CEDIA 2018: “IMAX Enhanced” Certification Could Represent a Major Boost for DTS:X

CEDIA 2018: “IMAX Enhanced” Certification Could Represent a Major Boost for DTS:X ​

(September 5, 2018) As we head into CEDIA 2018, AV NIRVANA will cover a range of industry news and new product launches on the ground in San Diego, California. And kicking things off is a major announcement by two high profile industry names: IMAX and DTS.

In a move that could potentially challenge THX’s vaunted certification process, IMAX and DTS have announced a new partnership and the launch of the “IMAX Enhanced” certification and licensing program. The program combines IMAX digitally re-mastered 4K HDR content with DTS’s suite of audio technologies, in an effort to insure a high-level in-home AV experience on the consumer end. Several industry giants are throwing their weight behind the program, including Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Sound United (which owns Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, and others). Program certifications will be applied to media content, 4K TVs, AV receivers, speakers, and other home theater equipment.

Drawing on multiple decades of audio and visual experience, IMAX and DTS have designed an “IMAX Mode,” which will be featured on certified devices for playback of digitally remastered content. The companies say that content – including blockbuster movies – will be sourced from Hollywood studios and IMAX’s vault of dramatic documentary films, and will be injected with picture enhancements complements of IMAX’s top-level post-production processing, in addition to sound mixing at the hands of a “special variant” of the DTS:X immersive sound codec; what that variant encompasses has yet to be explained.

The new program is an obvious attempt to distinguish certified gear and films in order to push sales, but it may have a rather interesting impact on the immersive sound segment. Over the last three years, Dolby and its Atmos branded codec have dominated the 3D audio world with undeniable brand recognition and availability. That makes this new partnership rather intriguing, especially when considering commitments by two film heavy weights. DTS:X could be poised to establish a more prominently visible foothold in the immersive world.

According to Jon Kirchner, Xperi CEO: “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. 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.”

Look for the IMAX Enhanced program to launch later this fall.

 

[Matthew J Poes]

This really shows you the brand value that IMAX brings these days. Given the basic premise of IMAX, this certification can’t guarantee the same IMAX experience in your home as I don’t see a sales model for that. IMAX has the home theater program and it’s insane. I’m assuming this must be very watered down by comparison.

I’ll be really curious what this entails. It would be great if DTS and IMAX were more open about the standard.

In general I have mixed feelings about such certification programs. On one hand they often lead to consistently better products with a certain standard minimum assured quality. For THX it really is a worthy rating for subs and amps. The standards are so stringent that it leads to truest excellent products. On the other hand, with speakers I think THX missed the boat. They prioritized certain important performance attributes but also certain unimportant attributes. It allows poor speakers to rate higher than good speakers. For example their program places too much weight on the power response and not enough on both the listening axis, first reflection axis, and directivity index.

The other big problem is certification licensing expenses. It seems a lot of certified products are needlessly more expensive and I think the actual effect was taking away the things that didn’t effect its rating. Amplifiers were made more poorly and with worse parts because performance was the same. Reliability and use went out the window (the number of THX certified receivers and amps with busted binding posts that I’ve seen or used is astronomical). The same is true of a lot of THX speakers. Those that could hit ThX reference levels in a large room were very expensive and if the price was reasonable, often the material and build quality was questionable. Some of the last generation Snell, M&K, and Atlantic Tech fell into that category. Now THX rated speakers are pretty rare and the reality is, most home theater speakers simply can’t hit reference levels in typical rooms.

I just hope DTS and IMAX don’t make the mistakes I think THX made. Keep certification costs reasonable and maybe do a better job on the speaker rating system.