IMAX certified home theatres will hit the market later this year

If you are looking to build a home theatre today, chances are you are looking for key pieces of technology to be a part of the setup. Most common among these technologies are Dolby, Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D and THX to name a few. There is one standard that we have been patiently waiting to get into our living room theatres and that is the IMAX experience. IMAX has announced the IMAX Enhanced AV certification program. The audio for the certification is done by DTS. 

There are no specifics of the standard which have been revealed and the standard will officially be available on products in the US starting fall of 2018. There are a bunch of AV manufacturers on board which includes Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Sound United (Denon and Marantz). 

The idea for the standard is that qualifying televisions, projectors, A/V receivers, sound systems, and other home theatre equipment will provide the best 4K and HDR experience along with IMAX enhanced sound quality to consumers. If you are wondering what makes content IMAX enhanced, then IMAX says that the company will supply “select IMAX documentaries and work with its global studio and other content partners to build a steady stream of IMAX Enhanced versions of movies and other programming using the newest, proprietary post-production process developed by IMAX." The company adds that "It utilizes a sophisticated, advanced algorithm designed to produce the highest-quality, sharpest 4K HDR images. 

Select IMAX Enhanced titles that were shot with IMAX cameras or specially formatted for IMAX theatres will also include an expanded aspect ratio for the film’s home release to show consumers more of the picture on their TV”. You will be able to consume IMAX Enhanced content on a non IMAX home theatre, but you will not get the full home IMAX experience in that case.