Imax is a part of Xperi, and Xperi is the parent company of DTS, which is a partner in the Imax Enhanced program. Imax will be set for its first-ever appearance at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas. So, this year, it’s all about getting more devices certified and paying a license fee for Imax Enhanced.
Imax Enhanced is a certification and licensing program developed through a partnership between Imax and Xperi’s DTS. Imax Enhanced content utilizes Imax’s proprietary digital media remastering (DMR) process, originally developed for upconverting traditional 35mm films to the 70mm Imax theater format. This process ensures that the images displayed on IMAX Enhanced TVs have outstanding detail, brightness, contrast, and clarity. Imax Enhanced TVs are meant to use an enhanced aspect ratio from the 70mm masters, preserving as much of the frame as possible on 16:9 configured home theater displays. The TVs also get to feature a DTS:X 3D audio soundtrack designed to closely replicate the surround sound experience provided by Imax theater speakers. This will create a more immersive audio experience for the viewer.
The company’s primary focus at NAB will be to demonstrate how its advanced technologies are enhancing streaming engagement – something that becomes increasingly important as streamers work through their own subscription issues after the pandemic bubble.
Imax acquired Ssimwave in the Fall of 2022 for $18.5 million in cash and $2.5 million in stock, with an additional $4 million earnout based on performance objectives. The company then set about integrating Ssimwave into its plans for Imax Enhanced. The Ontario-based company enables streaming and broadcast providers to optimize video streams, on-demand and live, using its proprietary algorithms and codecs.
Vikram Arumilli, senior vice president and general manager of streaming and consumer technology at Imax, has a main stage discussion at NAB about turbocharging streaming engagement by bringing immersive viewing experiences beyond the big screen and into the home. That’s in addition to some other slots about next generation video codecs for 8K, and HDR workflows for streamers.
The truth is that Imax does carry a strong connotation to a unique cinematic experience, and it may deliver a unique home viewing experience with its adapted technologies. However, as inconsistent as it is to find any two Imax cinemas that are the same, it might be just as inconsistent to experience an Imax immersive show at home. Most home theater setups, unless they are professional installations, require some sort of expertise and understanding on expensive audio-visual equipment Lego. Consumers have to know what works at an expert level even if the experience is good enough without all the best sound equipment, and top of the line TVs.
Nevertheless, consumers may just equate the brand name with a perception of something more than the average viewing, and as theater goers return to cinemas, and as Imax finds itself a premier choice for the latest blockbusters – as they have with movies like Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, and John Wick 4 – that may be enough to create a strong value proposition for an Imax Enhanced certification. We’ll have to wait and see. And I would love to see the data that supports that premise, it were to happen.
