Ster-Kinekor goes 3D

The new 3D Christie CP2000x projectors and servers are state-of the art high definition 2k projectors and are capable of showing 2D films as well. These projectors shows films at a resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels and are compliant with Hollywood's Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI), which ensures that films are shown at the highest possible agreed standard.

According to Ster-Kinekor, the impact of the new generation 3D films has been so great that most pundits believe that down the line this format will become the standard for cinemagoers. Audiences will sport new grey tinted glasses that are one piece of a new generation of digital 3D stereoscopic cinema technology that is taking the film industry by storm.

There has been huge interest from film studios in the new technology. In addition to the Disney films and Paramount's Beowulf, Dreamworks Animation announced in March this year that it would begin releasing all its films in 3D from 2009, and Titanic director James Cameron has declared that he has seen the future of movies – and it's in glorious digital 3D.

The new 3D experience is developed by global technology leader Real D whose CEO Michael Lewis believes that “once you see this new format, it's hard to go back. It's like black and white. Once you've seen colour, you don't want to go back."

How does it work?

So in laymen speak how does it work? Images are taken from two separate motion-controlled digital cameras that are placed side by side – as the "left eye" and "right eye" – and used to shoot films in 3D. The images from the two cameras are manipulated after they're shot so they match perfectly.

The technology is also designed to easily blend the shot-by-shot depth of scene so that as a film cuts from one scene to another, viewers are not taken on a roller coaster ride of perception as was the case with the 3D films of old. The images are projected at 144 frames per second – as compared with traditional 2D films being shown at 24 frames per second – resulting in a more comfortable experience than traditional analog 3D films.

“This is probably the ultimate movie experience,” adds Michelle Roodt, Ster-Kinekor Theatres marketing executive, “and the two 3D Ster-Kinekor Classic cinemas put us at the forefront of the cinema experience worldwide.”

The next 3D film to be screened by Ster-Kinekor is the Angelina Jolie/Anthony Hopkins blockbuster Beowulf on 23 November.