1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works dot com 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: where smart Happens. Hi'm Marshall Brain with today's question, when 3 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: did it get so complicated to pick a movie theater 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,439 Speaker 1: and what is next in the world of movie theater picking. 5 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,119 Speaker 1: A friend of mine invited me to go to a 6 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: movie within this weekend. That sounds simple enough, doesn't it. 7 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: And in the past it was simple. It used to 8 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: be that you went down to the theater and you 9 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: watched the movie. In the movie Back to the Future, 10 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: you can see that world. That's a nineteen fifty five representation, 11 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: and in that movie there is one movie theater in 12 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: town and one movie playing at that movie theater. In 13 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:51,880 Speaker 1: the case of Back to the Future, the movie is 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: Ronald Reagan's Cattle Queen of Montana. So that idea, one 15 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: theater in town, one movie playing. That's the movie you see. 16 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,199 Speaker 1: So it couldn't be simpler. Now, let's look at how 17 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 1: things have morphed since then. In the United States, in 18 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: the early nineteen sixties, the idea of a two screen 19 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: theater took hold, so at least you had a little 20 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: bit of choice when you went down to the theater. Then, 21 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: during the nineteen seventies, the idea of a multiplex exploded. 22 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: The number of screens per theater mushroomed into the teens 23 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,119 Speaker 1: and then the twenties. By the nineteen nineties, a single 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,839 Speaker 1: theater with thirty screens had been built. Then came things 25 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: like Dolby and th X sound systems. If you wanted 26 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,199 Speaker 1: the best experience, you would only go to a certified theater. 27 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: Then came stadium seating. You get a better view with 28 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: the seats in a stadium configuration, and they're a lot 29 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: more comfortable because they're usually padded and they have nice 30 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: arm rests and so on. So now you wouldn't go 31 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: to a theater unless it had th X and comfortable 32 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: stadium seating. Then came digital projection. There's no more scratches 33 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: on the film and no more weird stuff between reels. 34 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: So that became a point that you wanted to have 35 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: if you want to see a movie theater, you wanted 36 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: th h X with a digital projector and stadium seating. 37 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,839 Speaker 1: And now there's three D projection. Some theaters have three 38 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: D projectors, some don't, So if you want to see 39 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: a movie in three D, you need to make sure 40 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: the theater has a three D projector, and now now 41 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: that three D option is morphed as well. There's actually 42 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 1: three technologies that are used to display three D movies. 43 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: So my friend wants to see the new film, and 44 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: he sends this email which theater near you has three 45 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: D digital projection? And I look up theaters in my 46 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: area and one nearby is actually showing the movie he wants, 47 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: with stadium seating on two separate screens using two different 48 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: three D projection technology. The first is Imax three D 49 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: and the second is Real D three D. So now 50 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: the obvious question is which is better. If you've got 51 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: a choice like that, how do you pick whether you 52 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: want IMAX or real D. I jumped into Google to 53 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: find a review, and the difference seems to be that 54 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 1: IMAX three D is more of a pop out effect 55 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: where stuff comes out of the screen towards you, and 56 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: real D is a more subtle into the screen effect 57 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: where you can actually see depth rather than being kind 58 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: of shocked when things come out of the screen. Based 59 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: on that review, we chose our show time so that 60 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: we could see it in real D. So now the 61 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: question is what is going to happen next. There's been 62 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: all these different differentiators that have been built into the 63 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: movie theater experience over the last couple of decades. Something 64 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: is going to happen next. What might it be? Be 65 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: sure to check out our new video podcast, Stuff from 66 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: the Future Oin how Staffork staff as we explore the 67 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: most promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The hou stefforks 68 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: iPhone app has arrived. Download it today on iTunes.