RealD TrueImage Image Enhancement Technology Debuts with the Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug

RealD Inc. (NYSE: RLD) has announced that the company's new 2D and 3D image enhancement technology, RealD TrueImage , has been utilized during post-production of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,' a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM). RealD TrueImage eliminates artifacts commonly associated with digital and film based capture through a proprietary process, resulting in higher quality imagery which is more detailed, lifelike and a more accurate reflection of a filmmaker's intent.

RealD TrueImage marks demonstrable progress in our mission to perfect the visual image in both 2D and 3D, said Michael V. Lewis, Chairman and CEO of RealD. By giving content creators more creative control while producing a superior image on screen, RealD TrueImage is an invaluable tool for delivering on the promise of a premium visual experience in the theatre, home or wherever content is viewed. As soon as I saw a demonstration of RealD TrueImage I wanted to use it on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug', said director Peter Jackson. This technology eliminated digital noise and other artifacts. Very noisy low-light shots we had been struggling with in the grade were suddenly completely clean, and I extended the process into as many Hobbit shots as I could. By cleaning up noise we were suddenly free to really push the dynamic range and get extraordinary detail. The clean image makes for a much more comfortable 3D experience because your left and right eyes are not being asked to process separate levels of artifacts.

Applicable to both production and post-production environments, RealD TrueImage calculates millions of data points per pixel to correct for artifacts, reconstructing an image with the originally intended aesthetic, without compromise. The technology is applicable to all formats of a movie, including archive and day-and-date material, as well as large format venues, HFR, HD, 2k, UHD and 4k content, creating a more detailed and lifelike 2D image as well as a more immersive and comfortable viewing experience for both natively captured and converted 3D content.

We are thrilled to have worked with Peter and his team to debut RealD TrueImage on this fantastic film, said Jon Karafin, Senior Scientist & Director of Production Technology at RealD. We designed this technology to further enhance and differentiate the theatrical experience while simultaneously providing directors with new artistic toolsets and capabilities, revealing previously lost detail and valuable imaging information.

Through an unique analysis process, RealD TrueImage increases signal-to-noise ratios by removing artifacts (noise) and thereby increasing the intended subject matter (signal) as well as increasing the overall system MTF (resolution), thus providing filmmakers with more resources to bring to light their true vision and creative aesthetic. By adding back the detail lost during capture or through production, RealD TrueImage delivers image quality beyond the physical optical capabilities of today's camera systems. RealD TrueImage integration during production creates footage that can also enable a more efficient visual effects and post-production process by improving compositing and color keying accuracy.

While initially being launched in the cinema space, RealD TrueImage is also expected to be made available for consumer applications where the technology has distinct benefits, including increased image quality and lower file sizes for content streaming and delivery via more efficient compression.

About RealD Inc.

RealD is a leading global licensor of 3D and other visual technologies. RealD's extensive intellectual property portfolio is used in applications that enable a premium viewing experience in the theater, the home and elsewhere. RealD licenses its RealD Cinema Systems to motion picture exhibitors that show 3D motion pictures and alternative 3D content. RealD also provides its RealD Display, active and passive eyewear, and RealD Format technologies to consumer electronics manufacturers, content producers and distributors to enable the delivery and viewing of 3D and other premium content on a variety of visual displays and devices.

RealD was founded in 2003 and has offices in Beverly Hills, California; Boulder, Colorado; London, United Kingdom; Moscow, Russia; Shanghai, China; Hong Kong; Tokyo, Japan; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.reald.com.

About The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

From Academy Award -winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The screenplay for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Jackson also produced the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Philippa Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.

New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Present a WingNut Films Production, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM. thehobbit.com

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