What is IMAX

IMAX (which stands for Image Maximum and can be pronounced as "愛麥克斯"), is a movie projection system that is capable of projecting movies in larger size and higher resolution than traditional film. The system consists of an IMAX print, a projector, a sound system, and a screen. The standard IMAX screen is 22 meters wide and 16 meters high, but it is fully capable of playing on larger screens, and larger IMAX screens have been appearing ever since.

IMAX technology was first developed by Canada, and now the Canadian IMAX company exclusively owns the technology, IMAX theaters around the world by the IMAX company to provide technology and equipment. IMAX development and promotion has been with large-scale exhibitions, science and technology museums and other public welfare activities and venues are inseparable, and so far all over the world IMAX theaters are almost evenly divided into two categories: Science and technology museums, museums based public welfare science venues and for commercial screening of ordinary theaters.

Historically, the first IMAX movie was shown in 1970 at the Fuji Pavilion in Japan, and the first set of official IMAX projection equipment was installed in 1971 at the Ontario Amphitheatre in Toronto [Ontario Place's Cinesphere]. At the 1974 U.S. World's Fair in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Pavilion featured a giant 27.3 x 19.7-meter IMAX screen, which was large enough to fill the entire field of view when viewed directly in front of the audience. In 1973, the first IMAX spherical screen appeared in the Ruben H. Fleet Science and Technology Center Space Theater in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, U.S.A. In 1986, at the Canada Pavilion [Canada Pavilion] in Vancouver, the IMAX screen was displayed. In 1986, at the Canada Pavilion in Vancouver, IMAX demonstrated IMAX's 3D movie effects for the first time with The IMAX Experience.

Despite its excellent image quality and long history, IMAX has not been popularized due to the high cost of production and projection and the difficulty of transportation, which makes the running time of IMAX films relatively short (generally 40 minutes), and therefore IMAX has been mostly used for documentaries that are suitable for science museums, planetariums, and other popular science institutions.

In the late 1990s, there was a wave of IMAX entertainment, and several entertaining titles appeared, such as 1998's Tyrannosaurus Rex: Back to the Cretaceous (T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous), and 2001's Haunted Castle and other IMAX3D films. And in 1999, Disney produced an IMAX version of Fantasia 2000 - the first normal-length IMAX animation to be released.

In 2002, IMAX and Universal teamed up to release an IMAX version of Apollo 13, the first to utilize IMAX's DMR (Digital Re-mastering) re-mastering technology to convert a traditional film to the IMAX format. Since then, with the help of this technology, many Hollywood visual effects blockbusters have been converted to IMAX format for release. For technical reasons, the length of films processed through DMR in the early days could not exceed 2 hours. But in 2003, "The Matrix 2 Reloaded" finally broke through this limit and became an important milestone in the history of the development of IMAX technology, and in late 2003, "The Matrix 3 Revolutions" became the first film to be released simultaneously in IMAX and traditional theaters.

Audiences have welcomed these IMAX versions of Hollywood blockbusters transferred using DMR technology. The visual and audio effects are far superior to those of traditional 35mm movies. An audience member who saw the IMAX version of "Apollo 13" commented, "The huge screen, the explosive sound effects, and James? Horner's stirring original sound score can only be felt in IMAX." Therefore, in recent years, the major Hollywood studios are unanimously optimistic about IMAX, have their heavyweight works into IMAX and even IMAX3D format. According to Sony Pictures Vice Chairman Black, "When you have a movie like Spider-Man II on your hands, it's an amazing waste if you don't convert it to this unparalleled IMAX format for audiences to enjoy." Thus, films such as Star Wars Prequel II: Attack of the Clones, Spider-Man II, Harry? Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Polar Express: The IMAX Stereoscopic Experience, The Robot Adventures, Batman: Riddle of the Man, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, among other popular blockbusters, have been converted to the IMAX format for screening. Famous director James Cameron is a big fan of IMAX. Cameron is a staunch supporter of IMAX, in addition to predicting that in the next "five or six years" IMAX theaters will gradually end the traditional theater, but also personally directed an IMAX3D film about the Titanic "Ghosts of the Abyss" (Titanic3D: Ghosts of the Abyss).

IMAX (15/70)

Spherical lens set 15 holes per negative frame Horizontal pull-down projection, right-to-left (from the viewer's perspective) 24 frames of negative per second Lens size: 2.772" inches (70.41 mm) by 2.072" inches (52.63 mm) Projection size: at least 0.80" inches vertically from the lens, 0.016" inches horizontally. 0.016" inches IMAX Dome / OMNIMAX Same as IMAX, except:

Special fisheye lens set lens optical center is 0.37" inches above the horizontal datum oval projection to the vaulted screen, between 20 degrees below the plane to 110 degrees above the plane for the best viewing angle.

[edit]About IMAX 3D

IMAX3D is the IMAX stereoscopic film projection technology, IMAX3D using two IMAX dedicated 15/70 film, a film corresponds to one eye, through the polarization filtering glasses or infrared synchronization system with the electronic glasses in order to provide two separate images. Combined with the IMAX giant screen, IMAX3D is able to produce a realistic, full-field-of-view stereoscopic effect.

IMAX 3D: See More, Hear More, Feel More

The IMAX Experience(R), presented in 3D stereoscopic form, is the world's most immersive viewing experience, mesmerizing millions of people around the world. The crystal-clear and lifelike stereoscopic images, combined with the top-notch surround sound system, make the audience feel like they are in the movie.

The all-encompassing high quality of the IMAX 3D stereoscopic experience has made it the world's most powerful picture in the world - creating the most lifelike, immersive 3D effect ever. One of the key factors behind the IMAX 3D miracle is the use of dual-film technology, which is far superior to traditional "red/blue" film. The technology is far more advanced than traditional "red and blue" analog 3D technology, which simply puts the images of the left and right eyes on a single film, with much less clarity and color. IMAX 3D technology has no such regrets, not only using the world's largest film format (15/70), but also through 2 separate rolls of film at the same time the image capture and projection.

IMAX 3D Camera

The IMAX 3D Camera is one of the highest resolution image capturers in the world today. It can simultaneously record left and right eye imaging on two 65mm wide strips of film.The IMAX 3D Camera is capable of capturing wide-lens, high-resolution IMAX images.

IMAX 3D Projector

The IMAX 3D projector projects two strips of 15/70-format film of the left and right eyes simultaneously onto a special IMAX 3D screen. Viewers must wear IMAX 3D glasses, which project the images of the left and right eyes separately.IMAX theaters use P3D glasses, which use polarized lenses to separate the images of the left and right eyes.IMAX uses a 15/70 film format that is 10 times larger than conventional 35mm film.The 15/70 film format and its unique IMAX projection technology are the key to the superb image clarity and performance of IMAX 3D theaters. The 15/70 film format and its unique IMAX projection technology are the two keys to superb image clarity and color vibrancy in IMAX theaters