anelo vs. Professional Conversion Studios
Professional conversion studios employ teams of artists to hand-convert 2D content to stereoscopic 3D. The results are the gold standard for theatrical release. anelo offers automated conversion at a fraction of the cost and time, making 3D viable for content that could never justify studio pricing.
Feature comparison
| Feature | anelo | Studio Services |
|---|---|---|
| Output quality | AI-driven depth with comfort-checked disparity. Consistent across hundreds of hours. | Hand-painted depth by experienced artists. The highest quality available for theatrical. |
| Turnaround time | Hours per episode. Overnight batch processing for full seasons. | Weeks to months per film. Depends on crew size and complexity. |
| Cost | Free (desktop) or $10/mo (Pro). No per-minute billing. | $35K–92K per finished minute (theatrical quality). Lower for streaming-grade. |
| Scale | One workstation can process a full season. No crew scheduling required. | Limited by team size. Large projects require months of coordination. |
| Consistency | Algorithmic — same parameters produce identical results. No artist variation. | Varies by artist skill and supervision quality. QC overhead scales with team size. |
| Creative direction | Configurable parameters but no per-shot creative direction. | Full creative control. Directors can specify depth treatment per shot or per frame. |
| Hero shot treatment | Same algorithmic treatment for all frames. No special handling for key moments. | Extra artist attention on hero shots. Key moments receive bespoke treatment. |
| Privacy | Local processing. Footage never uploaded. Built-in metadata scanning. | Footage shipped to studio facilities. NDA-protected but third-party access inherent. |
Output quality
anelo
AI-driven depth with comfort-checked disparity. Consistent across hundreds of hours.
Studio Services
Hand-painted depth by experienced artists. The highest quality available for theatrical.
Turnaround time
anelo
Hours per episode. Overnight batch processing for full seasons.
Studio Services
Weeks to months per film. Depends on crew size and complexity.
Cost
anelo
Free (desktop) or $10/mo (Pro). No per-minute billing.
Studio Services
$35K–92K per finished minute (theatrical quality). Lower for streaming-grade.
Scale
anelo
One workstation can process a full season. No crew scheduling required.
Studio Services
Limited by team size. Large projects require months of coordination.
Consistency
anelo
Algorithmic — same parameters produce identical results. No artist variation.
Studio Services
Varies by artist skill and supervision quality. QC overhead scales with team size.
Creative direction
anelo
Configurable parameters but no per-shot creative direction.
Studio Services
Full creative control. Directors can specify depth treatment per shot or per frame.
Hero shot treatment
anelo
Same algorithmic treatment for all frames. No special handling for key moments.
Studio Services
Extra artist attention on hero shots. Key moments receive bespoke treatment.
Privacy
anelo
Local processing. Footage never uploaded. Built-in metadata scanning.
Studio Services
Footage shipped to studio facilities. NDA-protected but third-party access inherent.
Cost
anelo
Free (desktop) or $10/mo (Pro)
Total cost for converting a 2-hour film on an RTX 4090: $0 (desktop) or ~$10 (cloud burst).
Studio Services
$35K–92K per finished minute
Titanic 3D conversion cost approximately $18M. Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
Time
anelo
~8 minutes per hour of 4K content
A 2-hour film processes in approximately 16 minutes on RTX 4090.
Studio Services
3–12 months for a feature film
Depends on crew size, complexity, and quality requirements.
Quality & control
anelo
Consistent, artifact-free output that holds up for VR headset and streaming viewing. Not theatrical-grade for every shot, but across-the-board solid.
Studio Services
The gold standard for theatrical 3D release. Hand-painted depth, per-frame QA, director-supervised stereo. The benchmark all automated systems are measured against.
The honest take: Studio conversion wins for theatrical 3D releases, tentpole films, and any project where per-frame artistic control and maximum quality justify the cost and timeline. anelo wins for catalog conversion, streaming content, VR libraries, sports highlights, personal media, and any project where studio pricing makes 3D conversion economically impossible.
Privacy & security
anelo
All processing on your hardware. No third-party access. Metadata scanning built in.
Studio Services
Footage must be delivered to the conversion studio. NDA protection is standard but access is inherent. Multiple artists and QC staff handle the material.
Try it yourself.
Desktop processing is free. See how the output compares on your own footage.