New Company Will Operate Out of 3ality's Burbank HQ

The world of stereo 3D got smaller today, as 3ality Digital snapped up Element Technica (ET). The combined company, 3ality Technica, will operate out of an expanded version of the existing 3ality Digital facilities in Burbank, CA.
3ality founder and former CEO Steve Schklair will be the CEO of the new company, while ET founders Hector Ortega and Stephen Pizzo have been named senior vice presidents. In making the announcement, Schklair called ET 3ality’s “primary competitor” in the stereo 3D market. He said some of the key technology has already been combined and incorporated in products from both companies, meaning customers may see immediate benefits in both companies’ product lines.

At NAB this year, 3ality announced that Clearlake Capital Group had become the majority shareholder in 3ality Digital with a capital investment that was meant to back further investment in new technology to optimize the costs and quality of 3D production. Like Element Technica, 3ality has long been a go-to provider for users of cameras from RED, with the two companies announcing a partnership to train filmmakers in 3D production.

Looking to the future, executives chose words like “integration” and “automation,” describing ways in which stereo 3D production is becoming simultaneously more simplified and more robust. For example, Element Technica has been aggressive in developing new technology for broadcast lens control, calibrated focus and convergence across stereo lenses, and streaming of metadata. “Not only will automation become more common, it will be the standard as the industry begins to enjoy the simplicity and speed it affords,” said Ortega in a prepared statement. And Pizzo optimistically predicted, “Compatibility with other industry systems will cease to be an issue.”

As of today, the newly combined 3ality Technica is the 900-pound gorilla in stereo 3d production. The other big names in the business include Cameron-Pace, with its Fusion 3D system, and Paradise FX with its Tridelta line of 3D camera systems. Consolidation is generally considered a sign of softness in a market, but there’s still an expectation that 3D is on the verge of becoming a seriously mainstream production technology. If that pans out, there’s nowhere for 3D to go but up.

But that may be a big if, at least until glasses-free 3D becomes widely available – and maybe even longer, considering the frosty reception the Nintendo 3DS has gotten from gamers. Even a 3D booster like 3ality has to take a somewhat defensive stance these days. Schklair will be speaking at IBC on September 12, delivering a presentation titled “The Reports of S3D’s Death Have been Greatly Exaggerated.” For details on that, see the 3ality press release here [PDF].