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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Digital Cinema Forum   » Imax Finds a Niche in a Digital Future (Page 2)

 
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Author Topic: Imax Finds a Niche in a Digital Future
Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

- posted 02-02-2011 04:53 PM      Profile for Claude S. Ayakawa   Author's Homepage   Email Claude S. Ayakawa   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Although I agree 15/70 IMAX is unbeatable and I miss seing movies in that format after Consolidated Theatres here in Hawaii closed the Hawaii IMAX a couple of years ago. I knew the digital IMAX system Regal Theatres had installed in one of their larger auditorium at the Dole Cannery 18 Theatres here in Honolulu and other theatres in their chain was not going to be like the original format, that was just fine with me. Although the screen is much larger than the original one that was in that house, Digital IMAX sound is very comparable to the original IMAX format and the the picture quality is bright and very sharp and I love it. Compared to single projection digital 3-D in both Real D and Dolby 3-D, IMAX Digital 3-D is much much brighter because of the use of dual projection . There are many here who hate Digital IMAX when they go so far as calling the system "lieMax" but the IMAX people are not lying when they promote their system because it is a new innovation from the company. If IMAX did not change the name when they advertise their new digital system and refer to it as just IMAX like the original name, that could be considered a lie because everyone has come to associate "IMAX" with the 15/70 system. The digital system is now known as Digital IMAX or Digital IMAX 3-D and that is not a lie.

-Claude

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Carsten Kurz
Film God

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From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
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- posted 02-02-2011 05:31 PM      Profile for Carsten Kurz   Email Carsten Kurz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
No, LieMAX is only 2*2k. At the time they came out with it, Sony DID have 4k available, but not with the brightness needed, even stacked. So at the time Christie 2k was the only option. TI announced 4k-DLP shortly after, but with a timeframe into 2010/2011, so I guess at that time IMAX wanted to go with what was available. And certainly they developed their addons well before their announcement based on Christie series-I hardware. It certainly should be easy for them to use 4k-DLP as well. But I guess they will wait with that announcement until the first ordinary 4k-DLP installations have lost their 'glamour' to the overall k-noise level.

- Carsten

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Kurt Zupin
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 989
From: Maricopa, Arizona
Registered: Oct 2004

- posted 02-02-2011 09:04 PM      Profile for Kurt Zupin   Email Kurt Zupin   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
If IMAX did not change the name when they advertise their new digital system and refer to it as just IMAX like the original name, that could be considered a lie because everyone has come to associate "IMAX" with the 15/70 system. The digital system is now known as Digital IMAX or Digital IMAX 3-D and that is not a lie.
The problem is Claude, they do just call it IMAX. They don't put Digital IMAX on there signs at multiplexs or where ever may have one. 15/70 and Digital is all the same under the IMAX brand name, and its not. You said so yourself. How is this not a "Lie"?

I also think that us posters that do call it LIEMax do so to make sure everyone knows that we are talking about one or the other and that they know where we stand [Wink]

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Jonathan Goeldner
Phenomenal Film Handler

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From: Washington, District of Columbia
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- posted 02-02-2011 11:35 PM      Profile for Jonathan Goeldner   Email Jonathan Goeldner   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Ron Lacheur
I was under the impression that LieMAX was dual 4K projectors? Now they are running dual 2K? or has it always been this?
I asked the IMAX installer when AMC Hoffman's IMAX Digital system had just opened if the system was 4K, he stated no, it was dual 2K. Does anyone know if IMAX/Texas Instruments will be upgrading IMAX-D's systems to playback 4K DLP?

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Tom Petrov
Five Guys Lover

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From: El Paso, TX
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- posted 02-03-2011 02:21 AM      Profile for Tom Petrov     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Kurt Zupin
15/70 and Digital is all the same under the IMAX brand name, and its not.
15/70 at a multiplex vs a stand-alone 15/70 theatre is not the same. It says right on the IMAX website. The screen size in a standalone theatre will always be larger. IMAX states this.

The multiplex 15/70 and digital are branded as the same and that is not much of an issue IM0.

15/70 in a multiplex theatre will not have a bigger screen than the largest digital screen.

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Kurt Zupin
Jedi Master Film Handler

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From: Maricopa, Arizona
Registered: Oct 2004

- posted 02-03-2011 04:57 AM      Profile for Kurt Zupin   Email Kurt Zupin   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The point I was making Tom, is that when ever IMAX releases a press release they do not make a difference between Digital or 15/70. They refer to it all as the IMAX Experience. This is missleading to the general public(GP) who goes to see a movie in IMAX and think they are going to get a 15/70 experience they end up in a Multiplex room with the screen moved forward and some seats taken out. The GP for the most part, I would say 80%+ think HUGE screens when they think IMAX. This is the largest disservice IMAX can do to their brand.

I get so many calls from people asking if we have a movie that is only playing in IMAX Digital. They ask why arn't we playing it, I explain that we play film and not Digital as we are not a Digital IMAX. I tell them that our competition is playing it Digital IMAX and they quickly tell me that they don't want to see it on a regular screen, why would they pay the extra to see it on the same screen that they see the rest of their movies on.

quote: Tom Petrov
15/70 in a multiplex theatre will not have a bigger screen than the largest digital screen.
Sometimes Tom I'm really not sure what you mean when you type stuff. I've been to several Film based IMAX's that are in Multiplex's that have full size 6 story tall IMAX screens. So I'm not to sure what your line of text means.

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

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From: London, UK
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- posted 02-03-2011 10:20 PM      Profile for Caleb Johnstone-Cowan   Email Caleb Johnstone-Cowan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
None of the IMAX marketing mentions the screen size any more. It's up to 15/70 sites to distinguish themselves as "the giant screen IMAX experience", which they should do aggressively as it is the better product.

Also you'd be surprised how ignorant a lot of people are about what IMAX is. I was shocked how many of my staff had no idea what it was before we got one, even the 'giant screen' bit. A reasonable amount of people also assume it's 3D by default.

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Jake Spell
Master Film Handler

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From: Johns Island SC
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- posted 02-04-2011 09:49 AM      Profile for Jake Spell   Email Jake Spell   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
To my knowledge, Imax Digital uses to modified Christie 2k projectors running the same 2k content for 2D and one left eye one right eye for 3D.

And IMAX should be AT LEAST 4K.

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Dick Vaughan
Phenomenal Film Handler

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From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
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- posted 02-04-2011 03:53 PM      Profile for Dick Vaughan   Author's Homepage   Email Dick Vaughan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Tom Petrov
15/70 in a multiplex theatre will not have a bigger screen than the largest digital screen.
Sorry that's just not true.

For example
1)Rave 18 +IMAX ( Ex The Bridge) at Howard Hughes Centre in LA
2) IMAX at Odeon Filmworks ,Manchester UK
3)IMAX at Loew's multiplex , Broadway, NYC

All the IMAX screens there are far bigger than any digital screens on tyhe same site

there are plenty of others.

Don't swallow all the propaganda on the IMAX website!

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Jonathan Goeldner
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From: Washington, District of Columbia
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- posted 02-04-2011 04:37 PM      Profile for Jonathan Goeldner   Email Jonathan Goeldner   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Jake Spell
To my knowledge, Imax Digital uses to modified Christie 2k projectors running the same 2k content for 2D and one left eye one right eye for 3D.

And IMAX should be AT LEAST 4K.
oh definately at least 4K, but you have to remember, that IMAX-Digital at one point was initially considering a dual Sony 4K LCoS projector setup but was ultimately abandoned in favour of DLP technology. DLP at the time was only at 2K, now though with 4K enhanced chips being utiltized in their products, it'd make sense that it's IMAX systems would take advantage as well, but we will have to wait and see when and if it does.

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Scott Jentsch
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From: New Berlin, WI, USA
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- posted 02-07-2011 04:56 PM      Profile for Scott Jentsch   Author's Homepage   Email Scott Jentsch   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Tom Petrov
15/70 at a multiplex vs a stand-alone 15/70 theatre is not the same. It says right on the IMAX website. The screen size in a standalone theatre will always be larger. IMAX states this.
This is overlapping onto the back-to-back-to-back thread which touched on it (as well as probably many others having to do with IMAX's flawed branding scheme), but IMAX's site does not clearly delineate between the large ranges of sizes and types of screens that are in the market.

The IMAX site makes three designations in their "IMAX Theatres" section:
  • IMAX 3D Theatre
  • IMAX Theatre
  • IMAX Dome
In the mouse-over description, they mention that "IMAX 3D" might be digital or film retrofit, and the screens range from 47'x24' to 74'x46' and that an "IMAX Theatre" is "typically located in purpose-built buildings and auditoriums, thereby allowing a larger screen size and seat capacity" and the screens can range from 51'x37' to 117'x96'.
From the IMAX site, you have no way of knowing what size screen a particular theater has. An "IMAX 3D Theatre" could have something as large as 74'x46', and an "IMAX Theatre" could be as small as 51'x37'.

To further the confusion about what you're going to get when you go into an IMAX presentation, an IMAX 3D movie may be showing in a film-based "IMAX Theatre" or it may be showing in an "IMAX 3D Theatre" using either film or digital projectors.

This lack of transparency is the problem, and that's why this issue will never die among people who actually care what they're going to get for their IMAX upcharge. The only way you know for sure is to have first-hand knowledge, qualified second-hand knowledge, or to call the theater and hope that you can find someone who can answer the simple question about screen size (my personal experience has been spotty with calling theaters to ask).

While traditional movie theaters don't advertise their screen sizes either, none of them built their brand on the size of their screens. IMAX did, and that's why they've run into this problem.

In November, the Giant Screen Cinema Association defined the minimum specification for a screen to be considered a "Certified Giant Screen cinema":
  • at least 70' wide or
  • 3,100 total square feet
The AMC Burbank 16 & IMAX in Burbank, California that started Aziz Ansari's ruckus in 2009 has 63' wide by 37' high screen, which fails both criteria.
What IMAX has done is shown the paying public that IMAX no longer equals "big" as in "bigger than anything else you've seen" like they used to. They've transformed themselves into a competitor in the same field as the UltraScreens, RPX screens, ETX, XD, and other alphabet soup big-screen concepts by the various chains.

Just as with those offerings, you have to know what you're getting at that particular location in order to know if the upcharge is worth it. Just seeing the IMAX brand name no longer guarantees the really big screen that it did in the past.

IMAX is actually quite fortunate that sites like ours still advertise movies playing in IMAX theaters as any different than the same movie playing at the other big-screen offerings. After all, if they have "The IMAX Experience" why shouldn't we also have "The UltraScreen Experience" and the "XD Experience" etc.?

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Michael Brown
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From: Bradford, England
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- posted 02-07-2011 07:14 PM      Profile for Michael Brown   Email Michael Brown   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Michael, premium screens or offerings have not failed, far from it. We can be empty and people will choose our premium seating. You only need to look at The Rex in Berkhamsted to see how successful the premium experience can be. Every new large Cinema built recently in the UK has had a premium section in it. Our business is about escapism and if you're sat in some posh section looking half-decent you could be anyone. People will pay for that.

I was talking more about the concept to having seperate VIP auditoriums, rather that VIP seating areas mixed in with standard seating in same auditorium. (which I agree has become popular). [Big Grin]

I know of at least 4 multiplexes I've visited that once had seperate "VIP" auditoria all of which have now been converted back into normal auditoria.

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

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From: London, UK
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- posted 02-07-2011 08:12 PM      Profile for Caleb Johnstone-Cowan   Email Caleb Johnstone-Cowan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Fair enough Michael, I think there is still scope for the seperate VIP section in select locations, mainly city-centre sites. I think part of the reason these screens failed was they were being booked as a second copy of an existing film when 'limited release'/art films could have been put in there to target the higher end of the market.

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Tom Petrov
Five Guys Lover

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From: El Paso, TX
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- posted 03-07-2011 03:29 AM      Profile for Tom Petrov     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Can anyone please confirm which brand and model projection is used for IMAX digital?

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Mark J. Marshall
Film God

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From: New Castle, DE, USA
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- posted 03-07-2011 07:23 AM      Profile for Mark J. Marshall     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Claude,

Is there still a 15/70 IMAX at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu, or has that been converted to digital?

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