The IMAX General Discussion Thread

[cannastop]

1 minute ago, Telemachos said:

 

It's not particularly noticeable. I'm usually a stickler for aspect ratios, but generally the spectacle benefits of IMAX outweigh the negatives (which honestly usually have more to do with a slightly softer and/grainier image than any cropping). IMAX has a proprietary process for uprezzing the footage and it usually looks pretty good these days.

Well, I mean if it's available, I might see it. I might want to recapture the magic of seeing The Lion King in true IMAX in 2002.

[Dementeleus]

2 minutes ago, cannastop said:

Well, I mean if it's available, I might see it. I might want to recapture the magic of seeing The Lion King in true IMAX in 2002.

 

That wasn't true IMAX, though. It's the same process I described: taking a high-quality source copy (whether 35mm or digital) and uprezzing it to IMAX. It can look very nice, but it's not true IMAX.

[cannastop]

1 minute ago, Telemachos said:

 

That wasn't true IMAX, though. It's the same process I described: taking a high-quality source copy (whether 35mm or digital) and uprezzing it to IMAX. It can look very nice, but it's not true IMAX.

Well, by true IMAX I meant actually shown on a bigass screen. Not the bullshit branding effort that IMAX has gone through.

[cannastop]

Want to know what's motherfucking infuriating?

 

This shit:

 

Quote

screen	Number of seats + wheelchair space	Screen size	Digital audio
SCREEN 1	86Tasu (2)	3.2 × 7.6m	Digital 5.1ch
SCREEN 2	108Tasu (2)	12.6M × 5.3　MX4D ™	Digital 5.1ch
SCREEN 3	128+ (2)	4.5 × 10.8m	Digital 5.1ch
SCREEN 4	200+ (2)	5.2 × 12.6m	Digital 5.1ch
SCREEN 5	184Tasu (2)	4.0 × 9.6m	Digital 5.1ch
SCREEN 6	117Tasu (2)	4.6 × 11.0m	Digital 5.1ch
SCREEN 7	407Tasu (2)	7.3 × 17.7m	Digital 5.1ch
SCREEN 8	88Tasu (2)	3.2 × 7.6m	Digital 5.1ch
SCREEN 9	499Tasu (2)	19.2M × 8.0　TCX	ATMOS DOLBY (corresponding work only)
SCREEN 10	311Tasu (2)	IMAX® digital theater
SCREEN 11	122Tasu (2)	3.9 × 9.5m	Digital 5.1ch
SCREEN 12	73Tasu (2)	2.8 × 6.6m	Digital 5.1ch
12 screen	2,323Tasu (24)

https://www.tohotheater.jp/theater/076/institution.html

 

Toho usually always tells the public what the dimensions of the screens are, but obviously IMAX has a clause in their contract that says they can't disclose just how average their screen is.

 

Kind of makes me want to avoid IMAX altogether.

Edited May 21, 2016 by cannastop

[cannastop]

Just found a good picture of a Liemax theater in Singapore:

 

 

https://www.quora.com/Is-the-IMAX-experience-worth-it

 

Doesn't look that bad to me, especially for widescreen movies. Maybe if I ever get affluent, I'll waste a few dollars in one.

 

[SchumacherFTW]

For the most part, these days I'm pretty happy with the digital imax experience. I used to go to the BFI IMAX in London religiously, but they switched their focus to digital over film, and when I saw Age of Ultron there it looked like dog shit. Because super screens from exhibitors are few and far between here, Digital Imax is the next best thing, and one in particular where I used to live was absolutely brilliant. 

[Webslinger]

Sully looked pretty good, but it would have been even more spectacular if it hadn't been so fond of close or medium shots. Sorry to bring it back to this specific movie-on-movie comparison again, but the more visually-interesting Flight would have been a near-perfect fit for this format. (Hopefully Zemeckis will take a crack at shooting with IMAX cameras; dude could do some damn cool stuff with the format.)

[DeeCee]

The time is almost here. 

 

The last ever screening at IMAX Sydney. The world's largest screen. 

 

35.72 X 29.57 meters. 

 

It will be demolished and rebuilt as part of a new W Hotel. The new IMAX will open in about 3 years. It will once again be the world's biggest screen but unfortunately slightly smaller then the old one. 

 

The last ever film. 

 

The Dark Knight. 

 

This is a cross section of the new building showing the location and size of the the new IMAX Sydney.

Spoiler

 

Edited September 26, 2016 by DeeCee

[DeeCee]

On 9/17/2016 at 9:05 AM, cannastop said:

Just found a good picture of a Liemax theater in Singapore:

 

 

https://www.quora.com/Is-the-IMAX-experience-worth-it

 

Doesn't look that bad to me, especially for widescreen movies. Maybe if I ever get affluent, I'll waste a few dollars in one.

 

I can see the horizontal but someone forgot the vertical.

[cannastop]

17 minutes ago, DeeCee said:

I can see the horizontal but someone forgot the vertical.

Yeah, but whatcha gonna do with 1:2.39 movies?

[angeldelmito]

I just came to say that Catching Fire was iconic in IMAX. Thanks.

[cannastop]

Found another Liemax picture:

 

 

https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/penn-cinema-riverfront-imax-wilmington?select=7xL8XH7zCfKbd_sSvcCEGA

 

I mean, it looks nice.

[Dementeleus]

4 minutes ago, cannastop said:

Found another Liemax picture:

 

 

https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/penn-cinema-riverfront-imax-wilmington?select=7xL8XH7zCfKbd_sSvcCEGA

 

I mean, it looks nice.

 

Most LieMAX theaters are nice. The question is whether you think they're worth the $3-4 upsell. Some are, some aren't.

[cannastop]

8 minutes ago, Nutella of Arabia said:

 

Most LieMAX theaters are nice. The question is whether you think they're worth the $3-4 upsell. Some are, some aren't.

As I've noted before, they seem optimized for Cinemascope movies. Maybe if it also has that new Laser projecter, I'll bite.

[Dementeleus]

32 minutes ago, cannastop said:

As I've noted before, they seem optimized for Cinemascope movies. Maybe if it also has that new Laser projecter, I'll bite.

 

They aren't, though. Those photos were shot with wide-angle lenses. You can tell from the distortion.

 

edit: to clarify, they're not optimized any more than most (if not all) theaters. Screens are built for 2.35 and masked (in projector for image, physical drapes for screen) for 1.85 or Academy ratio.

 

What LieMAX offers is a larg(er) screen and a special sound mix (basically boosted to be a lot punchier). It can be nice, but often you can find a presentation with equal quality without the extra cost (a non-IMAX branded PLF screen).

[DeeCee]

Is there any noticeable difference between the IMAX sound in a LieMAX and Dolby ATMOS in a Large Format Theatre?

[Dementeleus]

20 minutes ago, DeeCee said:

Is there any noticeable difference between the IMAX sound in a LieMAX and Dolby ATMOS in a Large Format Theatre?

 

I've never done a direct comparison on the same movie... but I think the two are actually pretty different. ATMOS is about 360-degree spatial accuracy, so it really envelopes you. An IMAX mix isn't more directional than any typical 7.1 mix, it's just a lot punchier... the low-end can rumble through the seats, as I'm sure you've felt. I don't think their goal is aural fidelity, just an extreme experience.

[DeeCee]

6 minutes ago, Nutella of Arabia said:

 

I've never done a direct comparison on the same movie... but I think the two are actually pretty different. ATMOS is about 360-degree spatial accuracy, so it really envelopes you. An IMAX mix isn't more directional than any typical 7.1 mix, it's just a lot punchier... the low-end can rumble through the seats, as I'm sure you've felt. I don't think their goal is aural fidelity, just an extreme experience.

I know what you mean.  Thinking about it more and you really felt IMAX Sydney more then ATMOS.  ATMOS probably had a more directional nuance.  

[cannastop]

I can't wait until they get IMAX with Laser in more places. It's not in that many multiplexes at the moment.

[SchumacherFTW]

Only film I've seen in laser so far was Inferno, and i was quite disappointed in that, though the IMAX opener itself liked great. For all I know it may not have been optimised for laser, but I'll give it another go soon hopefully.