Movies using stereoscopic imaging have been around since the late 1800s, but it didn’t take off until recently because of inadequate technology.

“The current technology is so far superior to anything that had been available before that it has excited filmmakers and audiences,” said Peter Koplik, executive vice president of 3-D applications developer MasterImage 3D. “The days of paper glasses and rudimentary images on screen are really over.”

Koplik’s company is working to ensure those days are indeed done. More than 1,600 of its 3-D systems are installed in movie theaters worldwide, 390 of which are in North America, according to the MasterImage 3D website.

In addition to its work in the movie world, MasterImage 3D worked with Hitachi to create the first cell phone with a 3-D display. That phone features a three-inch screen that doesn’t require glasses to view in 3-D.