The Sabotagining (no, that's not a word, but it should be)
Richard Lawler of Engadget linked this week to a Boston.com article titled A movie lover’s plea: Let there be light.It's a remarkable article, remarkable because movie theaters are desperate to give people a reason to come to the movies instead of watching them in the comfort of their own home. And they have something, to a degree: 3-D.
That's where the screw-ups begin.
It seems that Sony provided many theaters with free 4K projectors in exchange for a substantial amount of in-theater advertising for Sony films. When 3-D became a hot technology so quickly, Sony responded by retrofitting a a special lens on the projector for 3-D films.
The problem? It takes time and some degree of expertise to remove the lens, so many theaters don't.
What does that mean? It means that 2-D films that shouldn't be using the 3-D lens are being shown at roughly half the brightness level they should be.
There are other projector solutions that don't have this problem, but because Sony gives away the projectors in exchange for advertising, many major chains (Regal, AMC, National Amusements) have signed with them. And unless everyone takes the time to use the correct lens--and many don't--we're screwed.
It's quite an eye-opener, to to speak, and well worth reading.
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