Movie Theaters: Xtreme v. IMAX

[destrekor]

Has anyone had a chance to experience both?

Yes, most of you probably have no idea what an Xtreme theater is.
It's basically one brand of cineplexes that wanted a larger theater, and probably didn't want to pay IMAX. It's described as a "wall to wall, floor to ceiling screen, with a superior projector and sound system" or something to that effect.

Rave Cinemas, now owned by Cinemark, is the one behind it. We've got a theater with one, but it's the furthest theater from me, and they have plenty of the same brand closer, minus that specific version.

Of course it costs more, like IMAX. But.. is it any good?

Even IMAX, for the most part, is fully digital. They do have film, but most IMAX theaters still project digitally. Which means it's still all about having a higher bitrate video file with a projector a notch or two better than the rest.

The nearest Xtreme is definitely closer than the nearest IMAX, so there's that as well.

 

[Dari]

Has anyone had a chance to experience both?

Yes, most of you probably have no idea what an Xtreme theater is.
It's basically one brand of cineplexes that wanted a larger theater, and probably didn't want to pay IMAX. It's described as a "wall to wall, floor to ceiling screen, with a superior projector and sound system" or something to that effect.

Rave Cinemas, now owned by Cinemark, is the one behind it. We've got a theater with one, but it's the furthest theater from me, and they have plenty of the same brand closer, minus that specific version.

Of course it costs more, like IMAX. But.. is it any good?

Even IMAX, for the most part, is fully digital. They do have film, but most IMAX theaters still project digitally. Which means it's still all about having a higher bitrate video file with a projector a notch or two better than the rest.

The nearest Xtreme is definitely closer than the nearest IMAX, so there's that as well.

So they are basically zooming then? IIRC, Imax movies are shot with special cameras that allows for higher resolution and the special Imax format. "Xtreme" is just zooming...

 

[Schfifty Five]

I've got a cinemark near me that has the XD (extreme digital) screens. I don't know if I can really tell any difference between those and IMAX screens. I think at $15.50 a ticket, my mind forces me to love every minute of whatever movie I watch lol.

 

[destrekor]

I've got a cinemark near me that has the XD (extreme digital) screens. I don't know if I can really tell any difference between those and IMAX screens. I think at $15.50 a ticket, my mind forces me to love every minute of whatever movie I watch lol.

There is that, too.


But, I guess a more appropriate question: has anyone been to movies enough and seen the Xtreme/XD theater experience, and thought it just seemed remarkably better? In a way, it blew you away?


I hate the idea a marginal difference brings ticket prices up $3-4 dollars a pop, but... if it IS better, even if it's not IMAX level, I could agree it is worth it - since IMAX, for me, also involves extra gas expenditure, and time as well. A two hour movie would be a four hour experience, two of those on the damn road - worse, Michigan roads. D:
But projection and sound equipment make up such a massive part of the overall quality, it could be worth it.

So they are basically zooming then? IIRC, Imax movies are shot with special cameras that allows for higher resolution and the special Imax format. "Xtreme" is just zooming...

So... you aren't familiar with the process of image capture and projection.

It's not zooming - let's just put that up front.

IMAX was typically based around a larger film format, which meant more detail.
But let's not concern ourselves with that fact - 35mm film contains more data than is currently displayed in even the highest resolution video format. There is no ifs, ands, or buts regarding that, it's simply fact.
The quality of a visual presentation, when it was captured on film, has so much to do with how the film was finally exposed and developed, how it was treated in the end, and for most situations today, how it was cared for when converting to digital format.
The video color process and other post-processing effects are beyond me to the extreme, but I've got some grip on the basics.

Most IMAX theaters (and the resulting projection equipment) are almost entirely digital now. While some directors still use film, IMAX film is unruly and most of them wind up only using it for short periods of time. Even the most resistant directors have begun to embrace the digital file today - it is well that the modern sensors and post-processing techniques can ultimately create a final image that is quite close to the best film previously available - and working with it is leagues easier than film, which the overall tradeoff is what means it has become to well-established in the industry. I'm not a fan of ditching film, but... the money-makers don't listen to me.

So there are ultimately conversions galore at so many steps in the process - it's really all about the resulting file format and properties, of which there are industry standards, and the projectors are only capable of so much when they were bought to perform at lower standards. The IMAX projectors (digital) cost fast more than your standard digital theater projector.
And the improved audio makes such a massive difference. I haven't heard Dolby Atmos, but I long to when I've heard so much exceptional praise for movies geared for it.

 

[Aikouka]

The one problem that you run into is that a lot of theaters use Digital IMAX, which has been given the cutesy name "LieMAX" since it isn't true IMAX resolution. You can read more about that here: http://www.slashfilm.com/qa-imax-theatre-real-imax-liemax/

 

[mnewsham]

If it's between digital imax and "Xtreme" or whatever, then both are likely comparable. If it were real IMAX then i'd say go to the real IMAX (if the movie is shown in that standard).

Where I live we have 5 or 6 Digital IMAX theaters and 2 "real" IMAX theaters within an hour or so.

 

[Wreckem]

Xtreme, XD and most Imax facilities are the same damn thing.

There aren't that many true Imax facilities these days. When I say true Imax, I mean the proper screen size and proper resolution. Almost all the newer Imax facilities are using much smaller screens than true Imax and aren't using the appropriate resolution either.

I've seen a bigger standard non xd/extreme/imax screen that was bigger than some of the "Imax" screens I've seen.

 

[destrekor]

The one problem that you run into is that a lot of theaters use Digital IMAX, which has been given the cutesy name "LieMAX" since it isn't true IMAX resolution. You can read more about that here: http://www.slashfilm.com/qa-imax-theatre-real-imax-liemax/

I've been well aware of the difference in Digital IMAX and the actual 70mm IMAX film format - problem is, it is exceptionally rare to see 70mm IMAX auditoriums. Most of them, if not all of them, are stand-alone auditoriums or otherwise purpose-built.

Also, the issue with the actual screen size is not always the case. I too have a theater or two around here, where, at least two of the individual auditoriums have absolutely massive screens that are in fact larger than some of the smaller Digital IMAX screens.

The thing is - I don't see a need to be offended or anything by the smaller Digital IMAX screens, as the main purpose is still fulfilled - it's a better audio and visual experience. Sure, it may not be an 8-story screen, but it has superior resolution to the digital projectors used in standard theaters.
Those Christie projectors are beautiful.

Now, the other thing: we should all be offended by resolution, in general. 35mm film has superior "resolution" to that of the digital IMAX systems. More importantly, 35mm film (specifically in vertical video format, where the image is even smaller) blows away the digital projection used in standard theaters.
Film has no resolution - what it has is purity and beauty that can be enlarged far more than a 2K or 4K digital image, regardless of the level of image compression. So our digital theaters have a LONG way to go before they can truly deliver the epic imagery previously found on film. If they start with 70mm IMAX film and still show it in a Digital IMAX theater, it does have such a higher -quality starting point that no other digital theater will be able to come close, because the digital source file will have superior detail as a high-bitrate starting point, so it will be that much cleaner when they create the final video format for digital projection.

It's also not all about the actual image resolution from the projector - there are specific Hollywood standards (that all studios agree to for universal distribution... for the most part) that dictate the final digital compression type, the actual video resolution and the total bitrate, and of course the final container format. Same goes for audio.
Just as the standard digital theater (35mm replacement) has a set of standards, the files and equipment for Digital IMAX have a set of standards too. The video file will have a much higher bitrate, and the final resolution is higher as well.
I'm sure IMAX will actually encourage adoption of a new system with higher resolution in a few years, as the digital theaters will be upgrading to equipment that should be able to match it at some point in time.

Even for IMAX, the 70mm format is a dying breed when it comes to true projection. It'll be used for filming for some time, I'm sure, especially by the film-loving directors of the world (a dying breed as well ), but as that site noted, there are less than 50 IMAX theaters that use 15p70mm AND show Hollywood productions. There are the domes and science-theater ones that will show various IMAX Experience events, but not Hollywood films, so we might as well ignore those, as Hollywood is the point of this thread.

Apparently there is one or two in Detroit, I think three if you count a dome, I had been to either the dome or the one at the museum, and I suspect both of those do not show Hollywood films. The other one sounds like it may be a proper Hollywood theater - and as suspected, the closest one in Ann Arbor appears to be digital. It is within a multiplex, I'm pretty sure it's a digital retrofit.


edit:
I lied. In the Detroit/Dearborn region, there are two 15/70 theaters, one is a dome, and both are non-Hollywood. All other IMAX in the region are fully digital. Well, one in Grand Rapids appears to have both 15/70 and Digital.

This blows. Why does the world hate Ohio and Michigan? Hmm? We give you so much, and you give us no beautiful film in return. Bunch of haters.

 

[destrekor]

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=192092

Ha, well someone out there thankfully has more detailed information on the subject of projection equipment.

And I totally forgot that there are a number of branded Large Format auditoriums. I had previously heard of Marcus's Ultrascreen, but never had a chance to see it while I was in Columbus for school.

 

[mnewsham]

I just checked there are 3 15/70mm IMAX theaters within 1 hour of me and 7 IMAX3D theaters. Guess I am lucky compared to most people. Didn't even realize they were so rare.