First 120 Frame/s Per Eye, 3D 4K Cinema Production

[alanh]

The movie "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" due for release at the end of next year is being shot using a pair of Sony F65 4 K cameras and will require the cinema to use a pair of 4K laser projectors to display the movie.

Just what you all wanted, but you will have to go to a cinema to see it. Just think of the data rate required to store and move it and the huge storage required for a movie.

Remember that "The Hobbit" was shot at 48 frame/s.

Alanh

[MLXXX]

As alanh has provided no reference or link whatsoever, to his source(s) of information, I'll provide a link. It's to an article dated April 22, 2015: http://variety.com/2015/film/news/ang-lee-shooting-billy-lynns-long-halftime-walk-at-120-frames-per-second-in-3d-1201477952/

How the completed movie will end up being projected in Australian suburban cinemas remains to be seen. I recall that the three Hobbit movies could be viewed as high frame rate 3D (48fps) in some cinemas, for some sessions; but only as classic frame rate 3D (24fps) at other cinemas. I recall the 2D versions were at 24fps. I chose HFR 3D sessions myself. It could be that only a handful of cinemas in Australia will actually be set up to present the completed movie at 120fps 4K 3D.

On AVS Forum there's been some recent discussion about YouTube uploads of 60fps side-by-side 3D shot using a pair of unsynchronised 2D cameras, with the left and right views subsequently paired to the nearest frame during editing. It's been found that even a small timing disparity in the shooting of the left and right views (considerably less than half a frame at 60fps) can disturb the perceived 3D effect.

I have no doubt that 120fps 3D would look smoother than 60fps 3D for fast action; although I suspect 60fps would be sufficient a lot of the time, for 3D.

I found it disappointing that the reported public response to the 48fps used in the Hobbit trilogy for certain 3D sessions was lukewarm, or even antagonistic. However I do in part blame the media for a feeding frenzy alleging nausea on a grand scale. (I didn't notice anyone leaving during the 48fps 3D sessions I attended [in Australia]. Nor did those exiting the cinema at the end of the session look noticeably queasy or uncomfortable. They actually looked reasonably pleased as far as I could see, despite the considerable length of each of the three movies!)

Edited June 18, 2015 by MLXXX

[alanh]

MLXXX,

Your whole post is supposition

The article is from a physical trade cinema magazine not what you suggest.

Alanh

Edited June 19, 2015 by alanh

[Guest Malich]

Secret Squirrel sez...

Probably "Cinema Technology Magazine", Issue #30, page 8. It's readable online (with free signup) here.

(That's an educated guess - Alan likely gets a free copy of the magazine with his BKSTS membership.)

Edited June 19, 2015 by Malich

[MLXXX]

Thanks Malich, I might possibly have a quick squiz at that source some time.

MLXXX,

Your whole post is supposition

The article is from a physical trade cinema magazine not what you suggest.

Alanh

My post refers to what actually happened in Australia for projecting The Hobbit trilogy, which was presented at only 24fps 3D 2k in many suburban cinemas. [As a matter of technical interest, the alternation rate used in RealD cinemas for the 48fps 3D was 192Hz, rather than the usual 144Hz used for a 24fps 3D movie. The higher alteration rate allowed the stereoscopic views of each of the 48 frames per second to be displayed in a steady double flash sequence as LRLR . (The stereo views of each frame of 24fps 3D are displayed in a RealD cinema at 144Hz in the triple flash sequence of LRLRLR.) Of course if two projectors are used simultaneously it is possible to use a fixed polarisation for each of them, one projector exclusively projecting the left view, and the other the right view.]

In Germany, 3D is very popular at cinemas. In the United States and Australia, 3D is not all that popular at the moment and there are no signs of an improvement on the horizon. There are several reasons why I believe only a handful of cinemas in Australia may end up showing Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk at 120fps 3D 4k:

1. 3D is not all that popular in Australia; and the high frame rate of The Hobbit movies was not well received (at least according to press reports).
2. A proper installation to allow 120fps 3D 4k would be expensive, and there is no guarantee there would be a string of further movies requiring such a setup.
3. It would be possible to project the movie at a lower frame rate, and lower resolution, and this would be considered enough by some viewers; just as some viewers chose a 24fps 3D or 24fps 2D session for The Hobbit movies, rather than a High Frame Rate 3D session. Just seeing a movie at the cinema at 60fps would be a big difference, let alone 120fps!

I think IMAX theatres in Australia are reasonably likely contenders for showing the movie at 120fps 3D and 4k. (Unfortunately in Brisbane there is no official IMAX theatre, though an IMAX sized screen still exists.)

Edited June 19, 2015 by MLXXX

[cwt]

+1 Any improvement on 24p judder is welcome I feel MLXXX ; people just need to acclimatize to higher frame rates hopefully Its unfortunate there is no 4k 3d standard in the hdmi 2.0 protocol atm ; the sooner the better ..

1. It would be possible to project the movie at a lower frame rate, and lower resolution, and this would be considered enough by some viewers; just as some viewers chose a 24fps 3D or 24fps 2D session for The Hobbit movies, rather than a High Frame Rate 3D session. Just seeing a movie at the cinema at 60fps would be a big difference, let alone 120fps!