3D Movies Coming Soon in Blu-Ray Discs

The Blu-Ray Disc Association has approved the final specification to enable 3D movies to be played out from Blu-Ray discs.

The specification will have backward compatibility with the current Blu-Ray drives in cases where the players cannot decode the images for RD – or for simply not having the proper 3D equipments yet, like compatible displays, players and of course the often expensive specialized glasses. Meanwhile, Playstation 3 producers Sony, has assured the game console owners that PS3 is compatible to the new specifications as 3D technology is already incorporated to enable 3D gaming.

Device manufacturers and content producers will be able to get the specifications anytime now. This is where to play comes in. The specifications requires that two separate 1080p frames to be encoded, one for each eye to be compresses together melding common elements from both views. This will reduce storage to 50% more compared to 2d discs. The display machine will then use any method to produce the 3D effects – to name a few:passive filtered glasses, active filtered switching glasses and anaglyph.

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Pope Knocked Down

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was knocked down by a woman while entering St. Peter’s Basilica to celebrate the traditional Christmas Eve mass.

Security immediately detained the woman, who is mentally unstable, while the pontiff stood up and continued with the procession as if nothing had happened.

The Pope then continued on with the mass which has the theme about selfishness which according to him “makes us prisoners of our interests and our desires”.

The woman was able to knock down a cardinal during the process. French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray fell ill, was given first aid and was then taken to a hospital.

Health concerns of the Pope have been plaguing the Vatican. The 82-year-old leader of the Catholic Church has only been ill once during his papacy and that was for a fractured wrist last July. He did however suffered from brain hemorrhage while still known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The Christmas Eve mass was scheduled at 10 PM instead of the traditional 12 midnight. Vatican said that it was adjusted so that it will be less tiring for the pope.

His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, had always insisted that the mass be celebrated at midnight despite his long-term illness.

The woman, who was able to go pass security and jump over the barrier, was later arrested. This is the second year that a woman was able to jump over the barrier. In last year’s incident however, the woman was not able to come close to the pope as she was immediately blocked. It is still being checked if they are the same woman.

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FIFA World Player Gala 2009

The FIFA World Player Gala 2009 takes place in Zurich, Switzerland tonight (20:00 CET). Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi is among the five male candidates for the prestigious award which include Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.

Messi, 22, is the favorite to win the award after helping Barca to six titles in 2009. He was awarded the Ballon d’Or for the European Player of the Year earlier this month, winning the prize by the biggest percentage of votes since it was created in 1956.

Although the Argentine is widely anticipated to win the trophy, Iniesta wished to dedicate the honor to the fans of the team who have always been there to support.

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Avatar breaks Box Office Records

 
Avatar has broken box office records as the highest grossing opening that’s neither a sequel, a remake nor a direct adaptation. It has also also achieved the highest opening weekend for a 3D movie.

The film raked in 77 million dollars at the first weekend taking in first place. This makes the movie the highest grossing film with a brand new story line. Movies at the top of the list include the sixth Harry Potter, the third Spiderman and the third Pirates of the Caribbean.

For a 3D film, it has beaten the record set last May by Up which is at 68 million dollars. As of the moment, reports vary as whether Avatar has taken the highest opening for the month of December. The record is currently held by I Am Legend which is at 77.2 million dollars. The snow storm in northeastern United States has lowered the ticket sales for the movie.

Avatar is directed by James Cameron whose last film, Titanic, is still the highest grossing film of all time worldwide (unadjusted inflation) which stands at 1.8 billion dollars. Its cast includes, Sam Worthington, Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver. Saldana has already signed up for any potential sequels, which Cameron said he is planning two.

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