James Cameron: 3-D tech still developing
— -- James Cameron is the Oscar-winning director of Titanic and the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar. A vocal advocate for 3-D in cinema, Cameron is co-founder with Vince Pace in the Cameron-Pace Group, a Los Angeles company that develops 3-D products for use in films and television. Its Fusion 3-D camera rigs are used by ESPN and CBS Sports, as well as the recent releases The Three Musketeers and Tron: Legacy.
USA TODAY caught up with Cameron recently at a 3-D conference in Los Angeles, where he talked about watching 3-D at home, why he doesn't like the current crop of 3-D consumer cameras, or gadgets in general.
No use for an iPhone, or BlackBerry
"I used to be the first guy who had to have a cellphone. When cellphones first came out, I had the one that was the big base station, it weighed about 14 pounds. Since then, I've become less interested in being an early adopter of every gadget that's out there. I won't even use a BlackBerry. I refuse to stand with my neck bent down all day long waiting to get hit by a bus."
His dream gadget is a vehicle
"Building a submarine that goes to 36,000 feet, or building a diver propulsion vehicle. All my gadget lust I get out through my partnership with Vince. We just build the stuff we want to see…actually, my last cool gadget was my (electric) Chevy Volt."
Down on 3-D still cameras
"They've got to up their game a little bit. I just don't like them. I don't like the results…the quality of the picture. They have the wherewithal to make high quality consumer cameras, but they don't have the will to do it, because the market isn't defined yet."
Watching 3-D at home not there either
"I watch 3-D at home, as much as I can. I'm not crazy about the active shutter glasses (that come with the current crop of 3-D TVs) because you have to plug them in and charge them up. I think the next breakthrough in the home is going to be passive eyewear, the same thing you wear in the movie theater. (Which don't require charging.) That's critical for us. I don't think (3-D) can expand beyond a few aficionados, where we are now, to get tens of millions of sets into the homes. We're now at millions of sets. We want to be at tens and scores of millions of sets."
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