The Century Award is the highest honor bestowed by the membership of the International 3D Society and a blue ribbon panel of stereoscopic experts. Three companies will be recognized for their historical achievement in Stereoscopic 3D over the past thirty years. IMAX is being honored for its “Solido Systems” technology, RealD for its “Cinema System” digital 3D projection technology and Texas Instruments for its “DLP Cinema” technology.

“IMAX Solido was an important stepping stone in the evolution of IMAX 3D technology. It introduced millions of moviegoers to IMAX 3D and we’re honored to be recognized with this award as we continue to break new ground in 3D cinema with our current digital projection system,” stated Brian Bonnick, IMAX’s Executive Vice President, Technology.

“The RealD Cinema System introduced today’s digital 3D revolution by blending cutting-edge 3D science with a new breed of digital cinema projection to solve the issues inherent to film-based 3D of old,” said Joseph Peixoto, President of Worldwide Cinema at RealD.

” Who would have thought that our 3D technology invention that started in our lab would now be enabling a major part of digital cinema 3D worldwide,” said Dave Duncan, business manager for Texas Instruments, DLP Cinema Products. “We are very proud to receive this award and are committed to furthering 3D from the theater to the home and now the classroom for interactive learning.”

The black-tie Stereoscopic 3D Technology Awards ceremony will recognize technological achievement across the stereoscopic medium.

“These Century Awards will record for history the technologies, organizations and individuals responsible for 3D’s extraordinary journey,” added Jim Chabin, President of the International 3D Society.

Buzz Hays, Society Chair and Executive Stereoscopic 3D Producer for the Sony 3D Technology Center, Sony Corporation of America, noted, “The field of stereoscopic 3D has progressed dramatically in the past decade and continues to evolve daily as more and more talented individuals get involved and identify new needs and opportunities. 3D technologies continue to advance, it is important to recognize the achievements of the visionaries who created the tools to empower the artists who, together, will propel our medium forward.”

The International 3D Society is a professional community dedicated to advancing the arts and technologies of Stereoscopic 3D. The 3D Technology Awards Show will feature MasterImage3D passive glasses and technology and NEC projectors and equipment.

XpanD and Panasonic are Platinum Sponsors, NEC Display Solutions is a Gold Sponsor and Nvidia and Quantel are Silver Sponsors of the 3D Technology Awards Show. International 3D Society sponsors include Signature Sponsor XpanD and Founding Sponsors MasterImage 3D, Panasonic Hollywood Lab, The Walt Disney Studios, DreamWorks Animation (DWA), Dolby and IMAX and Member Sponsors Discovery Communications, Autodesk and DirecTV.

Press Release >>

UPDATE: Additional coverage on the International 3D Society awards:

Hollywood in HiDef: 3D Society Century Award for IMAX, RealD, DLP

Some people are saying that 3D is currently being overdone by Hollywood. Personally, I agree and I think that the technology should be reserved for films like “IMAX: Under the Sea 3D”. What does 3D technology mean to you and how has it impacted your work? Does it allow you to tell a story that otherwise would not be possible? Where do you see it going?

There is no question that we are experiencing a 3D revolution. IMAX experienced this revolution ten years ago. After several successful IMAX 3D films were released, including my Into the Deep in the early 1990s, it became evident that the audience was solidly behind 3D. Ticket sales for average 3D films easily outstripped sales for excellent 2D films. In IMAX, that enthusiasm hasn’t waned during the last fifteen years. Now it’s happening in digital cinema and I think it is here to stay.

Making 3D films is much more difficult than making 2D films. Books have been written on the reasons why this is true. The gear is complicated, the editing is difficult, it’s easy to make technical errors that make 3D viewing really unpleasant. For narrative films I am not sure it’s worth it. For 70mm IMAX 3D it’s a different story. What 70mm IMAX does best is take audiences someplace they could never physically go, like underwater. In 70MM IMAX 3D audiences experience the undersea environment in a format that is the next best thing to being there. You will have noticed I say 70mm IMAX rather than just IMAX. Today there are two IMAX formats available. Some theaters are IMAX digital, showing two streams of 2K (2,000 lines of horizontal resolution) images to create 3D. By comparison IMAX 70mm film 3D theaters show two 70mm films with an equivalent resolution of about 12K (12,000 lines of horizontal resolution) each. My IMAX films have all been captured in 70mm film.

Read the full interview here: Link >>

August 31, 2010 – Grandparents and their grandkids can celebrate National Grandparents Day with free admission to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s exhibit galleries provided compliments of the ScholarShare College Savings Plan and Fidelity Investments. On Sunday, September 12, 2010, grandchildren are invited to bring their grandparents to the Fleet Science Center for a day of free hands-on fun in seven interactive exhibit galleries.

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center offers exciting “do touch” science exhibits for visitors of all ages. Grandparents and their young grandkids, aged 5 years and younger, will especially enjoy visiting “Kid City,” a special exhibition where preschool age visitors create, work, play and learn as they experience the wonders of the everyday working world. ScholarShare and Fidelity have sponsored a portion of new hands-on interactives that will be unveiled as the final phase of a two-part renovation of the exhibition this October. Visitors to the Fleet on Sunday, September 12 will get a sneak preview of a new Fire Truck exhibit made possible by ScholarShare. The Fire Truck will be on display in the main exhibit gallery, where visitors will be able to climb aboard for a special photo opportunity. Older children and their grandparents will not want to miss the new exhibition “Earth Exposed,” where they will come face to face with erupting geysers, crumbling mountains and wind-driven waves. “Block Busters!” offer visitors of all ages the opportunity to building amazing structures with thousands of KEVA planks – no glue or connectors necessary!

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center will be open 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 12. Visitors can pick up their free exhibit gallery pass at the ticket counter upon arrival. Free parking is available adjacent to the museum and along Park Blvd.

Press Release >>

You don’t need to make the pricey pilgrimage to Phoenix to see movies in IMAX anymore. This Friday, the AMC Loews 15 Theater at the Foothills Mall will be unveiling its new IMAX screen. Here’s what you should know about the new theater:

1. AMC did not build a new auditorium. The theater converted auditorium number 2, one of Foothills’ largest, into the new IMAX auditorium.

2. The new screen is 47 feet, seven inches wide and 24 feet tall. The IMAX auditorium at the Harkins Arizona Mills Theater still has us beat with a screen that’s about eight stories wide and six stories tall.

3. The Foothills Mall also added a custom surround sound system to accommodate the unique size, seating capacity and acoustic paneling of the auditorium.

Read the rest of the list here: Link >>

The final chapter of the Harry Potter film series begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave Hogwarts behind and set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes, the secret to Voldemort’s power and immortality.

Part I comes to IMAX 3D theaters November 19, 2010, and Part II on July 15, 2011.

BMZ Film Page >>

The Alamogordo Daily News reports:

THe Clyde W. Tombaugh IMAX Dome Theater and Planetarium at the New Mexico Museum of Space History will be closed Monday through Wednesday for maintenance on the Spitz starfield projector. The projector is capable of showing the night sky on any given date in history or at the present. It is primarily used to enhance planetarium programs. For more information, call 437-2840 or visit the website at www.nmspacemuseum.org.

Source >>

Sudbury, Ontario’s Science North IMAX Theatre will open The Twilight Saga: Eclipse beginning September 9. The Sudbury Star reports:

On Sept. 9, Twilight fans of all ages will be lining up at Science North to be among the first to sink their teeth into Twilight Eclipse: The IMAX Experience.

Advance tickets are on sale and will be available on-line at http://sciencenorth.ca/imax, in person at Science North, or by calling (705) 523-IMAX (4629).

. . .

“If you’ve been wondering what all the buzz is about with regards to Twilight, this special IMAX run would be a terrific opportunity to find out,” Tim Quetton, marketing specialist at Science North, said in a release. “You’ll be immersed in the thrill and suspense of the story like never before.

“It will appeal to people familiar with the story and those who haven’t seen it before. The IMAX experience alone is great entertainment value.”

Article >>

Imax Corp and its exclusive partner in Thailand, Major Cineplex Group Plc, are projecting strong growth over the next several years thanks to the popularity of new digital and 3D technology.

“The trend has been spreading worldwide ever since Hollywood studios started trying to attract more viewers to cinemas by offering them better picture and sound quality using digital and 3D technology,” said Vicha Poolvaraluck, the chairman of Major Cineplex.

Over the next 3-5 years, he estimates movie producers around the world will reduce their use of basic 35-millimetre film to less than 30% of the total. Currently, about one-third of motion pictures in the US have already been converted to the digital system.

In Thailand, digital movies represent only 10% to 15% of movie releases.

Article >>

UPDATE: Additional news on digital 3D growth in Asia:

The Nation: Major upbeat on IMAX investment

Cheap stocks are great, but sometimes you get what you pay for. What’s the use of a bargain-basement P/E ratio if the company can’t grow? I have a long investment horizon and a high tolerance for risk, so I’m more interested in promising growth stocks than stodgy dividend machines.

To find stocks that satisfy my need for speed, while also going on sale at a great price, I like to look at the PEG ratio. It’s such a Foolishly useful metric that we’ve been known to call it the Fool Ratio. Divide the trailing P/E ratio of a stock by the estimated five-year earnings growth, and you have a neat little package representing the growth-adjusted value of the company. A fairly valued stock should land near the 1.0 mark. Higher numbers might indicate an overvalued security. A strong business with a low PEG ratio rocks!

IMAX (Nasdaq: IMAX) is sporting a way-low PEG ratio of 0.8 today. The bottom line is expected to grow by about 23% a year over the next five years, and the stock is trading at a very reasonable 19 times trailing earnings.

Article >>

UPDATE: More news on IMAX stock:

Comtex SmarTrend: SmarTrend’s Candlestick Scanner Detects Possible Bullish Engulfing Pattern for Imax (IMAX) | Top 5 Companies in the Movies & Entertainment Industry With the Best Relative Performance (LGF, IMAX, NWSA, TWX, LCAPA)

The Motley Fool: Will IMAX Shorts Get Burned in 3-D? | Dream Stocks for Contrarian Investors

LearningMarkets: Looking Back at Recent Earnings from IMAX; IMAX, CAJ, EK, XRIT

The film follows Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, who looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the digital world of Tron where his father has been living for 25 years.

Tron: Legacy comes to IMAX 3D theaters December 17, 2010.

BMZ Film Page >>