RealD Cinema

RealD was founded by Michael W. Lewis and Joshua Greer in 2003 . In 2005, RealD acquired Stereographics , which owns the technology of the same name and products such as CrystalEyes . In 2007, RealD acquired the optical products of ColorLink , a leading provider of RPTV , polarized films and other optical technologies. Subsequently, RealD finalized the technologies of these companies and created its own 3D projection systems.

RealD 3D uses circularly polarized light. This technology is similar to IMAX with the difference that circular polarization instead of linear polarization allows you to preserve the stereo effect and avoid double image with small lateral tilts of the head.

The projector alternately projects frames for each eye, and these frames are projected in circular polarized light - clockwise for the right eye, counterclockwise for the left. This happens due to the electron-polarizing filter installed in front of the projector’s lens, in which the alternating circular polarization is due to the “layer cake” from the polarizing and liquid crystal filters. Glasses with opposite circular polarization ensure that each eye can see only its part of the stereo pair , regardless of the inclination of the viewer's head. In 3D movie theaters, each frame of a stereo pair is projected three times, which, compared with the usual projection frequency - 24 frames per second - gives a tripling of the frequency to 72 frames per second, preventing flicker. The result is an image that is very comfortable for perception.

The main problem of polarized 3D systems used in cinema is the loss of image brightness. The polarizing filter in front of the projector absorbs half of the outgoing light, which is the reason for the total loss of brightness on the screen. In addition, the technology places high demands on the screen. First of all, the screen should not change the polarization of the light incident on it, otherwise the stereo effect is destroyed. To avoid this, RealD uses expensive silver-plated screens. Together with the extremely high cost of a license (100,000 euros for 4 years), this is one of the main disadvantages of the technology, which significantly limits its distribution ^[1] . In addition, silver-plated screens, due to the directional nature of the reflection, significantly impair the perception of “flat” films, which in some cases forces film companies to prohibit the premiere screenings of 2D films in movie theaters with such screens ^[1] .

The RealD XL Cinema System is a modification of the RealD technology, designed specifically for large-sized movie screens.

This technology makes it possible to project three-dimensional films with a single projector onto movie screens up to 24 m (80 ft) wide, while the standard RealD provides projection sizes up to 13.7 m (45 ft) only ^[2] .

RealD XL technology was first tested on November 5, 2007 at the premiere of Beowulf Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles ^[3] .

In Russia, cinemas and films in the RealD XL format are called SuperD ^[4] .

Modification RealD XLS ^[2] can be used with screens up to 15 m (50 ft) wide, which is not very different from the basic RealD technology. The difference between this modification is in the increased brightness of the image due to the use of a patented light flux control system. According to marketers RealD, this modification provides improved image quality.

For projection, a Sony 4K SXRD projector is used.

• IMAX
• Xpand
• Dolby 3D
• SimEx 4D
• Stereo cinema
• Cinema

• Official RealD Website
• 3D movie technology