IMAX recently showcased its next-generation laser projection and sound system at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood – the first theatre in the U.S. to feature this cutting-edge technology.
“IMAX with Laser,” represents the largest R&D investment in the company’s history that results in a a complete re-imagination of the movie theatre experience offering brighter images, sharper contrast, more colors, double the sound.
Designed from the ground up for IMAX’s largest screens (75 feet or greater in width), the dual 4K laser projection system is equipped with a new optical engine and suite of proprietary IMAX technologies capable of projecting an image with up to a 1.43:1 aspect ratio. Coupled with an incredible new sound system,
IMAX with laser draws audiences into the action like never before.
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Brightness: A laser light source provides substantially more brightness than a xenon bulb, and will allow IMAX to fill its largest screens with even sharper and more lifelike images. This is significant for 3D because
3D glasses dim the image. With IMAX’s laser technology, audiences are going to be able to experience unparalleled brightness in 2D and 3D.
- Contrast: Contrast is the difference between the whitest white and the blackest black. IMAX has always delivered the greatest contrast available to filmmakers but now will reach contrast levels substantially higher than ever before. This means more detail in the image, and a heightened level of realism that makes movie-goers forget they are watching a movie.
- Color: IMAX with laser will allow filmmakers to explore and expand their use of colors by providing a wider gamut of colors, and a more vivid, lifelike image. Audiences will get to experience colors that exist in the real
world but have never been seen onscreen.
- Sound: IMAX with laser includes a next-generation sound system that features 12 discrete channels plus sub-bass. The enhanced system includes new loudspeakers on the ceiling as well as additional ones on the side. Whether it’s a pin drop or feeling the heart-palpating force of a volcano, audiences will experience a new kind of visceral sound experience.
In addition to these enhancements, the IMAX with laser system features built-in image calibration and audio tuning features. It is also linked to IMAX’s 24/7/365 Network Operations Center, which is constantly monitoring thousands of system components to ensure optimum performance, show after show.
Audiences can experience IMAX with laser for themselves at the Cineplex ScotiaBank Theatre in Toronto, as well as the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, which was the site of the first worldwide film premiere ever to be presented in laser for “Furious 7.”
In addition, IMAX has signed more than 71 laser deals around the world including the most prestigious and iconic commercial theatres, museums and science centers such as Empire Leicester Square in London; AMC’s Lincoln Square in New York City, Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles, and Metreon in San Francisco; Darling Harbour in Sydney; CineStar IMAX Sony Center Berlin at Potsdamer Platz; the Smithsonian’s 3 IMAX theatres; and the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.
— By Scott Hettrick