Las Vegas, January 8, 2003 – 2003 Innovations Award Honoree SENSIO is introducing its patent-pending SENSIOTM 3D video processor at CES by showing clips from four extraordinary 3D movies at their booth (21108 – LVCC SO 1&2), including the 3D large format film SOS Planet, soon to be released in North America. Hosted by award-winning journalist Walter Cronkite and directed by Ben Stassen, the film is produced by nWave Pictures, with the support of the World Wildlife Fund, and will be distributed on DVD by SlingShot Entertainment.
SENSIO will also present an excerpt from Journey of Man, a visual and musical celebration of life featuring unique performers of Cirque du Soleil, a 3D large format film produced by Peter Wagg for Sony Pictures Classics. The last two clips are from Ultimate G’s, an aerial adventure directed by Carl Samson, which takes place over the spectacular backdrop of the Grand Canyon, also released on large format screens, and Transitions, the very first large format 3D movie originally shown during the 1986 Vancouver world fair.
A new era for 3D movies
“SENSIO is not only launching the most innovative 3D home theatre technology at CES but we are making sure that retailers and consumers will have access to the best 3D movies from a library of approximately 150 existing titles on film,” said Nicholas Routhier, President of SENSIO. “They will include some of the sixty classic 3D movies made in the 50’s such as Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder and House of Wax starring Vincent Price as well as some of the more recent 80’s movies such as Jaws 3D and Friday the 13th 3D.
The quality of 3D of these movies was very good, but sadly, the projection technologies used in theaters at the time did not do them justice. With SENSIOTM 3D technology, we can finally screen them as they were meant to be—enjoying quality on par with today’s best theme park and movie theater experiences, in the comfort of our homes.”
“The library will also include 3D movies originally presented in IMAX Theaters. We continue to build relationships with major Studios and independent distributors and producers such as Sony Pictures Classics, SlingShot Entertainment, MGM United Artists Home Video, The Stephen Low Company and IMAX Corporation in order to reach our goal. About ten new 3D films are actually in production worldwide including Ghost of the Abyss, a movie by Academy-Award Director James Cameron (Titanic). We also began offering our SENSIOTM 3D formatting service in conjunction with Technicolor through their Canadian subsidiary Covitec”.
SENSIOTM 3D: A high-end plug-and-play product for consumers
The SENSIOTM 3D processor is the only 3D product designed specifically for home theatres and compatible with conventional DVD players as well as CRT, LCD, DLP and D-ILA projectors. The user-friendly, easy-to-install system also requires wireless glasses and offers unparalleled screening comfort. SENSIOTM 3D is the only MPEG-2 compliant stereoscopic format allowing full-screen, DVD resolution and full color 3D pictures compatible with future distribution channels such as pay per view, video on demand, DTV and HDTV broadcast.
A North American Launch
Launched at CES, the SENSIOTM 3D processor is now ready for orders. Audio Plus Services is distributing the product in the retail market in North America, targeting mid to high-end home theatre systems owners. SENSIO is therefore benefiting from an established network of selected audio and video retailers in more than 80 markets in the U.S. and Canada. The processor will be delivered to retailers with two pair of wireless glasses, one DVD demo and a 3D movie. Customers will be able to order 3D movies on DVD online. Customers will also receive a free newsletter with news and information about new 3D releases.
“We are also looking at licensing opportunities and strategic alliances for the development and co-marketing of complementary technologies, explains Richard LaBerge, VP Sales & Marketing. Our focus is to enable home theatre systems with our proprietary technologies and to continue to develop cutting-edge software and hardware tools for the consumers and the creative community at large.”