I was fortunate enough to be invited to a preview screening of Toy Story 3 last week – strike that, just checked the diary and it was the week before, damn, how time flies. It was not just any old preview screening but Toy Story 3 in 3d on 4K no less, numbers fans.

The 4K bit is something Sony is getting quite excited about as a 4K projector is apparently capable of four times the quality of a standard digital projector. And this, in theory at least, means crisper, better-looking images.

Added to this, 4K has specific benefits when related to 3d as the higher resolution makes it possible for both the left and right eye images to be projected at the same time, instead of alternately. This again should mean a more comfortable viewing experience when sitting through a feature-length 3d screening.

One of the few UK cinemas kitted out with a Sony CineAlta 4K digital projector and RealD 3d is the Apollo Cinema on Regent’s Street, so that’s where the screening was held. Problem was, I foolishly assumed Regent’s Street ended at Piccadilly Circus so struggled for a good 15-20 minutes to find the place.

Unfortunately, arriving late meant all the better seats, and even the merely mediocre seats were already snapped up. I ended up stuck in the front row, some way to the right of centre of the screen, which was far from an ideal spot to make the most of the supposedly superior image quality.

From this not so auspicious location, the images looked ok, but weren’t noticeably better than any other 3d screening. On occasions the left and right images didn’t manage to accurately create a single 3d image, but this was almost certainly down to being seated in such a dodgy location.

Having since read the reactions of other journos at the same screening, who weren’t fashionably late and were sat in prime locations, their experiences sound exactly in line with what Sony’s hype would make you believe. So…if you get a chance to see Toy Story 3 in 3d on 4K, be sure to arrive in time as it sounds like it’ll be worth it.
Either way, what a cracking film; it even tops Toy Story 2 in my opinion.

Staff Reporter

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