The buzz is black, but the news is green at Da-Lite. I refer to the commercials on CNN, etc. promotiong Da-Lite‘s 3D Virtual Black theater and big queues for said theater here on site. The green news is that all 13+ of Da-Lite’s fabrics were certified by Green Guard on Friday, too late to include in the press announcements (though the team made two sets of booth graphics–one with the 5-screen certification that was already in place, one to announce the full-line certification).

A little background on the green: Da-Lite is taking it seriously, not just in terms of their product but also their corporate and production practices. The company received ISO certification last year and according to company President Tom Mattern, had the pleasure of handing out newly-minted LEED business cards to five of his salespeople at the show (all received the necessary training). “When I came on the booth this morning, Mattern says, I had a Canadian customer say to me “I’d like to know how green your company is before I know about your products.”

Meanwhile back in the black, one of the most interesting aspects of Da-Lite’s 3D Virtual Black initiative is not the fact that it ties into the newest wave of 3D cinema (though Mattern is clearly a fan of the genre). But much more significant is the potential for stereoscopic 3D visualization displays in verticals such as medical, education, oil and gas and the like. “That undercurrent of constant business demand will be more important that the entertainment applications,” Mattern offers.