IMAX’s Laser Technology Is The Future Of Cinema

Your next trip to the cinema could bring you the most detailed film experience yet, thanks to a new breakthrough from IMAX.

The company has announced the first UK launch of its Laser projection and sound system, which it says will make watching films in an IMAX theatre more enjoyable than anything you’ve seen previously.

From today, visitors to the IMAX screen at London’s Leicester Square Empire cinema will get to enjoy sharper colour contrasts, richer sound, and more detailed 2D and 3D video that ever before.

Leap forward

“We believe this is the future of cinema,” said Justin Ribbons, the CEO of Empire cinemas, “this is a leap forward in cinema technology.”

Designed for screens over 75 feet in diameter (with the Leicester Square theatre measuring in at 87 feet), Laser consists of a dual 4K laser projection system equipped with a new optical engine and suite of proprietary IMAX technologies capable of projecting an image with up to a 1.43:1 aspect ratio.

Using a laser light source in place of a traditional Xenon bulb provides substantially more brightness, allowing for sharper and more lifelike images, IMAX says, which will be particularly significant for 3D films, as the 3D glasses normally worn by cinema-goers dim the image.

It also allows for white/black colour contrast levels substantially higher than ever before, meaning far more detailed images, and also provide a wider range of colours for film which will make films far more lifelike.

Lastly, the enhanced sound system, which features 12 discrete channels plus sub-bass, as well as new loudspeakers on the ceiling as well as additional ones on the side, will provide richer, deeper sound than ever, allowing viewers to really hear everything that is happening on-screen.

Laser marks IMAX’s largest ever research and development investment, and is a crucial part of ensuring the company remains the byword for top-quality cinematic input, Brian Bonnick, IMAX’s CTO, told TechWeekEurope.

“We surpassed ourselves,” he said, “this is a real luxury, quality experience”.

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