German BD authoring pioneer Imagion, working with Big Picture Productions, unveiled the first European 3D Blu-ray disc of the film Grand Canyon Adventure created by Academy Award-nominated producers MacGillivray Freeman Films. The title will be available in German stores at the end of June through distribution partner Eurovideo.

Imagion presented the final version of this first ever 3D Blu-ray disc produced by an independent studio at the Blu-ray Disc Academy in Frankfurt. Grand Canyon Adventure was created for IMAX 3D cinemas by Ryan Mullins, President and CEO of Big Picture Digital Production Inc in Canada, using special 8K resolution workflows which maximize details and sharpness. The 3D title, which uses the new Blu-ray 3D MVC codec (for active shutter glasses), was finalised the night before the Frankfurt event, Andreas Thran, CEO of Imagion, told DVD Intelligence.

Grand Canyon Adventure has 3D menus and includes dynamicHD, Imagion’s BD-Live solution, which is 100% compatible with the new 3D Blu-ray standard. “Together with these breathtaking 3D images that were shot for 3D IMAX cinemas, this title presents fully the potential of the 3D Blu-ray format,” said Michael Becker, Imagion's joint CEO. “A substantial number of 3D Blu-ray discs, including special interest and feature film titles, are already slated for production in 2010."

“Our exclusive partnership with Imagion has allowed us once again to be on the forefront of a new format,” stated Big Picture Productions' Mullins. “We have been working in 3D for over 12 years, and our 3D IMAX library represents a significant part of the foundation of the modern 3D theatrical format. As a result, we have very high expectations and standards in regards to bringing this library to the 3D home video market. By this time next year, we expect to have the largest 3D live action catalogue released to market in the world."

Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk combines impressive river-rafting action on America’s iconic river with the grandeur of the Grand Canyon to tell an engaging story of how ordinary people can make a difference for our parched planet – one that is running out of clean, fresh water. The film is narrated by Robert Redford, with a score, featuring songs and music from the Grammy Award-winning Dave Matthews Band.

Imagion is the only European authoring studio officially certified by the Blu-ray Disc Association with the Commercial Audiovisual Content Agreement for the production of 3D Blu-ray Discs. “Having finished the first 3D Blu-ray Disc, Imagion can now offer a full range of services for the production of 3D Blu-ray discs for the home entertainment market,” said. “Among these services for the new 3D Blu-ray format, there is 3D menu design, subtitling, video encoding, authoring, BD-Java programming and quality control.

Story filed 22.05.10