The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is shaping up to be a groundbreaking event for film technology. First, we heard that Director Peter Jackson shot the film at 48 frames-per-second, and now he’s telling us that the film’s sound will be mixed for Dolby’s ultra-intense new Atmos system. More »
The CinemaCon crowd may not have been keen on 48fps footage of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but we defy anyone to say they don’t want the best sound possible. A select few will get just that, as Dolby and Peter Jackson’s own Park Road Post Production have announced the film will be mixed for the speaker-packed Atmos technology. If you’re lucky enough to live near one of the select establishments it’s installed in, we doubt you’ll be grumbling about the immersive audio, even if the frame rate makes those orcs look unsettlingly real.
Update: That link of “select establishments” is somewhat out of date and, although the official list of locations you’ll be able to see The Hobbit in Atmos has yet to be released, Dolby says there should be between 80 and 100 screens capable of delivering the over-the-top audio experience by the film’s debut.
Continue reading The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to receive the Dolby Atmos treatment
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to receive the Dolby Atmos treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Behold the Lego Goblin King Battle from The Hobbit, the next movie by Peter Jackson set in the Tolkien’s universe! It’s a sneak peak of what’s coming to theaters on December 14. It’s also a pretty great Lego set, available for $100 on December 1st. And there are more! More »
We’ve found the Shire and it exists in Switzerland. Just looking at these houses, built by Peter Vetsch, hidden in the Earth makes you think of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I want to live there so bad. More »
The Lego Lord of the Rings sets are pretty neat, but they can’t compete with this gigantic version of Rivendell, the Elven hidden outpost in Middle-earth, home of Elrond’s family. Watch the video and look at the gallery, because it’s awesome. And—more amazingly—it was made by a kid! More »
If you’re still unsure about what you’ll be getting into if you see the 48fps version of “Hobbit,” Red has jumped into the fray with an article on its website and, most importantly, high quality HFR (high frame-rate) videos. It delves into all the aspects of the tech, starting with a primer on the minimum frame rate required to perceive motion, illustrated by a pair of clips to show the threshold. From there it details “judder” when panning at 24 fps versus 60 fps, motion blur, the possibility of brighter projection with HFR in 3D and of course, action at slower versus faster frame speeds. Finally, it demonstrates the hated “TruMotion” soap opera-esque interpolation method on modern TVs, and why that’s different from true fast-frames. Sure, Red has a vested interest in seeing upcoming HFR films from its Epic camera succeed, but a little education might be what’s needed to break old habits.
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Home Entertainment
Red posts high frame-rate video demonstration to smooth out misconceptions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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All told, we can’t deny Peter Jackson’s caused some madness since announcing the scheme to shoot his upcoming Hobbit film at a high frame-rate, rather than sticking with the more common 24 fps, Hollywood-style method. Regardless, rumor now has it Warner Bros. is supposedly planning a “limited release” of the 48 fps version because, according to Variety, the studio “wants to protect the format” by choosing to go the select-viewing route — that said, WB’s allegedly hoping to “expand the HFR release for the second and third installments.” Still, nothing’s set in stone just yet, so we’d hold off on throwing any temper tantrums (or celebrating, depending on which side you’re on) until we hear something official from Warner.
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Home Entertainment
Peter Jackson’s 48 fps version of The Hobbit said to be a ‘limited release’ only originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Two different audiences and two very different screenings. After unfamiliar 48fps Hobbit footage was pretty universally panned back at Cinema-Con, Peter Jackson decided to play it safe and show Comic-Con fans the traditional low frame-rate teaser. Their response? They loved it. Which would, you’d think, give the head hobbit a clear message: his film works better without the wacky frame rate, but that’s just not how he sees it. Writing on his Facebook page, he said “I’ve always been happy to bet on myself” and the 48fps version of Hobbit is “something really special” when you watch the entire movie. In other words, he’s sticking to his orc sword, and in the meantime we’re left to wonder what would have happened if the Comic-Con crowd — who are perhaps more his kind of people than Cinema-Con goers — had been shown the tricked out footage.
Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets
Comic-Con fans go crazy over Hobbit teaser, but not the 48fps version originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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