You saw the whole image only if you watched Avatar in an IMAX theater, and projected correctly by not filling the whole IMAX screen. The aspect ratio of Avatar in IMAX, is 1.78:1. You get to see more image at the top and bottom, compared to all other cinemas showing Avatar which have an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is only an extract of the original picture.
So if you watched Avatar in RealD)) 3D, Dolby 3D, Master Image 3D, XpanD 3D, or 2D, then you are missing part of the picture.
There is one exception to the above, and that is a small number of cinemas have a fixed width screen. These cinemas are showing 3D Avatar with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, the same as IMAX.
Here is the breakdown if you are confused:
1.78 : 1 (2K 3-D version, constant image width venues)
1.78 : 1 (IMAX 3-D version)
2.35 : 1 (2-D version)
2.35 : 1 (2K 3-D Version, constant image height venues)
Thanks for letting me know. I saw the movie in 3D, but not in IMAX. I have to see it AGAIN!
It's important to note that IMAX in this post refers to "fake" IMAX. "Fake" IMAX is IMAX Digital.
"Real IMAX" theaters aren't showing it in 1.78. "Real IMAX" theaters use analog film projection, have much much much bigger screens, and are usually not in regular cinemaplexs. Even though they're giant, the "Real IMAX" screens tend to be much more tall and narrow than other movie screens. This means that the sides are probably cropped off when the original digital movie is being printed to 70mm analog film for use in the "Real IMAX" theater.
Using the theater locator at www.imax.com and examining the "Theater Type" of each result lets you see whether or not each theater is an IMAX Digital theater. (If it's an IMAX Digital theater, the Theater Type will be: "multiplex design", and it'll say "digital" under "Features.") Make sure to see it in IMAX Digital if you want the 1.78:1 ratio (which you do :).
It would be nice to be able to find out which venues are "constant image width venues" so as to be able to see the movie in 1.78:1 in RealD.
Thanks for your comments, but most REAL IMAX theatres are showing Avatar in the correct 1.78:1 aspect ratio by not blowing up the image to fill the whole screen. If your REAL IMAX theatre is using the whole screen, then yes the sides will be cropped, and I would be asking for my money back.
Ah, thank you for the correction -- I don't want to spread bad information :)
Here's the funny thing: I've been reading around online to try and figure out the deal with the aspect ratio for Real IMAX, and people have reported not seeing black bars, or at least that the whole screen was filled up (even though, again, the Real IMAX screens are generally more like 1.3:1). But it indeed looks like other people are reporting that there was letterboxing (i.e., not filling the whole screen) in Real IMAX!
I wonder how common each circumstance is. At the least I guess no-letterboxing (or the whole screen being filled) at a square-screen, Real IMAX theater is something to watch out for, so you can ask for your money back, like you say.
When I saw it in Real IMAX, the shape of the picture was definitely much more square than 1.78:1, and it appeared to fill the entire screen. Maybe I should ask for my money back...
That's OK.
I don't know how widespread the practice is of Real IMAX theatres using the whole screen. But to me it's totally unacceptable to crop off the sides. Some people have reported that their IMAX theatre has signs up saying 'the whole screen will not be used to preserve the original aspect ratio of the movie'. But then others have reported as you say that the whole screen was used.
The aspect ratio of the worlds biggest Real IMAX theatre is 1.43:1 .
I have seen Avatar several times on true full-size IMAX GT theatres in the U.k. There were balck bars at the top, bottom and sides at these venues. The picture was neither cropped at the top, bottom or at the sides. It was just that, for some reason, the inmage was not projected to fil the entire screen, or nearly the entire screen. If anyone has experience of IMAX projection would like to comment about the actual reason for this, rather than their own pet theory I would be grateful.
Hi Arpo,
It was the same at the world's biggest IMAX theatre in Sydney, only a portion of the screen was used.
The reason for this, is because Avatar was not filmed with IMAX cameras with 70mm film. True IMAX films have extraordinary resolution which allows them to blow the image up on a huge screen without any loss of sharpness. Avatar on the other hand was made with HD video cameras. If you blow that up too big, everything would be a blur.
Yes, the movie was shot 1.78 HD. However it was framed for 1.78, 1.85 and 2.35. It is not uncommon for a film to be framed for multiple destinations. If you see the film at 1.85 or 2.35, then technically you are "missing" some of the image (top and bottom, never the sides), but aesthetically, you are not. No one should feel cheated. James Cameron himself said that he prefers 2.35, but for the 3D he likes the extra screen height for a better immersion.
The IMAX 3D Experience is 1.78. There are no exceptions that I know of. This film was not shot in 70mm IMAX format, so it was never intended to fill the entire screen of the IMAX dome theaters. This is not a 20 minute film about the Hubbell Telescope. Therefore, the image should be presented so that you can see the entire frame without having to turn your head (turning you head using the linear polarized glasses would be bad).
RealD and Dolby 3D are BOTH 1.85 and 2.35 (technically it is 2.39). It is the capability of the THEATER that determines which version you see. This is why some people say they saw the 1.85 (not 1.78) and some people saw the 2.35.
Paul also mentioned that there is no 2K version of this film. Avatar was shot at 1080p resolution.
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