This week at ShoWest 2005 in Las Vegas—the premier gathering for commercial-cinema owners and operators—HD entrepreneur Mark Cuban and partner Todd Wagner announced at they are taking a big step toward the digital future with the purchase of six Sony SRX-R110 digital-cinema projectors for their Landmark Theatres, the nation's largest "art-house" theater chain, currently with 209 screens in 22 markets. The SRX-R110 provides 4K (4096x2160) resolution and 10,000 ANSI lumens of light output using SXRD (Silicon Crystal [X-tal] Reflective Display) technology, Sony's version of LCoS. The projectors will be installed in six Landmark Theatres—two each in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco—with the eventual goal of converting all Landmark locations to 4K SXRD projection.
Whither 4K? When I got my first real job, I decided to buy a big TV, so I got a 65-inch Mitsubishi rear- projection TV that accepts 1080i signals. As the years have passed, 1080p showed up as well as HDMI and other features. I started looking around and decided I wanted a Pioneer Kuro, but then Pioneer stopped making them. From everything I've read, Panasonic plasmas can't match the Kuro in picture quality, and I couldn't care less about 3D.
So, here are my questions. Should I wait for 4K to become mainstream? Do you know when such TV sets might become available? Do you have any idea what the 2011 line of Panasonics will be?
More Channels With Blu-ray's storage capacity, lossless codecs, and 7.1 receivers, why aren't the vast majority of Blu-ray movies released with 7.1 audio? Are movie distributors/production companies just cheap or lazy? Did I just waste my money installing a 7.1 setup?
Silicon Optix, a leading developer of video-processing technology, has now made its <I>HQV Benchmark</I> test DVD available to consumers. <I>HQV Benchmark</I> lets anyone objectively evaluate the picture quality of various video products, including HDTVs, DVD players, and video scalers before the purchase.
The Western Publishing Association has announced that Home Theater Design, a quarterly spin-off from Home Theater, is one of four nominees to receive the Maggie Award for best new trade or consumer publication. HTD blends high technology and high style, bringing theater inspiration into the home.
On Tuesday evening, Tom Norton and I went to see Megamind in Imax 3D, and I have to say it's one of the best animated 3D movies I've seen to date. The delightful, touching, often hilarious story is an original and unexpected riff on good vs. eviland how the boundary between them is often not so clearand the voice acting by Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, and Brad Pitt is superb.
It's nice to have connected friends. Last night, I got to attend a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) screening of Tron: Legacy, which opens in theatrical release tomorrow, as a guest of member Nina Goldin, a talented voice actress and singer/songwriter. The screening was held at the Main Theater on Disney Studios' backlot in Burbank, CA, where security was pretty tightmetal-detector wands to prevent any cell phones or cameras (or sound-level meters) in the theater.