Fancy IMAX at home? Both IMAX and DTS have just announced the launch of the ‘IMAX Enhanced’ program for residential AV. The certification and licensing program will combine consumer electronics products with IMAX digitally re-mastered 4K HDR content and DTS audio technologies to offer consumers ‘a new level of quality’ in immersive presentation at home.
The launch partners include Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Sound United (parent company to Denon and Marantz). CEDIA Expo also sees the announcement this week of IMAX Enhanced-ready receivers and preamps from Denon and Marantz, and we’ll cover this news in more depth. Meanwhile, IMAX and DTS say they have developed the program to make it easier for consumers to select products and content that will deliver high-quality, sharp 4K HDR images and immersive sound at home. The companies are designing an IMAX Mode for the enhanced devices that will be optimized to play digitally re-mastered content ‘as the filmmaker intended’ in the home.
Consumers will be able to access content from Hollywood studios as well as certain IMAX documentaries through its IMAX Home Entertainment division. The company will also work with its global studio and other content partners to make available a stream of enhanced versions of blockbuster movies and additional programming.
“While the IMAX theatrical experience continues to be the gold standard in blockbuster movie-going, today we are launching an exciting new program that applies components of IMAX’s and DTS’ technology and expertise to deliver consumers a level of quality never before experienced at home,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “This is a natural extension of our core business in experiential entertainment. By partnering with a well-established consumer electronics licensing leader, we can leverage both our brand and key technology innovations through DTS’ global licensing platform, without having to make the direct investments often necessary to build a new revenue stream. DTS will build that new business and we will share in the benefits from the program. We’re encouraged by the strong interest from our launch partner companies and look forward to working with DTS to grow the program further over time.”
“DTS has a rich history in delivering premium entertainment experiences to the theater and at home, and the IMAX Enhanced program is an exciting opportunity to stay at the forefront of home entertainment,” said Xperi CEO Jon Kirchner. “Through the combined engineering and licensing efforts of the DTS and IMAX teams, as well as support from a number of the world’s leading device and content partners, the IMAX Enhanced program will bring a completely new, enhanced experience to the home while also supporting the continued penetration of DTS decoders, bringing premium sound to consumers’ devices.”
According to the two companies, to be accepted into the program, consumer electronics manufacturers will design top-of-the-line 4K HDR televisions, A/V receivers, sound systems and other home theater equipment to meet a prescribed set of audio and video performance standards, set by a certification committee of IMAX and DTS engineers and Hollywood technical specialists.
The program will use the latest proprietary post-production process developed by IMAX to digitally re-master content to produce ‘more vibrant colors, greater contrast and sharper clarity.’ The companies will also partner with award-winning Hollywood sound mixers to use a special variant of its DTS:X codec technology integrated in home audio equipment to deliver the ‘signature’ IMAX sound experience.
The IMAX Enhanced program will launch beginning this fall. For more information about the IMAX Enhanced program, please visit www.IMAXenhanced.com.
Martin, a seasoned journalist and AV expert, has written for several notable print magazines. He’s served in key roles at Lucasfilm’s THX Division, NEC’s digital cinema division, and has even consulted for DreamWorks. Despite his illustrious career, Martin remains rooted in his passion for cinema and acting, with notable appearances in several Spielberg films, Doctor Who, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He currently resides in San Francisco.
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