Oops, I tried to give my previous comment 5 stars but accidentally clicked on 1.
What is vanity’s name again?

Jeff, thanks for the excellent (as usual) wrap up.

First, for anyone who has been standing on the sidelines waiting to see if 3-D becomes “real,” I post a list of links to 3-D production information that can help anyone get up to speed on the subject:

http://michaelrbarnard.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/3-d-is-or-is-not-here-to-stay/

Second, Premium VOD sounds great. I hope it has potential for indie filmmakers, if we can gain the same access as the studios. Perhaps that will rely upon Net Neutrality, since an indie filmmaker will probably need to set up their own online process to run parallel to whatever the studios and cable cos set up. If it’s a closed system, and the ISPs implement anti-Net Neutrality paths (we saw a taste of this in the FOX/Cablevision dispute), we may find our paths are hindered.

Third, combining 3-D Hi Def with Premium VOD may be a pirate-killer. Studies show that, especially with packaged media, consumers in the U.S. will give up on piracy efforts if too “cumbersome,” which studies show includes if it takes more than an hour to make it happen (and I’m pretty sure 3-D Hi Def would be cumbersome for mom and dad, and the kiddies, too).

Of course, that presumes the existence of 1) a large 3-D TV base–and growing that base would be healthy for EVERYBODY; and 2) getting cable companies to get serious about delivering Hi Def, rather than wallowing in the “can’t be done” world that only exists in the comfort of cable (who else does nothing about old technology other than moaning about the difficulty of pushing its limits?? Everywhere else in our industry, we are well beyond the limits that were faced. IMHO or not-so-H, I guess.).

By the way, another value of Premium VOD: as the world of content becomes a hodgepodge of every possible content and delivery method (YouTube, home video, micro-budget movies, tentpole movies, cable shows, webisodes, shorts, etc., via packaged media, theater screens, Internet delivery, wireless…

The quote “3D adds 21% to box office,” I find a non sequitur when it comes to films that ‘are not’ major theatrical wide releases.

I highly doubt anything other than megabudget cartoons and CGI films see this ‘bump.’

The jury is still out for me on 3D, again — this go around.

While I admit the current technology is far superior to past 3D technology, I still see it as a niche market for the major studios.

I think the comment, “a lot of people will pay that [PVOD price] wouldn’t have gone to the theatre anyway, like parents of small children,” is spot on. I would add the non-demographic of anyone over, let’s just say 55 years of age, who don’t want to put up with theater hijinks should be added, too. Digital delivery is the future of expanding the market space; it just depends on how fast we want to get there.

Let me be brutal here. No one cares about 3D other than the majors. Indie filmmakers care about getting value out of their stories, on scant budgets and I bet 3D never entered their equation.

The newest digital revolution will be sitting in the shadow of pirate ships until worldwide ISPs make a concerted effort to belay piracy.

As for John Fithian’s comments, it shows NATO is just a struggling boxer trying to fend off the punches of the digital lightpipe.