'Hobbit' Creates Big Data Challenge

CowboyRobot writes "In the past five years there has been an 8x increase in the amount of content being generated per every two-hour cinematic piece. Although 3D is not new, modern 3D technologies add from 100% to 200% more data per frame. In 2009, Avatar was one of the first movies to generate about a petabyte of information. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was shot in a new digital format called High Frame Rate 3-D, which displays the movie at 48 frames per second, twice the standard 24-fps rate that's been in place for more than 80 years." But with digital storage transcending some other limitations of conventional projection techniques, it's not just framerate that directors are now able to play with more easily; it's the length of movies themselves, which stats suggest just keep getting longer.

Bring back the intermission.

[Naatach]

It was so classy. I'm sure it would help with the theater owners concession sales as well.

Re:Comment on Movie length

[cervesaebraciator]

This would be helpful. Statistics may show that movies are getting longer, but my experience shows also that minute-for-minute they feel longer. At least they do when they're something like Michael Bay movies with their interminably long CGI-gasms (I mention Michael Bay, but most directors seem to be doing action sequences in his style; as much as I like the Hobbit, the best comment I saw about it was [paraphrased] 'I kept waiting for Peter Jackson to put down his X-Box controller and get on with the movie). An intermission would give me just enough time to think seriously about the horrible decision I've made and how hours of my life would be better spent by going home for a beer and a book.

Not a Big Data Problem

[ranton]

How does this have anything to do with Big Data? Storing large amount of data isn't the important part, it is being able to analyze that data. You do not analyze a movie's data file. You just load and display the movie, which can easy be stored in one large continous file. A Big Data problem would be Netflix trying to determine what kinds of movies to recommend, not storing and then displaying a long movie to users.

Re:Battlefield Earth

[7bit]

I mean they did the 1000 page Battlefield Earth in under 2 hours in film and that turned out great...

"Battlefield Earth" + "turned out great" in the same sentence?... Travolta, is that you?

Re:Comment on Movie length

[afidel]

People who use phones in the theater should be beaten with rubber hoses and then forced to watch Barney.