3-D films making journey to the center of the living room

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‘Journey to the Center of the Earth,’ the 3-D remake of the classic Jules Verne adventure tale, didn’t exactly break box office records. The Brendan Fraser vehicle came in fourth last weekend and has pulled in $43 million in U.S. box-office receipts. Part of the problem is that many theater owners hadn’t yet installed the equipment necessary to show the Warner Bros. film in 3-D.

But Hollywood’s enthusiasm for the technology is behind the formation of a task force to help bring stereoscopic 3-D home -- we hope, sans those goofy special glasses.

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers will hold its first meeting of entertainment technology executives next month at USC to discuss setting standards for delivering 3-D video to the home. The goal is to create a single master that would reach the living room through a variety of distribution channels, be it Blu-ray discs, cable and satellite providers or the Internet.

‘The benefit for consumers is having a new, enriched experience in the home,’ said Wendy Aylsworth, senior vice president of technology for Warner Bros. and a member of the engineers group. ‘For the content creators, we’re seeing a big uptake in 3-D theatrically, a greater interest from consumers in going to see those kind of movies.’

Eye-popping 3-D was initially viewed by studios and exhibitors as way to provide audiences the kind of dramatic experience they couldn’t get at home. It’s not for every film, notes Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office measurement firm Media By Numbers. But it generated enthusiasm for the animated film ‘Polar Express’ and Walt Disney’s ‘Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert,’ with the latter pulling in more than $65 million.

Now, studios are searching for a way to repeat the experience in the home -- and to give a boost to home DVD sales.

‘What I think it will do is ensure an additional revenue stream on DVD, to take it from big screen 3-D to the small screen and complete the theatrical-to-home cycle,’ Dergarabedian said.

Hardware manufacturers, whose high-definition TVs ...

... are in about 47% of American homes, are already searching for a way to make the latest in home entertainment technology seem obsolete. Mitsubishi showed off ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ on its 65-inch laser TV at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Paul Gagnon, director of DisplaySearch’s North America Market Research, said there are competing technologies to bring 3-D into the small screen. They require the use of special glasses and, in one case, an extra device to synchronize the video signal and the specs.

‘The ideal way to bring 3-D to the home: Have it so the consumer could watch TV directly, without use of glasses,’ Gagnon said. ‘That’s probably much farther out.’

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski

Chmielewski, a Times staff writer, covers the Walt Disney Co. and News Corp.

Top photo: ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth.’ Credit: Warner Bros.