The Hobbit director will not abandon 48 frames per second despite criticisms that format looks like 'daytime television'

Peter Jackson says he will not abandon his quest to bring higher frame rates to cinemas after preview footage from The Hobbit met with a mixed reaction from audiences last week.

Footage from the Kiwi director's forthcoming two-part Lord of the Rings prequel, screened in the 48-frames-per-second format which Jackson has been championing as the future of cinema, was compared to modern sports broadcasts or daytime television by critics at the annual CinemaCon event in Las Vegas.

But Jackson said the 10-minute preview many not have given the audience enough time to adjust to the new experience, and pointed out that post-production work on the footage had not yet been completed.

"It wasn't particularly surprising because it is something new," he told the Hollywood Reporter.

"Ultimately, it is different in a positive way, especially for 3D, especially for epic films."

Jackson added: "It does take you a while to get used to.

Ten minutes is sort of marginal, it probably needed a little bit more.

Another thing that I think is a factor is it's different to look at a bunch of clips – and some were fast-cutting, montage-style clips.

This is a different experience than watching a character and story unfold.

"We are certainly going to experiment with different finishing techniques to give the 48 frames a look that is more organic.

But that work isn't due to start until we wrap photography in July."

Jackson said he had no plans to cut a trailer in the higher frame rate format.

"The 48 frames is something you should experience with the entire film," he said. "A two-and-a-half minute trailer isn't enough time to adjust to the immersive quality."

The Hobbit looks like being the first major flick shot at 48 frames per second, twice the rate of the industry standard 24 frames per second, which has been in place since the silent flick era.

James Cameron has also championed higher frame rates and says he may shoot his Avatar sequels at an even higher 60 frames per second.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, part one of Jackson's adaptation of JRR Tolkien's 1937 beloved children's fantasy novel, hits cinemas in December and is expected to be one of the year's biggest blockbusters.

Part two, There and Back Again, follows in time for Christmas 2013.

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