IMAX is coming Home

September 26, 2018 Ben Hobbs

IMAX Theatre

IMAX in Partnership with DTS Audio has announced a certification program that will bring the unrivalled IMAX audio and visual quality to home theatre, living rooms and home cinemas around the world.

Much like the lauded THX certification, IMAX in conjunction with DTS will officially certify devices from TV, Soundbars, Stereo, Speaker and Amplifier manufacturers that meet or exceed their tough standards.

IMAX Home Cinema

IMAX Cinema

Launch partners include Sony, Denon and Marantz and IMAX are promising the clearest images, immersive powerful sound powered by DTS and expanded Aspect Ratio on select Movies and unique IMAX content digitally mastered (or remastered) for the platform. The press release by IMAX and DTS follows below;

DTS Audio Technology

IMAX AND DTS PARTNER TO LAUNCH IMAX® ENHANCED PROGRAM FOR HOME ENTERTAINMENT NEW CERTIFICATION AND LICENSING PROGRAM GIVES CONSUMERS ACCESS TO THE HIGHEST-QUALITY IMAGE AND SOUND EXPERIENCES FOR THE HOME PROGRAM LAUNCH PARTNERS INCLUDE SONY ELECTRONICS, SONY PICTURES, PARAMOUNT PICTURES, AND SOUND UNITED IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) and audio leader DTS®, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xperi Corporation (Nasdaq: XPER), today announced a new partnership for the next-generation of home entertainment with the launch of the IMAX® Enhanced program. The new certification and licensing program combines the highest-end 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 sight and sound experiences for the home. Illustrating the breadth of the initiative, the companies also announced that a number of global consumer electronics and entertainment market leaders have joined the program as launch partners, including Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Sound United – parent company to Denon and Marantz. IMAX and DTS developed the program out of their decades of combined expertise in image and sound science to make it easier for consumers to select the products and content that will deliver the highest-quality, sharpest 4K HDR images and powerful, immersive sound at home. The companies are designing an IMAX Mode for the enhanced devices that will be meticulously optimized to play digitally re-mastered content as the filmmaker intended in the home. Consumers can access content from Hollywood studios as well as select 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 steady 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.” To be accepted into the program, leading consumer electronics manufacturers will design top-of-the-line 4K HDR televisions, A/V receivers, sound systems and other home theatre equipment to meet a carefully prescribed set of the highest audio and video performance standards, set by a certification committee of IMAX and DTS engineers and Hollywood’s leading technical specialists. The program will use the newest, 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 an IMAX signature sound experience. The IMAX Enhanced program will launch beginning this fall. For more information about the IMAX Enhanced program, please visit www.IMAXenhanced.com.

IMAX and DTS