Many Theaters Ripping Off Moviegoers With Dark Projection

[Mrs. Sawyer]

http://www.slashfilm.com/theaters-ripping-moviegoers-dark-projection/

This Sunday’s Boston Globe had an illuminating piece of investigative journalism about a lack of illumination. Ty Burr, a well-respected reporter and film critic, did a story on several Boston area movie theaters who are projecting 2D digital movies with an unneeded, special 3D lenses still on the projector. This makes the 2D film look up to 85% darker than the projector is capable of simply because it takes time and effort to remove the 3D lenses for a 2D show and theaters won’t do it. It’s a fascinating and infuriating study, which we’ll give you the highlights of after the break.
While we’ll highlight many of the main points and arguments here, you have to head over to Boston.com and read Burr’s full article. It’s simultaneously interesting and maddening.


Here’s the deal. As you all know, most theaters are beginning to convert from film projectors to digital projectors, largely because of the recent boom in 3D and it helps save the studios money in print costs. Sony is one of the leading makers of these digital projectors and several theaters, instead of buying new projectors, simply took free ones from Sony in exchange for running some ads. The Sony digital projectors play movies in both 2D and 3D, the only difference being a special lens goes on the projector to create polarization for 3D. However, the report states that many theaters do not remove the lens from the projector when showing a 2D movie because it’s difficult and time consuming process. So, when you see a digital screening of a 2D movie through one of these projectors with the 3D lens fitted, the film is significantly darker than the filmmaker intended and you are not seeing a proper projection of the film.

Burr spoke to several theater owners and executives and no one would give much of a comment on the issue. Several projectionists, though, anonymously commented, saying that the theaters simply don’t care.

Is this happening in your theater? Burr offers a simple test to find out:

If you’re in a theater playing a digital print (the marquee at the ticket booth should have a “D’’ next to the film’s name), look back at the projection booth. If you see two beams of light, one stacked on top of the other, that’s a Sony with the 3-D lens still in place. If there’s a single beam, it’s either a Sony with the 3-D lens removed or a different brand of digital projector, such as Christie or Barco.
​

As digital technology continues to grow, this is going to become an increasing problem unless the moviegoer starts to complain.
For more quotes, stories, examples and details on this story, again, we highly recommend reading the original piece which you can see here.
When you head to the movies in the future, do this test and report back here. Is your theater ripping you off with an inferior product?

Wow, this 3D era is really ruining moves even when you don't see 3D.

 

[dark_b]

this is bad,

but where were they when theaters didnt use good bulbs for theaters? the last 25 years more then 50% dont even see the movie in all its glory .

i remember years ago i saw a blockbuster where it was obvious that the movie was at least 30 % darker. and this was before 3D.

so why is it 3D's fault when they are doing it for years?

 

[marvelman2006]

another reason for me to wait and watch a new movie in my theater room on my 240 hz 52 inch sony with bose surround so the movies can get there proper first time viewing.

 

[mclay18]

At our theater, if we're showing both a 3D and 2D film in the same auditorium, we make a habit of pulling back the 3D lens before the 2D show starts.

It doesn't happen with every theater.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

I hope it doesn't. I usually watch the 3D version of a film (I don't spend money on crappy 3D movies because the ones with terrible 3D are usually terrible movies overall), so I don't really know off hand how true this is.

 

[Rock Sexton]

I knew something was up, especially after I saw Thor in 3D for the first time. My previous two viewings were in regular 2D and I couldn't help but think something was completely off with the brightness.

 

[Bunker]

 

[WarBlade]

Wow.

Just wow. I work with these machines on a daily basis and I just have to say that the quoted article is a piece of complete and utter drivel. I'll have to re-read it to see if the twit who wrote it managed to get any details right, but I'm not sure I want another laugh-or-cry read.

Now, on with the quotes...

Wow, this 3D era is really ruining moves even when you don't see 3D.

No, it's just a a journalist who can't get the facts straight enough to write something approaching the truth. I recommend either disbelieving it or having a good laugh at it.

this is bad

I agree. "85% darker" from leaving a RealD filter in place? Are there any readers stupid enough to believe that? And then there's the "2D film" mentioned in the same sentence. This is not journalism. This is someone claiming things like, "Cars run on milk - you can squirt it straight into the tank from a cow", and passing it off as fact.

but where were they when theaters didnt use good bulbs for theaters?

Bulbs? WTF? t:

another reason for me to wait and watch a new movie in my theater room on my 240 hz 52 inch sony with bose surround so the movies can get there proper first time viewing.

Or you could disbelieve the article, one of the two.

At our theater, if we're showing both a 3D and 2D film in the same auditorium, we make a habit of pulling back the 3D lens before the 2D show starts.

It doesn't happen with every theater.

Probably because it's a "filter", not a "lens".

I don't really know off hand how true this is.

False.

To elaborate on that, it's taking a grain of truth and distorting it into a blatant lie.

 

[WarBlade]

I went and read the original article. It makes a whole lot more sense than the piss poor distillation quoted on this page. I recommending reading the long version instead.

Funny how it throws the blame squarely on the Sony 4K projector technology as opposed to the cut down article crying over 3D to 2D lens swaps...

I don't use those crappy Sony systems.

 

[8wid]

This should be, that's why I say...

 

[Bunker]

Bump.

I had my first experience with this when I went to see Super 8. The screen was so dark it almost gave me a headache. It totally took me out of the movie. I went to see First Class in another theater right after, and the difference was night and day. The projection was bright and super clear. Pretty much perfect. I hope to god I never get stuck in that theater again. **** 3D.

 

[Apollo]

yeah i noticed when i saw Thor, the screen was darker than i was used to... and it wasn't even in 3D!!