Masterimage 3D specialises in 3D display technology, and its most recent advancement is the Horizon: a new and very efficient passive 3D polariser. It was launched several months ago.
Light efficiency in the Horizon is about 35%; significantly higher than older products, which can be as low as 12%. This creates higher-brightness 3D images, increasing the feeling of 3D depth.
The unit uses a three-beam system: the top and bottom halves of an image and a ‘sensor image.’ Aligning these beams is key – alignment is a real challenge with polarisers. To make this easier, Masterimage created an app that can be used to manually adjust alignment remotely. This means that cinema staff can be at the screen while making their adjustments, rather than relying on one at the screen and one at the projector.
The Horizon has a 1.1:1 throw-to-width ratio. However, a new model – around six months old – has a much shorted 0.76:1 ratio. It is called the Horizon+ and is designed for very large screens. Around 15 have been installed worldwide at the time of writing.
