Extraordinary news reaches us from Hogwarts. If you entered any major cinema over the past week, you will, most likely, have seem a poster breathlessly promising that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1would be appearing in glorious 3D.

That was, indeed, Warner Brothers’ intention. Sadly, it transpires that there has not been time to complete the 3D process, and the film, scheduled for release on November 9th, will screen in just two common-or-garden dimensions.

Early this year, Warners handed 3D haters some more ammunition when it released the largely awful Clash of the Titansin a retrofitted, bargain- basement version of the process. There seems little doubt that the boffins at Harry Pottercould have pulled off that class of low-grade bumpiness, but they seem to be exercising a degree of quality control here. If they can't provide proper 3D for their prestige pictures, then they won't provide any at all.

That does seem an honourable move. Some experts in the field have, indeed, congratulated the studio on not rushing out inferior product.

“We applaud Warner Brothers for championing quality,” Barry Sandrew, president of conversion company Legend 3D, said. “The only way to produce quality conversion is to allow for enough time.”

Stop sniggering at the back.