrop and rise with a projector’s power cycle. The screens are cur-rently available for prices between $782 and $1,412, depending onsize and optional features.

The PalladiumTM P-39F floorstandingloudspeakers from Klipsch® offer aclean, contemporary look that enhancesany living space. Melding classic Klipschaudio with the latest in home furnituretrends, the “boat-tail” design is finishedin a furniture-grade stained zebrawoodveneer. Two magnetically attachedspeaker grilles are designed to subtlyreveal the classic Klipsch horn at the topand the hybrid drivers below. The P-39F’smetallic-finish side-firing ports mirror the horn and driver trim rings,and the adustable brushed-aluminum floating base supports thecabinet at four points. Sold as matched left-right pairs for $15,000a pair, the loudspeakers began shipping in January 2008.

Klipsch P-39F

Elite Screens 877 511 1211 www.elitescreens.com

VIZIO has introduced eight new plas-ma HDTVs that offer increased con-trast ratio and longer life. The VP504F50-inch ($1,699) and VP605F 60-inch($2,899) high-definition 1080p modelsfeature Silicon Optix HQV processing,use an integrated DTV-compliantHD/QAM tuner, and boast a contrastratio of up to 30,000:1. VIZIO is the first manufacturer to include asix-foot HDMI cable in lieu of composite video and audio cableswith its televisions. The VP504F and VP605F are expected to beavailable in June of 2008. The VP500 ($1,799, June) and VP501(price and availability TBD) are 50-inch plasmas. The VP500 is avail-able with 720p resolution, while the VP501 offers full 1080p perform-ance. Both models include picture-in-picture, picture-on-picture,three HDMI, two component video, and one RF input. The VP32432-inch ($689) is a 1024 x 720 set with 15,000:1 contrast ratio, whilethe VP422 and VP423 42-inch ($999) plasmas feature 1024 x 768with 20,000:1 contrast ratio. The VP503 50-inch (1,399) delivers anative resolution of 1365 x 768, compatible with 1080p content, anddisplays 30,000:1 contrast ratio. The VP324, VP422, VP423, andVP503 are expected to be available in May or June 2008.

VIZIO VP504F

VIZIO 888 VIZIOCE www.VIZIO.com

Mitsubishi Diamond Series

Coming Soon…To A Retailer Near You

NEW Equipment

Stewart Filmscreen 310 784 5300 www.stewartfilmscreen.com

Stewart Filmscreen’s Generation 3(G3) FireHawk, GrayHawk, andStudioTek 130 screens have beenredesigned with a smoother screensurface, for more detail of 1080pimages on larger screen sizes.Stewart’s re-optimization of thescreens’ optical coating improvespixel density to ensure the best pos-sible imaging or resolution trans-parency of 1080p and higher resolu-tion images. Formulated with reduced surface texture and smootherto the touch than the earlier models, the development of the G3designs was a collaborative effort between Stewart Filmscreen andJoe Kane Productions. The G3 is available and shipping now.

Klipsch 800 554 7724 www.klipsch.com

Sling Media, Inc. has introducedits next-generation Slingbox™

PRO-HD, which is capable ofstreaming HD content from ahome television source to a lap-top or desktop computer. Andwhen paired with the newSlingCatcher, the Slingbox PRO-HD will transmit the HD signal toanother television in the house. The included SlingStream 2.0 allowsthe Slingbox PRO-HD to adaptively stream high-quality televisioncontent across virtually any network connection. With 4:3 and 16:9video support and featuring multiple integrated sets of audio/videoinputs and outputs, the Slingbox PRO-HD transforms PCs, laptops,Macs, and a variety of smartphones into personal, portable televi-sions, giving consumers the freedom of viewing anywhere they canaccess the Internet. The Slingbox PRO-HD will be available in thethird quarter of 2008 for a suggested retail price of $399.99.Sling Media 877 467 5464 www.slingmedia.com

Slingbox PRO-HD

Stewart Filmscreen G3 FireHawk onCineCurve frame

Mitsubishi 800 332 2119 www.mitsubishi-tv.com

Elite Screens, Inc. HOME2



http://www.vizio.comhttp://www.mitsubishi-tv.comhttp://www.slingmedia.comhttp://www.stewartfilmscreens.comhttp://www.klipsch.comhttp://www.elitescreens.commailto:[email protected]://www.widescreenreview.com

Toshiba AmericaConsumer Products,L.L.C. has added 20new LCD televisions toits Spring 2008 lineup.The 720p HD AV500Series includes TVsranging from 19 inchesto 42 inches and arepriced between $430and $1,300. All featureDynalight™ dynamicbacklight control fordeep black levels,built-in ATSC/QAM digital tuning, HDMI™ digital inputs, and a PCinput. The REGZA CV510 Series is a step-up 720p HD line featuring32-inch ($899.99) and 37-inch ($1,099.99) sizes and are availablewith Toshiba’s PixelPure 4G™ 14-bit internal digital video processorand a new 1.5-inch ThinLine Bezel design with the thin SoundStrip®

loudspeaker system. The REGZA RV530 Series features 1080p fullhigh-definition resolution in the new two-tone “Surface Tension”design with high-gloss black bezel. The 32-inch, 37-inch, 42-inch,46-inch, and 52-inch models offer a 15,000:1 dynamic contrast andinclude four HDMI inputs and a new High-Res PC input. They arepriced from $1,099.99 to $2,699.99. The REGZA XV540 Seriesincludes 42-inch ($1,699.99), 46-inch ($2,199.99), and 52-inch($2,899.99) models in 1080p resolution. Toshiba’s improvedClearFrame 120 Hz with Film Stabilization, new 5:5 Pull-Down, and14-Bit PixelPure 4G internal digital video processing with 10-bit LCDpanels for 16,384 levels of gradation are all included in the line. Andthe Cinema Series REGZA XF550 line offers a super-narrow 0.9-inch bezel design, ClearFrame, and a thinner SoundStrip 2 loud-speaker system. The “virtualy all-screen” 40-inch ($1,999.99), 46-inch ($2,499.99), and 52-inch ($3,199.99) models offer 1080p full-HD resolution and include DynaLight SuperContrast for superiorblack levels.

Tributaries® Cable’sHXC5 HDMI over Cat5system is a genuineproblem solver for today’smodern home theatresystems. Able to send anHDMI signal over dis-tances of up to 164 feetvirtually loss-free, theHXC5 employs bal-anced/unbalanced signalprocessing, ensuring fullhigh-definition signalintegrity for all video for-mats. Packaged as a complete, ready-to-connect system, includinga compact “balun” transmitter (source-end) and receiver (destina-tion-end), installation is as simple as plugging and playing.Tributaries’ HXC5 HDMI over Cat5 system is available now for$600.

Tributaries HXC5 HDMI over Cat5

New from Pioneerare four advancedA/V receivers thatdeliver dynamichigh-definition videoand audio formatsfor next-generationhome theatre per-formance. The VSX-

518-K ($199, April), VXS-818V-K ($249, April), VSX-918V-K ($349,April), and VSX-1018TXH-K ($599, June) receivers incorporate newproprietary amplifier technologies that ensure maximum power frommulti-channel sound formats while maintaining clean audio withimpressive THD specifications. Pioneer is incorporating its newlydeveloped Pioneer Hybrid Amplifier Technology (P.H.A.T.) powermodule that improves fundametal audio to a more powerful andaccurate performance. The P.H.A.T. amplifiers are engineered withhand-selected parts and critical listening sound tuning to ensure theentire range of audio from music and soundtracks is delivered. Thereceivers feature temperature compensation technology that pre-vents temperature fluctuations from affecting output that can distortsurround sound performance. Also included is Pioneer’s digitalsound processing (DSP) capabilities that maximize surround soundperformance. With multi-channel acoustic calibration, sound retriev-er technology, front stage surround advance, phase control bassmanagement, auto level control, and multi-zone audio, each receiveroffers full sound processing of Dolby®, DTS®, and Windows MediaAudio 9 Professional™ formats. Furthermore, Pioneer’s top threemodels offer robust high-definition connectivity options for nearlyevery home theatre component, and they make available dedicatedconnectivity ports for both XM Connect & Play™ and SiriusConnect™

antennas. They also provide immediate “plug and play” enjoymentof iPod® music content via a front panel digital USB port.

Pioneer Electronics 800 421 1404 www.pioneerelectronics.com

Toshiba XV540 Series

Toshiba 800 631 3811 www.tacp.toshiba.com

Tributaries 800 521 1596 www.tributariescable.com

JVC’s Procision LCD TVs are a new line of LCD televisions poweredby a JVC-developed next-generation high-definition engine, ClearMotion Drive III. The three 1080p models—the 42-inch LT-42X899,47-inch LT-47X899, and 52-inch LT-52X899—will be available in latespring/early summer. Included in the televisions are 36-bit (12 bit x3) image processing, real bit driver bit extension technology, i-Clearmotion noise reduction, intelligent HD processing, and x.v.Color-enabled signal processing. Also included is a frame rate of 120frames per second and full HD 24/30p. There are nine video aspectmodes included, an ATSC/QAM tuning system with a Quick Start-upmode, an illuminated universal remote with direct input access, anda re-designed onscreen display. With three HDMI (1.3) inputs, two S-video inputs, S/PDIF input, AV output, PC input, RS-232C interface,and an IR interface, the televisions also include a USB PhotoViewerfor viewing of JPEG photos stored on USB memory. Pricing for JVC’sProcision LCD televisions have not yet been announced.

JVC 800 526 5308 www.jvc.com

JVC LT-47X899

Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K


NEW Equipment


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star pulled out of the project after a sched-uling conflict was created by a protractedpreproduction period for Raimi’s film.Alison Lohman (Things We Lost In The

Fire, Matchstick Men) has been signed to fillthe role vacated by Ms. Page.

Universal’s new comedy Baby Mama isset to open the Tribeca Film Festival and willbe in wide release two days later. The filmstars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, withMichael McCullers, formerly a scribe forSaturday Night Live, slated as thewriter/director.Filmed in New York City, the story follows

a single career woman (Fey), who finds asurrogate mother (Poehler) to carry herchild. The situation gets a bit sticky, though,when class, cultures, and expectations col-lide.

Coen Brothers’ fans will not have to waitlong for the duo’s next offering.

Burn After Reading, a dark comedy aboutthe spy business, is set to have its domesticpremiere on September 12.Starring in the Oscar® award-winning

team’s newest project is an all-star cast,including George Clooney, John Malkovich,Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, and TildaSwinton.

Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and LeslieMann are set to star in Judd Apatow’s nextfilm.The untitled project is to be written and

directed by Apatow, with Universal Picturesand Sony Pictures Entertainment co-produc-ing. Production is to begin late this summer,with Universal contracted to distribute thefilm worldwide.

Apatow, who is the sole scribe on theproject, is keeping the plot under wraps.Judd continues to work with familiar faces—he worked with Sandler when he co-wrotethe upcoming Columbia Pictures releaseDon’t Mess With Zohan with Robert Smigel.Rogen and Mann both had roles in Apatow’sfirst two feature directorial efforts, The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Apatow isalso married to Mann.

Stacey Pendry

I Am Legend DVD GiveawayBe sure to enter our I Am Legend DVD

giveaway contest. You still have a few daysleft for your entries to be valid, so don’t putit off, enter today (just click here)! All entriesmust be received no later than March 17,2008 at midnight Pacific Daylight Time. Wewill draw the winners’ names the followingweek, with the prizes to be mailed beforethe end of March.

DisneyMorocco has been chosen as the main

shooting location for Disney’s project ThePrince Of Persia. Now in the preproductionstage, with filming due to begin mid March,this epic undertaking is a live action featurebased on the video game franchise by thesame name.British Director Mike Newell is set to lens

the action adventure film with JerryBruckheimer producing. No premiere datehas been announced, but it is reported tobe in theatres sometime in late 2008 or early2009.

Disney is set to make animated films inJapan, teaming with Toei Animation to taptalent and computer graphics technology.Moving its core production outside of the

United States for the first time, the move issaid to create projects that will appeal toAsian tastes.A short animated film about a robot has

already been made with partner Toei and isdue to be aired in May. It is reported thattwo projects are in the works, but no win-dow for release has been confirmed.

Execs at Disney were called on by share-holders to defend their decision not torelease the ABC miniseries, The Path To911, on DVD at their annual meeting inAlbuquerque, New Mexico.Aired in 2006, the miniseries was so criti-

cal of President Clinton’s handling of terror-ist threats that it prompted some leadingDemocrats to request the series not bebroadcast. After making edits, Disney ran itcommercial free.Fund manager, Tom Borelli accused

Disney CEO Robert Iger of protecting Hillary

Clinton’s presidential campaign at theexpense of his shareholders. Pointing to thefact that Iger was a steady supporter ofClinton well before she was elected to theSenate, Borelli stated it was high time torelease the title on DVD, in an attempt torecoup some of the $40 million Disneyspent on the project.Iger, who was somewhat taken aback by

the comment, assured shareholders that hisdecision was based purely on businessconsiderations, not political favor.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson,AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, andCirian Hinds are due to star in Race ToWitch Mountain, Disney’s reimagining of its1975 family adventure, Escape To WitchMountain. Andy Fickman is set to direct,with Andrew Gunn producing, via his GunnsFilms banner.The adaptation revolves around a set of

paranormal-powered siblings (Ludwig andRobb) who are on the run from an evil groupof men who wish to exploit their abilities.With the help of a Las Vegas taxicab driver(Johnson), the brother and sister are forcedto go on the run to evade the evil henchmen.

UniversalSocial networking site Facebook has

banned a page posted on its site promotingUniversal’s new cyber-crime thriller,Untraceable. The page entitled “Kill WithMe” offered bloodthirsty online voyeurs asneak peek of a gruesome torture scenefrom the film.Taking the lead from the pic’s story line in

which a serial killer creates an untraceableWeb site where he tortures victims to deathlive on the Internet, the rate at which theunfortunate victim is tortured to death isdetermined by how many visitors are view-ing the Web site at the time. As for theFacebook page, the more fans it attracted,the longer the grizzly clip was played.Facebook removed the page before the

whole scene was revealed.

In last month’s newsletter I reported thatEllen Page was set to star in Sam Raimi’snew horror film, Drag Me To Hell. The Juno

I Want ToKnow

The Studio ScoopRumors, Reports, & Ramblings



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Slated to star in the upcoming thrillerObsessed is Beyonce Knowles, Idris Elba,and Ali Larter.In Obsessed Elba plays a successful

businessman with a trophy wife (Knowles),who is stalked by a temp office worker(Larter).Steve Shill is due to direct the pic, with

Beyonce and her dad, Mathew Knowles, asexecutive producers.

Warner Bros./New LineNew Line’s 40-year run as an independ-

ent studio ended this month when TimeWarner announced it will fold the companyinto the studio’s parent, Warner Bros. Themove cost New Line most of its 600 staffers,including founding Studio Head Bob Shayeand Studio Topper Michael Lynne.New Line will continue to have develop-

ment, marketing, and business affairs, butany new projects will be released under theWarner Bros. banner, as was the case forSemi-Pro, which released this past week-end.

The fate of Time Warner’s specialty filmdivision, Picture House, was not discussedin the press conference on February 28.But, with New Line distributing PictureHouse projects, it would seem likely thatthey too will be consolidated into the WarnerBros. folds.

Go, Go, Go! Baby boomers, Astro Boy is here!That is, Warner is due to release a 3-D animat-ed feature of the classic comic book in 2009.The $50 million adaptation will star

Freddie Highmore (The SpiderwickChronicles) as the voice for the lead char-acter and will be directed by David Bowers.The lonely robot tale was originally created

by revered Manga artistic director and pio-neer, Osamu Tezuka, and is currently in pro-duction with Hong Kong-based Imagi Studios.

Warner has purchased the rights to JeffSmith’s comic book series Bone. The comicbook’s roots date back to 1991, when Smithbegan self-publishing the series. In 2005Scholastic began issuing the saga, withover a million copies of the comic sold even

I Want To Know

SonyJill Culton, director of Open Season, is slat-

ed to helm Sony Pictures Animation’s HotelTransylvania with Michelle Murdocca produc-ing. Writers for the project have not beenannounced.The plot centers on Simon Van Helsing, the

youngest in a long line of monster hunters,who falls in love with Dracula’s daughter,Mavis. When it is discovered the two are nat-ural enemies, the couple begin a mission tobring peace between humans and monsters.

Hotel Transylvania will be released afterSPA’s next project, Cloudy With A Chance OfMeatballs, which is due to open in March of2009.

Animals, by first-time writer and formercriminal attorney Mike Sobel, has beenpicked up by Columbia Pictures.The disaster flick chronicles what would

happen if the animals of the world turned onhumans in a bid to reclaim their planet.Just a year ago, Sobel left his law practice

in New York and moved to Los Angeles topursue his writing career.

The Studio Scoop

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boroughs on March 24 and is due to bereleased by Fox Searchlight on January 16,2009.Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, who was in

the car when Notorious was murdered, isset to executive produce.

ParamountMindful of a crowded release schedule

for 3-D animated movies late in 2009,DreamWorks has delayed their 3-D offering,How To Train Your Dragon, from November2009 to March 2010, in a move meant toseparate their release from the other stu-dio’s animated films.With the delay, DreamWorks has only one

title set to be released in 2009, entitledMonsters Vs. Aliens, stacking the scheduleto three releases for the studio in 2010.Along with Dragons, 2010 will bring anotherinstallment in the ogre franchise when ShrekGoes Fourth is released in May 2010.The

third offering is Master Mind, due to pre-miere the following November.Had Dragon kept to its original release

date of November 20, 2009, the film wouldbe sandwiched between two other 3-D ani-mated films from rival studios, A ChristmasCarol and Avatar.

The long-awaited fourth installment to theIndiana Jones’ franchise is due to premiereat the Cannes Film Festival on May 18 withthe worldwide release set for four days later,on May 22.So confident of the film’s headliner draw,

Paramount execs have told the stars of theupcoming sequel to pack their black tiesand tuxedos, even though the festival has toconfirm its official feature lineup.Sadly, though, it has been confirmed

there are no plans to release the first threefilms in the Indiana Jones franchise on hi-definition disc at this time. WSR

I Want To Know

before the last two installments of the nine-part series has been published.Dan Lin, a former production exec for

Warner, is due to produce under his “shin-gle,” Lin Pictures.

Seth Rogen (Superbad, Knocked Up) hassigned on to star in Observe And Report, anadult comedy about a self-important head ofmall security who squares off in a turf warwith local police.Rogen met the writer/producer of Observe,

Jody Hill, at the 2006 Sundance Film Festivalat the premiere of Hill’s film, The Foot FistWay. Hill was invited to the set of KnockedUp, where he and Rogen struck up a friend-ship. Hill subsequently played a small role inSuperbad.

20th Century FoxMila Kunis (That 70’s Show, Moving

McAllister) is set to star alongside MarkWahlberg in the John Moore-directed adapta-tion of the Rockstar videogame, Max Payne.Kunis will play an assassin who teams up

with the title character to avenge her sister’sdeath. Max Payne, played by Wahlberg, is acop haunted by the loss of his family whogets caught up in a conspiracy while investi-gating a series of murders.

Jim Carrey has signed on to star in Pierre,Pierre, which Fox Atomic acquired for a coolmillion bucks from scribes Edwin Cannistraciand Frederick Seton. Jason Reitman is slatedto serve as director and producer via his ban-ner Hard C. The speculation of aReitman/Carrey collaboration sparked a heat-ed bidding war between Universal, Mandate,and Fox Atomic.The politically incorrect comedy centers on

a French nihilist who transports stolen worksof art from Paris to London. The budget is setfor $13 million.Reitman, who earned an Oscar nomination

for Juno, is next set to produce a cheer-leader-from-hell comedy thriller, Jennifer’sBody. Carrey next lends his voice to Fox’sHorton Hears A Who and then goes on to starin Warner Bros. comedy Yes Man.

After nearly a year of searching, Fox hasfound an actor to fill Notorious B.I.G.’s shoes.Rapper Gravy, a.k.a. Jamal Woolard, has

been chosen to portray the slain hip-hopartist Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. NotoriousB.I.G. Derek Luke, Angela Bassett, andAnthony Mackie will also star in the biopic.The film centers on the life of Wallace, begin-ning when he was a Brooklyn crack dealer tohis rise to the top of the hip-hop scene andhis subsequent murder, which has neverbeen solved.Filming is set to begin in New York’s five

The Studio Scoop


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Matsushita, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp,Sony, and Thomson) announced in Februarythat they had “established the basic specifi-cations” for something they called the Blu-ray Disc, with a capacity of 27 GB per disc.

Although all nine companies are mem-bers of the DVD Forum, they made it clearthat development of the Blu-ray technologywould happen outside of the jurisdiction ofthe standards body. The announcement saidthe nine companies would begin licensingBlu-ray technology “as soon as specifica-tions are completed.” In other words, thepatent licenses would not be pooled underthe DVD Forum, as they are for current-gen-eration DVD players, but would be handledseparately by the individual companies.

Another problem, from Hollywood’s pointof view, is that Blu-ray had been developedessentially as a home recording format, withlittle thought given to how suitable it wouldbe for prerecorded HD programming.

As it turns out, it isn’t very suitable at all,because it would require an entirely newmanufacturing process, rendering all existingDVD pressing plants around the world obso-lete. On its own, moreover, Blu-ray technolo-gy is not backward compatible with existingred-laser-based DVDs, so it would also ren-der consumers’ current DVD libraries obsolete.

Due to Sony’s ownership of ColumbiaPictures, however, the Blu-ray disc attractedat least the implicit support of one majorHollywood studio and the interest of severalothers, who chafe at paying royalties toWarner Bros. every time they press a DVD.

Warner answered next, with a proposal toextend the existing red laser technologythrough the use of higher compression ratios(e.g., MPEG-4), and a lower bit-rate to getmore capacity out of existing disc technology.

While the Warner proposal could be imple-mented more quickly than Blu-ray, and wouldbe backward compatible with current-gener-ation discs and manufacturing plants (includ-ing Warner’s own large facility), it drew imme-diate fire from some quarters as less than “trueHD” quality. It would also be playback-only.

In an interview with Video Business mag-azine, however, Warner’s Senior Vice Presidentof New Media, Lewis Ostrover, bristled at theaccusations that its proposal meant lessthan HD quality. “Warner Bros. has no inter-est in anything but the highest quality level,”Ostrover told VB.

In a brief report from its June meetingposted on its Web site, the standards set-ting body for DVD specifications known asthe DVD Forum noted that one of the “keyissues” confronting the future developmentof a high-definition optical disc system is“avoiding format battles that will lead toconsumer confusion.”

That’s as sure a sign as any that an HD-DVD format war is already well underway.

In fact, between the two incompatible bluelaser-based systems being developed bydifferent groups of companies, the red laser-based system backed by powerful Hollywoodinterests, and an entirely new system ofunknown hue reportedly emerging from Chinaand Taiwan, the race to develop an opticaldisc response to JVC’s D-VHS® D-Theater™

system is beginning to resemble one ofthose colorful light saber duels featured inStar Wars movies. The hard part is sortingout the Darth Vaders from the Jedi Knights.

Although all parties involved in the HD-DVD scramble deny it, the intense effortbeing lavished on coming up with a viableformat was undoubtedly prompted by theintroduction of JVC’s D-Theater system andits embrace by four Hollywood studios—Artisan, 20th Century Fox, Universal, andDreamWorks.

In the case of Warner Bros., in fact, thepush to find the fastest possible way to mar-ket with a viable HD disc format can betraced directly—if unofficially—to a desire tohead off the success of any HD format thatcould pose a threat to the success of theDVD platform, from which Warner, as one ofthe principal architects of the optical discformat, derives significant patent royalty rev-enue. So, don’t expect to see Warner Bros.movies on D-Theater anytime soon.

That very sense of urgency, however, hasled, paradoxically, to the current mess ofconflicting proposals and the prospect of aknock-down drag-out fight over future patentroyalties.

Although the idea of using a smaller wave-length blue laser to pack more data onto aDVD had been kicking around the DVDForum for some time, the first substantiveannouncement regarding a blue-light formatcame from outside the standards setting body.

A group of nine companies (Hitachi, LG,

According to Warner execs, HD-DVD-9,as they’re now calling the format, is capableof 1920 x 1080 resolution, in accordancewith the ATSC standard for HDTV broadcast.Even Warner admits, however, that HD/DVD-9 can pack only about 135 minutes of HDprogramming onto a single disc, making itunsuitable for many movies. Instead, Warnersees the format as a platform for short formprogramming, such as television shows, chil-dren’s programming, and other non-movie fare.

While Warner’s proposal drew some sup-port from Fox—which has built a large busi-ness in marketing its TV shows on DVD—others in Hollywood balked, again, in part,because it would mean continued patentpayments to Warner.

Warner may have been rescued by its oldpartner in developing current DVD technolo-gy, however, when Toshiba, along with NEC,announced their own blue laser-based sys-tem, which they say is not compatible withBlu-ray, but would be compatible with exist-ing DVD authoring and manufacturing capac-ity (with perhaps a bit of tweaking). It wouldalso be cheap enough, the companies said,to allow hardware makers to build hybridplayers incorporating Warner’s HD/DVD-9technology for shorter programs and back-ward compatibility with current-generationDVDs, along with the blue laser system fortrue HD movies.

Moreover, as a co-developer of both thered laser format and a blue laser format,moreover, Toshiba would stand to profithandsomely from the patent royalties.

Contending formats are nothing new withDVD, of course. The last time around it tooka great deal of arm-twisting and tablepounding within the DVD Forum, mostly byWarner, to force the companies behind twocompeting proposals to agree on a singleformat. This time, with more companies andmore proposals, that table may need rein-forcing.

The only people smiling over the currentmess are the folks at JVC, who now look tohave a good two to three years of selling D-VHS before they need to worry about a seri-ous optical disc competitor. ��

________________________________________Paul Sweeting, who is a well-known columnist

for Video Business, is WSR’s industry insider andcan be reached at [email protected].

Drawing The HD-DVDBattle LinesDrawing The HD-DVDBattle LinesP A U L S W E E T I N G

FROM The Archives




CinemaScope®The “Poor Man’s Cinerama®”

S C O T T M A R S H A L L

The next time you walk into a movietheatre and notice that the screen ismore than twice as wide as it is high, orpick up a LaserDisc or DVD movie andread on the label that it is in the "2.35:1theatrical aspect ratio," you can pro-claim, to the certain befuddlement ofthose who hear you, that the movie is in“The Poor Man’s Cinerama." Here's why:In the late 1940s the growing popu-

larity of television was cooking Holly-wood like the proverbial frog in theslowly-heating pot of water. The pro-moters of Cinerama had invited exec-utives of every major studio to work withthem on their incredible virtual-realitytechnology, but without success. Thestudios were astounded by the demon-stration films, but afraid to take the riskand jump into this strange new medi-um. Ultimately, Lowell Thomas andMichael Todd, both brilliant and suc-cessful showmen, were able to bringCinerama to its spectacular premieron September 30th, 1952.One cannot exaggerate how aston-

ishing Cinerama was to audiences atthe time. Up until then, movie screenswere the same shape as televisionscreens, and soundtracks were in lim-ited-range mono. Overnight, Cinerama

How

CinemaScope®,

The “Poor Man’s

Cinerama,”

Became Known

As Panavision®

And Changed

Movies Forever

presented the world with its alternative.The screen was almost three times wideas it was high (75 feet by 26 feet, giving anaspect ratio of 2.88:1), and because itcurved around the audience, was equiv-alent to a 6:1 aspect ratio flat screen. Theaudio covered the full range of humanhearing, approaching the 20 Hz to 20,000Hz we're accustomed to today, and fromsix (later seven) discrete channels re-corded and played from microphonesand speakers arranged nominally in a 180degree arc. Even today, no commercialfilmmaking system comes close to Cine-rama's ambitious specifications.

The premier of Cinerama instantly pro-pelled the big studios into a widescreenleapfrogging contest that lasted a decade.20th Century-Fox responded with the first,most lasting and efficient imitation of Cine-rama: "The Poor Man's Cinerama" (a.k.a.CinemaScope, and now, Panavision).Fox's technical department was argua-

bly the best of the early Hollywood studios.To respond to Cinerama as quickly as pos-sible, Fox reached back into the past andsigned Frenchman Henri Crétien to supplythem with his 20-year-old anamorphic lenstechnology (Crétien's widescreen processwas reportedly inspired by the three-projector Cinerama-like 1927 "Polyvision"of fellow Frenchman Abel Gance).The basic idea of the anamorphic proc-

ess is simple: Shoot pictures with an ordi-nary camera through the appropriate ana-morphic lens, and the camera will takea picture twice as wide as normal. Thingswill end up looking skinny on the film, butwhen the film is projected through a sim-ilar lens, it results in an image almost aswide as Cinerama's and for just the priceof a few slabs of glass. Fox could thenreduce the three-film Cinerama systemto a single strip of 35mm film. This was thefirst piece of Fox's "Poor Man's Cinerama."The next piece was the sound.A big picture needs big sound. Cine-

rama recorded six (later seven) tracks ofsound on a strip of 35mm magnetic filmstock completely separate from the pic-ture. Fox wanted a single system, withboth picture and sound on one strip. Theydiscarded the old limited-range mono op-tical sound track and chemically appliedmagnetic sound tracks to the same pieceof film that carried the picture, making itdouble as both photographic film andaudio tape. They created a system withthree screen channels (center, left, andright, no doubt inspired by the 1940 "Fanta-sound" system of Disney's Fantasia) plusone surround channel. This configurationof three screen channels and one sur-round channel is still popular after 44 years.It's been the most commonly used multi-channel cinema sound configuration upuntil the advent of split surrounds with thenew digital formats—Dolby® Digital,DTS® Digital Surround and Sony Dynamic

Figure 1: A frame of 35mm silent film in the 4:3(1.33:1)aspect ratio format invented in Edison's Labin 1889, which dictated the shape of motion picturescreens until Cinerama premiered in 1952 (televi-sion still conforms to this screen shape).

Figure 2: A frame of 35mm sound film from GoneWith The Wind (1939) showing how the addition ofthe mono optical sound track required shifting theimage to the side and reducing its size to main-tained the same basic shape as the silent screen.

Figure 3: Three frames of Cinerama that blended to-gether to fill a screen with a curving aspect ratio of1.88:1 and included 7-track discrete full-range stereo-phonic sound from a separate strip of magnetic film.

FROM The Archives




Digital Sound (SDDS).To fit these new soundtracks on a single

piece of 35mm film, the sprocket holeswere narrowed from their former rectan-gular shapes to become nearly square(these undersized sprocket holes werenicknamed "Fox holes").The final piece of Fox's widescreen

process was the screen. Cinerama'sscreen was both deeply curved and ex-pensively louvered to keep light reflectedfrom one side of the screen from wash-ing out the image on the other side. Foxcame up with what they called their"Miracle Mirror" screen. It was very wide,slightly curved to the radius of the pro-jection distance, and imprinted with tinyconcave reflective mirrors that directedmost of the light to the audience.Unlike Cinerama, which was initially

used only for travelogues, Fox's "PoorMan'sCinerama" (immediately dubbed Cinema-Scope) was applied to the usualHollywood fare: comedies, dra-mas, musicals and westerns. Foxeven made the bold promise thatevery one of its future productionswould be filmed in CinemaScope.The first release was a religious

epic, The Robe (1953), and it was ahuge success. Audiences gaspedwhen the curtains widened to thefull 2.55:1 aspect ratio width. Foxhad succeeded in imitating a fewaspects of Cinerama. The aspectratio was nearly as wide; the screenwas curved (the curve varied ac-cording to projection distance and wasmuch less than Cinerama's 146 degrees.)There was a "spread" of multiple trackmagnetic sound (but fewer channels andnot quite as much frequency responseand dynamic range). The picture claritywas less than a fifth of Cinerama's. Mostimportantly, CinemaScope's camera lenscould not pick up the same wide angleview as Cinerama's, so there was hardlyany of the 3D immersive quality that madeCinerama jump to life for audiences. Still,

CinemaScope became a dynamic andpowerful storytelling tool that allowed film-makers to compose pictures with manyelements spread across the screen andwith wide, epic vistas to set their stories in.By this time, normal movies were re-

ferred to as "flat" because Cinerama andCinemaScope were considered "3D youcan seewithout glasses." (The 3D films thatrequired glasses were successful forabout a year during the same era.) Also in1953, Hollywood decided that "flat" movieswould henceforth be projected enlargedand cropped onto screens masked to anaspect ratio of 1.85:1 (sometimes 1.75:1,or 1.66:1 in Europe). This practice is some-times called "ersatz widescreen." Althoughmovies made and exhibited this way werenot as wide as CinemaScope, they never-theless had some of the sensation of theanamorphic widescreen experience.One of CinemaScope's most important

features was in how it differentiated itselffrom television and became a new medi-um of art and entertainment in its ownright. Its impact, even though it was a"poor man's Cinerama," was tremendous,but there was a fly in Fox's ointment thatslowly eroded their advantage. The "PoorMan's Cinerama" was just not poorenough. To install the complete Cinema-Scope exhibition system required projec-tor changes, lens changes, a magneticstereo sound system and the miraclemirror screen. For an existing movie the-atre, that could cost between $10,000and $25,000. Because many exhibitorsbalked at Fox's insistence on installing

the complete package, other companieswere able to jump in and take advan-tage of the situation. Most important ofthese was Panavision, Incorporated.In 1954, Panavision marketed an ana-

morphic projector attachment for show-

ing CinemaScope and CinemaScope-compatible films. It was less expensive,eliminated the distortions inherent in theCrétien lens designs, and had a variablecompression ratio from 1:1 to 2:1 to han-dle other anamorphic formats that werebeing developed. Panavision's "SuperPanatar" lenses sold well. Theatres beganto install wide screens from vendors otherthan Fox, and began playing Cinema-Scope films in the new "magoptical" for-mat which had a mono optical trackadded to prints carrying the magneticsoundtracks. Soon, the theatres couldshow CinemaScope films without anyequipment supplied by Fox. (Addition ofthe half-size mono optical track toCinemaScope prints narrowed the framefrom the original 2.55:1 proportions to2.35:1, a shape that survives virtuallyunchanged to this day.)MGM saw Panavision's success withprojection lenses and asked themto supply lenses for their new largeformat widescreen system. MikeTodd had left Cinerama to develophis own "Cinerama out of one hole"which he dubbed "Todd-AO," butMGM felt the screen needed to bewider than Todd-AO's 2.21:1aspect ratio. Using the same65/70mm film format as Todd, andadding Panavision's newly devel-oped anamorphic camera prisms,"MGM Camera 65" was born (laterrenamed Ultra Panavision 70). Theaspect ratio of Camera 65 ended

up at 2.76:1, still short of Cinerama's2.88:1.Many film studios objected to renting

CinemaScope camera equipment fromcompetitor Fox. Panavision stepped in tothat market as well by building and offer-ing for rent anamorphic lenses for Cine-maScope-compatible 35mm filming, thenlater adapting and building complete ca-mera systems for any studio to rent. Bythe end of the 1960s, Fox's CinemaScopewas dead. Other firms marketed anamor-

Figure 4: Frame of Fox's "Poor Man's Cinerama"(CinemaScope) with a widescreen image squeez-ed by the camera lens. Reducing the size of thesprocket holes allowed room for the four magneticsound tracks. This example also shows the stan-dard mono optical sound track, half of which isunder a mag track, the other half still available forplayback in mono.

Figure 5: Frame of Panavision anamorphic film, aminor adaptation of the CinemaScope format. Thenormal shape of the sprocket holes have beenrestored, and the magnetic sound tracks have beeneliminated. The optical track could be monaural, aspictured, or the matrix surround 4-track configura-tion commonly used from the late 1970s and stillused today to back up the new digital formats.

Figure 6: Diagram showing CinemaScope theaterdesign, using one projector and three screen chan-nels (the curvature of the screen in this drawingwas absurdly exagerrated by Fox's publicitydepartment to make it look like Cinerama's).

FROM The Archives




phic photographic systems (most notably"J-D-C Scope" by Joe Dunton Camerasand "Todd-AO 35"), but after 1967, nearlyall anamorphic 35mm widescreen filmshave been “Filmed In Panavision," a proc-ess that still is, in essence, “The PoorMan's Cinerama."Widescreen theatrical releases went

through a downward trend in the 1980s.There was a prevailing belief that its usewould become obsolete. Then in 1995,when there was progress in establishinghigh definition television, and widescreen

sets appeared, the proportion of anamor-phic theatrical releases began to increasedramatically from a low of 9 percent in1991 up to 30 percent in 1996, and thisyear the proportion of new films releasedin scope will likely be ahead again of theprevious year's. Sources at the Panavisioncompany, in fact, are reporting that theyhave had to build more anamorphic pho-tographic lenses to meet recent unprec-edented demand.So, when you pop a widescreen disc

into your home theatre, and see the 2.35:1

aspect ratio frame, and hear the threechannels in the front and the surroundchannels, you can tell your friends thatthey'll be watching a film made in "ThePoor Man's Cinerama." They'll probablyask "What is Cinerama?" and you can tellthem how it all started, that it was the"ground zero" of the widescreen explo-sion, and how it inspired the truly wonder-ful cinema technologies that still trans-port us to other lands and tell stories ofthrilling action and tremendous heart.��

About the Author:

Scott Marshall publishes the "Wide Gauge FilmAnd Video Monthly" newsletter, currently in its thirdyear of publication, about the art and technology oflarge format and novel motion picture techniques. Hestudied filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts inNew York City, and was a media technologist anddeveloper for RCA's CED video disc system, CD-ROMmultimedia, and video and computer games.

Scott can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].

The web site for his publication is athttp://members.aol.com/widegauge/

Subscriptions to the "Wide Gauge Film And VideoMonthly" cost $25per year andmaybeordered through:Marshall MultimediaP. O. Box 7009Princeton, NJ 08543-7009

Copyright (c)1997byScottMarshall.AllRightsReserved.Permission granted to publish in the magazine "Wide-screen Review."

Figure 7: Drawing showing Cinerama theatre design and how the three projectors, five screen speakers andsurround speakers are arranged (an extra surround speaker directly behind the audience is sometimesswitched in for special effects).

FROM The Archives



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