All about IMAX

1008 IMAX theatres in 66 countries

35mm film produces approximately four thousand lines (4K) of horizontal resolution, but an IMAX-format film frame produces approximately 16 thousand lines (16K) of horizontal resolution.

A standard IMAX screen is 22 m × 16.1 m (72 ft × 53 ft), but can be significantly larger. The world's largest IMAX screen is in Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia, and measures 35.7 m × 29.7 m (117 ft × 97 ft)

The dome system, which the San Diego Hall of Science called OMNIMAX, uses films shot with a camera equipped with a fisheye lens that squeezes a highly distorted 180° field of view onto the 65 mm IMAX film

IMAX dome in Tijuana, Baja California, México

IMAX has since renamed the system IMAX Dome. However, some theatres continue to call it OMNIMAX.

IMAX HD

Variations on IMAX included the 48 frames per second IMAX HD process, which sought to produce smoother, more life like motion, while also reducing the blurring of moving objects, by doubling the normal film rate.

Digital IMAX

Because 70mm film and projectors are costly and difficult to mass produce, IMAX debuted a digital projection system in 2008. It uses two projectors that can present either 2D or 3D content in DCI or IMAX Digital Format (IDF) (which in itself is a superset of DCI). As of 2012, IDF uses 2K-resolution Christie projectors with Texas Instruments' Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology alongside parts of IMAX's proprietary formats. The two 2K images are projected over each other to make the image brighter.

The screen sizes in these auditoriums are much smaller than those in the purpose-built auditoriums of the original 15/70 IMAX format.

Another disadvantage is the much lower resolution of digital IMAX compared to traditional IMAX film, which is estimated to be up to 8,700 lines of vertical resolution on the camera negative and 4,500 on a release print.

In April 2015 Imax rolled out its new Dual 4K Laser Pojectors capable at 60 Fps with "50 percent greater" brightness than the DCI spec, and contrast ratio is "double" that of IMAX 15/70mm film projection and "higher" than the 2500:1 contrast ratio of IMAX's xenon lamp-based projection systems. with the full Rec. 2020 gamut/space and new 12-channel surround sound system

IMAX's proprietary DMR (Digital Media Remastering) process allows conventional films to be upconverted into IMAX format.

This special digital intermediate technology allowed films shot on 35mm for conventional theatres to be shown in IMAX venues.

The Dark Knight features six sequences (a total of 28 minutes) shot using IMAX. According to the film's press notes, this was the "first time ever that a major feature film has been even partially shot using IMAX cameras".

Prasads IMAX, Hyderabad, India. It is the second largest IMAX 3D screen in the world

LG IMAX in Sydney, Australia. The largest screen in the world.

Chennai was supposed to have 2 IMAX screens one each with PVR & INOX.

PVR was the first entrant into chennai with IMAX concept at Pheonix market City, But his earlier licenses itself were pending and then the chance went to Sathyam to host Luxe @ Pheonix. ( PVR @ Grand mall Velachery is still not open causing license issues).

The Forum Vijaya mall was supposed to have INOX screens (With one IMAX) , initially all the billboards before the launch of the mall also indicated of having INOX screens, But later they were also bought by Sathyam cinemas naming them Palazzo (Even the reason its still not open is licensing issues ).

So finally both PVR's IMAX and Inox's IMAX are now in hands of Sathyam.

"Enquiries reveal the two screens — Luxe IMAX at Pheonix Mall in  Velachery and Palazzo IMAX at Vijaya Forum Mall in Vadaplani — are yet  to get government clearance. One of their requests is to increase the  admission price to recover the high cost of projecting films in the IMAX  format."

Which could be priced around Max cap of Rs.300 and Where Tamil nadu government has been hard against this move and strictly want to push the price below Rs.200 max.

As per sources Sathyam Palazzo would start their operations with normal multiplex screens shelving aside IMAX screen, as they have already started feeling the heat.

Prasads imax at Hyderabad undoubtedly has been and still is the best IMAX in our country.
Its 72-foot high, 95-foot wide screen   accompanied by 635 seats and a 12,000-watt sound system is the second largest IMAX 3D screen in the world with the biggest IMAX screen situated at the Sydney IMAX theatre (123 x 97 ft).