By Patricia Daukantas

The popular rock band U2 made its first concert movie two decades ago. So why are film critics falling all over themselves to rave about its second movie?

The answer, it turns out, lies in optical imaging technology. The directors of “U2 3D,” which opened recently in limited engagement, used special 3D digital cameras from 3ality Digital Inc. of Burbank, Calif., to film the live-action concerts.

As reported by Wired.com, each of the 3ality mobile camera setups—there were nine in all—incorporated two Sony digital cameras, surround-sound recording equipment, and an unprecedented degree of computer control of the cameras and zoom lenses. The cameras generated incredible amounts of data, which fiber-optic cables fed into 3ality’s servers for editing and post-production. (The finished film contains almost 1 petabyte of data—that’s as much as 1 million 1-GB USB drives.)

More information is available on the movie's Web site—but check your computer’s speakers before surfing there, as the home page features Bono’s voice singing the opening of the song “Vertigo.”

2008-02 February, Imaging, Optics and pop culture 3d, optics and pop culture, science rock