On April 1, at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, the very first movie projected through the use of laser beams was released to the public when it showed Furious 7. This new laser system is supposed to give us the "sharpest, brightest, clearest and most vivid digital images ever."
This new technology, which is only available in IMAX format, has been in the works for a number of years, but only recently came to fruition. Back in 2013, IMAX Chief Technology Officer Brian J. Bonnick had this to say about the new technology to Slashfilm:
"One of the most important thing a filmmaker is concerned about with projection is contrast. Film projectors can give you, on a good day, 3,500 and 4,00 to one contrast. This is the Achilles' heel of digital projectors as others in the marketplace right now are maybe 2,000. The IMAX one is around 2,600 or 2,800 on a good day, so we are a lot better, but we are not where we want to be. IMAX film is around 4,000. The IMAX laser system will get at least 6,000...we are the only company tat uses duel projectors in both 2D and 3D modes, so we are getting more light on the screen, more pixels on the screen."
That is some seriously intense clarity! Watching a movie in IMAX is already an amazing thing to see, so the fact that they've improved upon an already incredible experience is pretty mind-blowing. Right now, TCL Chinese Theater will be the only place that will be operating this new technology. I wouldn't expect it to make it's way across the country any time soon, though. The cost of this new projector I'm sure is quite high, and IMAX ticket sales aren't really high enough for theater owners to justify dropping a ton of cash on higher quality that will only generate a modest return. So if you're in the Los Angeles area, you really should stop by the TCL Chinese Theater and take in a movie. It might just blow your mind!
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