It is important to note that there are two types of digital IMAX: The one you talked about with the 1.9:1 aspect ratio that you will find in every bigger cinema these days - and the dual laser projector IMAX which displays the full 1.43:1 aspect ratio using two 4K projectors simultaneously. Only a few locations per country will have this though...

Bro did a WAY better job at explaining it than everybody else in KZfaq. Thanks 💪🏻

You missed a very important detail in the difference between regular 70mm and Imax 70 mm. With a regular 70mm projection, the film is passed vertically through the projector, so the 70mm corresponds to the width of the image. In an IMAX projector, the 70mm film passes horizontally thru the projector. So for IMAX, the 70 mm corresponds with the height of the image. In IMAX each pictureframe has a 3.4 times bigger surface of film-negative than on regular 70mm, and that is why IMAX shows much more detail than regular 70mm.

Thanks for breaking it down for us so even we can understand. This is the first explanation I've seen that included common resolutions (12K vs 4K, etc). AP, Always a man of the people!

It’s been so long since I’ve seen an actual film movie and not a digital projection and I got to see the non-IMAX 70mm yesterday. I’d forgotten what film was like with the dust, cuts out of frame when switching reels, the slight shimmer from the projector itself. It was very nostalgic.

THANK YOU for the visuals! Those explain well on what those aspect ratios really mean for the viewing experience

Holy cow so informative. It sucks that AMC's website doesn't make it clear and I'm very glad that you provided this research to us!

very informative video! i saw the movie in standard 70mm, there was one theatre with the ability to project 70mm in my area so thats the option i chose. Oppenheimer was the first movie i saw in 70mm and i thought it was amazing, the detail was incredible but also the film artifacts really changed the vibe of this movie, it was almost like watching real historical footage. I was very confused about the various projections of this movie when i was buying tickets, this video is helpful. you're correct in the video when you state that the 70mm option may or may not have premium audio for the movie, my theater had standard audio with the 70mm presentation. It was still a fantastic experience, but i think the nicer audio would have elevated the experience for me.

I saw it 5-perf 70mm in Minnesota. The print was beautiful. Bold colors and nice blacks. We snuck into the digital IMAX room next door for 5 minutes to compare. Blacks were grey and colors weren’t as saturated (dual 2k xenon projectors). Sadly, digital IMAX screenings are more confusing. You have the flagship twin laser projection which can project the full 1.43:1, single laser that has an anamorphic adapter to stretch to 1.43:1, single laser without the anamorphic adapter so only 1.90:1 for the entire film, decade old dual 2k xenon projectors (and possibly single 2k xenon projector still around somewhere).

Mate this explanation is fire. Thanks for the video. Keep rockin!!

Thank you so much man! You’ve clarified the situation and I appreciate it so much!

Thanks for the simple yet detailed comparisons! Been debating on seeing it again since there’s a 70mm screening close by.

70mm IMAX is alleged to have a picture resolution of approximately 18k.

About time a CLEAR explanation. A tiny bit too detailed, but better then other's.

Thanks for the explanation. Just wanted to point out that not the entire movie was shot on 70mm/15perf, but a combination of that resolution and 65mm/5perf film.

Drove 3h to Prague to see it in IMAX 70mm. I didnt think it would make much of a difference compared to digital, but I was wrong. The extra resolution was incredible!

I appreciate the help boss! Didn't really understand the difference until now, but I now plan to see it in 70mm since I have a theatre that supports that 20 mins away!

Awesome explanation. Thanks

I watched in 70mm IMAX in Manchester UK. The picture was superb,. of course, and really drew you into the film like no other I've seen, but the sound was stunning - I didn't just see and hear the trinity explosion, I felt it too.

There's also about 80 screens showing the movie on traditional 35mm film as well. The quality will only be about the same as normal digital projectors, but if you're interested in watching a movie on the old analog format alone, then it's worth seeking out.

In Nashville we have showings for 35mm at our local art house theater, but i’m opting for the 70mm imax since we’re lucky enough to have that available as well.

While a single frame of film is 12k (well, 18k actually), it is very misleading to claim the moving image is anywhere near that. IF the projector can maintain perfect registration of each frame, then yes. But that is essentially impossible from a mechanical point of view. Let's say the registration can be kept within 0.02mm frame-to-frame, then the equivalent is about 4k. Compare to dual laser IMAX at 8k, and your "Lie-MAX" is better image quality. Digital is also better in terms of contrast ratio and color gamut. Even the special "black and white" film that Nolan uses simply cannot compete contrast-wise with digital. Old school film is romantic and (as a 64-year-old) very nostalgic. It has a strong emotional connection. But my scientific rational side understands that digital is better -- more convenient, more powerful choices artistically, and better quality than any photochemical processing could ever be. There are also half a dozen news stories about broken film projectors, dusty prints, gate weave, etc. A lot of people are okay with these artifacts as they are also part of the true film experience.

Saw Oppy on 70mm Non IMAX film. Also saw the last night of QT's Hateful Eight Roadshow version. One thing that Tarantino did that Nolan didn't with their three hour movies was, Hateful Eight was shown (At least by me) without any trailers. Nice. A three hour screening with five or six trailers is just torture. Thanks.

What is the projection length of height and length of barco 60l 4k projector which was installed with dual projection , can you answer this question Can , It support 4:3 aspect ratio ?

It's more complicated than direct copy. The original film was scanned for digital production. The output to IMAX 1570 or 70mm film enables ultra high resolution film projection that cannot be matched by even the best digital projector available as of today. It is not really proper to compare the resolution of IMAX 1570 and 70mm film as the screen size and angle of view are vastly different. 70mm film gives you the resolution without the immersive view. IMAX Laser (1.9:1 single projector) gives you the immersive view, but you can tell the compromised detail if you have watched any film version. IMAX 1570 gives you both the immersive view and full detail, but you can't possibly book any prime seat at the moment. With a front corner seat, the IMAX 1570 experience will be hell-like.

Good explanation. I’m a film nerd, but most aren’t. I have a true IMAX nearby, and saw Dunkirk and the Dark Knight films there, and it was amazing! They were shot on real IMAX film.

I saw the movie both in dual laser & 70mm film, dual laser has better colors & contrast especially the brightness of hdr while 70mm film has more detail. Which is better? both formats are good & comparing them is like comparing apples to oranges so, I guess it's a tie.

Good video. Wish I would have saw your video 3 weeks ago. Then I would have made the 190 mile trip to Indianapolis, IN

I saw this yesterday in a regular movie theatre here in Massachusetts. I have ticket for an IMAX showing in Providence, RI next. From what I understand, the Providence IMAX showing is in 15/70.

Thanks buddy. Clear and good info. No BS just like you said.

Great video! Thank you. I managed to see the IMAX 70mm at New York's Lincoln Square cinema, despite it being sold out. I waited until about an hour before the show and frequently refreshed the screen on the AMC ticket Web site and seats started popping up as available. I was in row B near the middle. It was terrific! By the way, there is a mistake made several times in this video. 70mm film is about 3.4x larger than 35mm and IMAX 70mm is about 8.3x large than 35mm, not twice as big. It's a common mistake, but I thought you should know.

4:22 - His left elbow and the cars far right side bumper are cut off in the IMAX version example. Does it really lose the left and right edges?

In terms of 70mm when being shot, this is more to do with sensor size (area of lens being captured or not cropped) correct?

I looked up a list of all 30 theaters that are able to play 70mm IMAX and I live "near" 2 of them, here in the SF Bay area. Ill be going to the closer of the two tonight to see the movie.

You have it wrong about the difference between 70mm and iMAX. Although they both use 70mm film iMAX is fed in horizontal. Standard 70mm ends up 70mm wide and 5 perforations high but IMAX is rotated 90 degrees so 70mm high and 15 perforations wide. So each iMAX film cell is 3x larger.

I'm glad that I took a pair of ear plugs. It got loud in a couple, of scenes. I' did, however, have trouble understanding some of the dialogue.

very interesting side by side. i am confused though by there being more on the wide sides on the 70mm non imax than on the full imax, as illustrated 6:33

Great explainer! I saw the film twice the first time was Digital IMAX and the second was 70mm, and honestly my preference was the Digital IMAX, the issue I'm seeing with the regular 70MM showings is on top of not getting the IMAX aspect ratio they're typically being displayed in regular theaters, so a normal sized screen and sound system. Even with "Lie-Max" theaters the screen is larger than regular theaters and they have an upgraded sound system. So in Digital IMAX the sound was blaring but in the 70mm showing it was the volume of a regular movie, and with the normal screen size you're not getting the full resolution and detail as the 70mm IMAX showings, I saw it explained as trying to watch a 4K movie on a phone compared to your TV, yes it'll still look better than 1080p but you're not going to see all the details you would on the larger screen. Another issue happening with the 70mm showings is most theaters don't use film projectionists on a regular basis so there are a lot more technical issues happening when presenting the film in 70mm, for example in my showing I could immediately tell the bulb on the projector needed to be changed because the movie was DARK, some scenes at night were nearly pitch black, and I knew this wasn't the way it should be seen because I saw the Digital IMAX version the day before and knew this movie isn't supposed to look like that.

Thanks for the breakdown. Have tickets for non-imax 70mm film which I didn't really understand before.

Seen it in 70mm non IMAX. God, such an experience

Great video, but there is a discrepancy with some of the information in this video. According to a photo I saw the 15 perf 70mm IMAX will be in 18k while the "regular" 70mm will be in 12k/13k

Thank you for saying this. I hate when people throw out aspect ratios.

Based on their names, you said 70mm is twice the size of 35mm film. In reality, 70mm is about three and a half times the size of 35mm.

Closest theater with 70mm IMAX was 5 hours away, so I saw it in I(Lie)Max and I'll soon be seeing it in 70mm at another theater nearby.

Was lucky enough to watch it in imax 70mm and it was beautiful

I saw 70mm Imax at London Science Museum UK. One thing I noticed was on the very white (especially black and white scenes), I noticed a "flicker" in the periphery of my vision. I think this might be the film the "analogue" projection of pulling film through projector at 24fps. Would the "frame rate" of the the digital projector be better and so have less flicker.

we have a "standard" 70mm cinema with 1.43:1 but the screen compared to imax is very small I dont know if I should just go to a digital imax theater with big screen but 1.90:1 aspect ratio.

I saw Oppenheimer 3 times!! I saw it regular first Then IMAX digital aka regular IMAX or “lie max” as some of you say. Then I saw it in IMAX 70mm!! That was amazing ! The film is soooo amazing!! I’m rooting for it at the Oscars! This video actually convinced me to see it in IMAX 70mm.

Thx for explaining this … I was so lost. Not much of technology because my line of work is medical field

Right on 💪

Man thanks for this breakdown it was simple & cleaner than the other ones 🫡

The IMAX 70mm film reel is 11 miles long and weighs 600 pounds 😳😂🔥

I saw it in regular 2k digital projection still enjoyed it no 70mm around me and nearest Imax is along drive. I did get to see Interstellar in Imax and also saw Hateful Eight in 70mm in 2015 it was an awesome picture bigger and more detail

I was lucky enough to only be 1 hour away from a theater with a 70mm projector. Secured my ticket for 70mm

Why do they use projectors instead of big television screens?

Where in the DC/Virginia area is best to watch regular 70mm?

100th like!! Cool video

There are only 30 1570MM IMAX prints in the World.

Great video! But.... please help me out. I saw Oppenheimer in digital iMax, in 4k. Does that imply that the theater doe not project an actual film-copy, but a digital file instead? (That must be some file, then...)

in hyderabad tru imax 3d 70mm 15/70 laser with 12k watts dd imax sound was there till 2015 and true screen 72/102 which almost 1:43 screen format and tilted and curved it was goosebumps experience for every hollywood movie every one will enjoy with every scene😊

I was watching it twice already (first time the projector was broken, so it was just a regular 4K laser showing) 2. time was the 70mm print which was waaaay better 😮. Am gonna watch it this week in IMAX Laser in 1.43:1 😊 and in around 2 months in true 70mm IMAX in London!

Still deciding between IMAX 70mm and 70mm. All the seats of IMAX 70mm are booked except for the front rows, while all the regular 70mm rooms are nearly empty, which is quite interesting. Should I pick IMAX 70mm to maximize the experience at the front row with the weird angle of view, or the regular 70mm with less crowds (and cheaper)? Honestly, after watching your video, I feel these two are basically the same.

I read that "LieMax" were 2k projectors which some cinemas deployed early on, not the 4k double laser that became standard (and accepted) now. Is that true?

Are there any other movies coming out with this format still? In the coming months?

Well I watched it on LieMAX (Xenon) and in cenes with high contrast i was able to make out the pixels. Should have known before and watched it in 70mm. I dont have the IMAX 70mm option where i live sadly

You missed one format. There's IMAX 70mm, Dual Laser IMAX, and LieMAX. Both imax 70mm and imax dual laser give you the taller, square 4:3 aspect ratio, but dual laser just projects it digitally rather than on 70mm film

Theres one at the orlando science center, but more for documentaries. Still cool

Did you watch in dolby?

What would be better in your opinion. Watching this movie in IMAX 70mm in one of the first 4 rows of the theatre? (potentially neck breaking) or watching it in regular IMAX higher up?

I think like be a record fanatic most all frames of any movie are at some point digitized and manipulated by computers be color correction, defect removal or digital FX and then re-transferred back onto film prints.

There are way more digital IMAX options than just one. There are normal 2K xeon projectors and 4K single/dual/more laser projectors. Also the screen sizes are different, and even the aspect ratios. There is the True LieMAX where a normal room was converted to Digital 2K IMAX, so no big screen, and no 1.43 ratio.

Did you go to the Silver Theater in Silver Springs? That's where I saw Hateful eight. There are about 120 5-perf 70mm prints out there. There are 35mm prints, but not as many.

I’m from the dmv area as well, where are you watching it? Tyson’s?

this guy deserves more subs

I'm planning to see it this afternoon. I'm planning to take ear plugs with me. I know that there is a really big boom near the end. haha

Thanks for your very understandable explanation of what is often a confusing presentation format. Well done.

Not sure if im doing this right, but the theaters i have offer 70mm for 12$ and regulars imax for 22$? I thought it would be the other way around

I still have an interesting mix here. My local IMAX tells it's a 6 story high screen (and I can confirm this, much more square like, than wide rectangle), but 100% sure it's NOT a 70mm film projection rather a digital one. So, is it worth it? What kind of quality square screen with digital is?

In my country we have Digital Laser Imax, is it still worth it? it's better that a normal format but worst that the original 70mm I guess right?

I live pretty close by to an imax 70mm but there isnt reserved seating and i dont wanna waste my time showing up an hour early just to have a good seat, normal 70mm will have to do, thanks for the informative video

Saw it in Imax 70 mm on Saturday in Nyc

Doesn't the IMAX 70mm image on the screen touch 18K resolution?

I saw Oppenheimer 4 times. The best was Digital IMAX at AMC. Their screen is bigger than Cinemark's IMAX and they also played the movie louder there, too. I could actually hear every line of dialogue. I wasn't able to see 70 mm because there was nothing in my state.

I saw the 35mm version its was beautiful

Want to take my 90 year old dad to the movie. He has some hearing issues. Which one should I take him to?

Saw the 70mm imax in NYC last night at 68st amc and it was great I didn't understand about imax difference so originally bought at 42st theater but didn't know about only 19 theaters showing 70mm imax in us and 30 worldwide I cancel 42st got 1 seat at 68st and now in it's whole run till Aug 16 every seat is taken at 68st imax people r trying to scalp a ticket. I haven't seen a buzz for imax since dark knight came out with 24hour weekend run on imax. Maybe they should do that or keep going cos blue beetle won't do imax business like this. Also saw the first slam dunk a Japanese anime movie at 42st in morning that's great movie Also

In Toronto, we currently only have two IMAX theatres showing Oppenheimer in IMAX 70mm film. The IMAX screen at Ontario Place is One of the largest IMAX [60 x 80 feet] screens in the world and the first ever, is closed for renovations. Remember IMAX is a Canadian invention.] The two screens that have IMAX 70mm film are smaller than the screen I will be seeing it on this evening. I will be seeing it in IMAX digital on the screen second in size to the one at Ontario Place.

@A.P. Entertainment, little Correction on the Scaling, classic 5/70mm (about 12-13K) is not twice it's 3x more Information than 35mm, the IMAX 15/70mm (about 18K) is 10x (!!!) the Information than 35mm (about 4K-6K) In Reality, on a real 15/70mm Original IMAX Projection, you have near infinite Resolution , such a rich aesthetic brilliant film color Image, it blows your head of. People who have seen it, know it :) Everybody has to see it, it is so far superieur to anything else. Cheers

Thanks

Considering the 70 mm film was produced directly from a digital copy, I don't understand why anyone would have this type of film projector today. As long as the digital projector can match the original that was used to make the 70 mm film, there's no damn difference.

30 around the world, not US😊

A 70 mm film is not twice as big as a 35 mm film, its 4TIMES bigger, meaning it has 4 TIMES THE RESOLUTION. If a 70 mm film was 70 mm x35 mm…then it would have twice the resolution, but since you are doubling both length an height (70mmx70 mm) you are increasing by 2x2=4.

I'm confused. Which has the best audio?

Anyone else gunna watch it in 70mm at the Esquire IMAX theatre in Sacramento, California? I’ll be the guy throwing popcorn, yelling and making a disturbance during the movie!

Going for IMAX digital. And maybe a rewatch in 70mm 🫣 was in London this week, and should have planned a IMAX 70mm ticket. Shoooot! But thankful about the second and third best option easily in reach 😂 but my inner monk is not happy. It’s a bit unsatisfying though, that the aspect ratios are not published in the IMAX theaters. But you can be sure the tickets are damn expensive 😂😂

Wow I just realized I’m only 10 miles away from a 70mm IMAX location however tickets r sold out for a month 😞

LOCATED ON MALL BOULEVARD ACROSS FROM THE PLAZA KING OF PRUSSIA, KING OF PRUSSIA, PA 19406 this is nearest IMAX 70MM for us in the VA/DC area

Does anyone have a list of the 30 true IMAX theaters?

I saw "Oppenheimer" in "L" IMAX and did see "The Dark Knight" in True IMAX (Pacific Science Center, Seattle WA). And yes, if you live near (say 50 miles) from a True IMAX auditorium, then DO see it where available. I still remember seeing the opening of "The Dark Knight" (shot using the True IMAX aspect ratio, which opens up the height) to this day because it gives one the feeling of "flying." Unfortunately, that is not the case for me - I'm not going to turn seeing True IMAX into a road trip. However, I will be seeing "Oppenheimer" again in 70 MM film later - and if I remember, I will report that experience as a follow-up. However, I already know that the sound won't be as good as "L" IMAX - which in the case of "Oppenheimer" might be a good thing, as my "L" IMAX experience was just too darn loud (and believe me, I have a high tolerance. I went to the same theater to see "Dune: Part One" and all my dad (then 82 yrs. old) could say was "it was too loud". I didn't find it "too loud." "Oppenheimer", on the other hand, was "too loud' for me). Finally, unlike "Tenet", I didn't find the sound design trampled the dialog, though.

unfortunately in my country there is only imax by laser I hope one day to try the 70mm, also seeing oppenheimer in this room is superior to all the ones in my country