Week 17- The Digital Imax or LIE MAX

The Problem With IMAX Digital
The big issue is that IMAX and theaters don’t distinguish Digital IMAX theaters from the 70mm 15perf HUGE IMAX theaters. The ticket prices are the same, an estimated $5 more than a traditional screening. If this surcharge is worth it to you is debatable, but the fact that IMAX does not even let consumers know the difference is a travesty. They are completely different technologies, entirely different experiences, but they are marketed as the same thing — IMAX. In the past I have suggested that IMAX market and label the two types of theaters as IMAX Digital and IMAX Huge, but the company refuses to do anything about it. They’re making tons of money? Why be honest to their customers? Most of them probably don’t and won’t know any better, right?

For me the choice comes down to if the film features footage shot in 70mm 15 perf IMAX. Films like Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and The Dark Knight Rises are a must-see in real 70mm IMAX. If you are not seeing the film on a real IMAX screen, you are missing a good chunk of the intended experience. I would never choose to see these films in a traditional theater or an IMAX Digital theater. I would strongly recommend driving to a real 70mm IMAX theater if it’s even within an hour’s driving distance as opposed to a Digital IMAX theater down the street. For these movies the difference is huge, and it is worth it to seek out a real IMAX theater. There is a reason Christopher Nolan ONLY released The Dark Knight Rises prologue in real IMAX theaters. At a press event, he urged journalists to tell their readers to seek out the 70mm presentation as it provides an experience like no other.

Warning: Some Huge 70mm IMAX Theaters Have Gone/Are Going Digital
Whats worse is that some of the older Huge screen 70mm IMAX theaters are converting over to digital projection. Some Batman fans were surprised not to see their real IMAX theater on the list of 70mm screens showing The Dark Knight Rises prologue. This is the reason why. You can no longer guarantee that your movie screening will be projected in 70 mm by the size of the IMAX theater these days. While I haven’t experienced one of these converted theaters, I can’t imagine that the 2x2k digital projection on a huge old school IMAX screen would look bright enough to rival a normal cinema theatre.

Disclaimer: IMAX Digital is NOT The Devil, It’s Actually… (Sometimes) Great
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think IMAX Digital is evil. The IMAX digital image and sound presentation is better than your traditional multiplex screen. I would see movies in IMAX Digital over a standard 2k digital movie screen if I were presented with those two choices. Especially with 3D movies, you will get a brighter, more immersive 3D experience.

Week 17 - The 70MM IMAX

 

As Hollywood has gone 3D crazy, some filmmakers are embracing an entirely different experience — IMAX. Brad Bird‘s Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, in theaters now, features 23-minutes shot with 15-perf 70mm IMAX cameras. The much anticipated The Dark Knight Rises will feature nearly 50 minutes of full IMAX footage.  There is no denying that the IMAX shot footage looks breathtaking, and having the image expand to the full IMAX screen results in an experience unlike anything else.
So the question is: Do you know where to experience these films in full 70mm IMAX? Or have you been watching Digital IMAX, known to most film geeks as “LIEmax”? Because the difference can be EVERYTHING. We will explain the difference, chronicle the history, and answer the question in this week’s edition of Q&A!


A Brief History of 70mm Feature Films
You might recall that classic movies like Lawrence of Arabia and West Side Story were shot in 70mm on the Super Panavision 70 camera and projected in 70mm at special roadshow screenings. In the 1970′s, the IMAX corporation developed a new way to shoot and project 70mm film run through the projector horizontally, so that the width of the film is the height of the frame. The result is a much MUCH larger resolution, from both 35mm film and even the old school “70mm”.

With IMAX format, each frame is 15 perforations wide, and the area of the frame is about 52mm high by 70mm wide — almost 9 times larger than the conventional 35mm frame used in traditional movie theaters. While the aspect ratio of traditional movies is a widescreen (usually 1.85:1 or 2.35:1), IMAX is closer to that of a rectangle at 1.43:1. The IMAX format was originally found in museums and sometimes dome theaters. IMAX theaters began to expand in the late 1990′s/early 2000′s around the time that they developed the IMAX 3D format — it was something unlike what most people had even seen at their local movie theater.
 


IMAX Goes Hollywood

Around this time, in 2002, Hollywood began releasing up-conversions of movies in IMAX theaters. These up-conversions do not look anywhere as good as a movie shot in 15perf 70mm IMAX, but the argument is made that making a 70mm copy of the 35mm original looks better than a 35mm copy of a 35mm original as it loses less in the transfer and gains from IMAX’s Digital Media Remastering system. Early IMAX up-conversions like The Matrix sequels and a rerelease of Apollo 13 were considered successful, but the 2004 computer animated film The Polar Express in IMAX 3D was a game-winning grand slam (at least a quarter of the film’s gross of $302 million came from less than 100 IMAX screens).

Warner Bros converted scenes from the Harry Potter films and Superman Returns into IMAX 3D, which proved very profitable. But Nolan’s The Dark Knight was a game-changer, and the film’s large format 33-week run grossed $49.9 million from IMAX venues alone — nearly 10% of the film’s gross. The film premiered on 46 times that many standard screens (4,366 domestically).
Mission: Impossible had an exclusive release in IMAX theatres, grossing an amazing $13 million from only 425 screens. Hollywood is taking note, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing a couple more tentpole films each year employ IMAX cameras in their production.


Enter IMAX Digital
The Hollywood success of IMAX resulted in even more expansion. But the 70mm projectors and huge box screens were found to be way too expensive to build in mass quantities. In 2008 the company began the rollout of its solution — a new IMAX Digital theater.

The 70mm projector has been replaced with two Christie 2K projectors which use proprietary image processing. The two 2k images are projected over each other. The resolution is estimated to be about 12,000 × 8,700 theoretical pixels or 6,120 × 4,500 actually discernible pixels. The resulting image is said to be brighter than the standard 2K digital cinema projectors in most cinemas. While IMAX believe their IMAX Digital system offers a sub-pixel accuracy that looks better than Sony’s 4K projectors, there are a lot of vocal critics. The sound system is also much improved from a standard cinema set-up, able to reach up to 14,000W, and offers 117db of uncompressed digital sound without distortion. IMAX also claims that they have devised a way to provide better surround sound to all areas of the theater, including the very back, but critics have not found that to be true.

The system was designed to be installed in existing multiplex auditoriums — moving the screen 30 feet closer to the audience, covering more space from ceiling to ground and left to right, which is said to be perceived as 75 feet wider than before. So while the screen seems much much larger than your normal multiplex screen, it still doesn’t compare to that or a “real” 70mm 15 perf IMAX theater (see the image at the top of this article to see a size comparison).

Also the aspect ratio, 1.9:1, is much closer to that or a traditional movie theater (1.85:1) than a 70mm 15perf IMAX screen (1.44:1). So while the image on the screen should expand some during the IMAX sequences in films like Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, it is nowhere near as dramatic as a real IMAX theater. More subjectively, the lower resolution is not quite as breathtaking.

Week 17- The Dark Knight- the IMAX experience

It may be that the awful events at the Century 16 multiplex in Aurora, Colorado, will forever cast a shadow over cinema-going. Yet The Dark Knight Rises could also point the way to a brighter future for an increasingly troubled industry. It could help reshape the way we watch movies.

The film includes 72 minutes of footage shot on the Imax system, the most ever for a studio narrative feature. For director Christopher Nolan, that meant working with cumbersome, jitter-sensitive and noisy cameras capable of only three-minute takes and requiring 20 minutes to reload. Still, he's in no doubt that the extra effort was worth it. He believes he has secured in return "the best quality image that has ever been invented".

In an Imax ("image maximum") camera or projector, 70mm film runs sideways, taking up 15 sprocket holes per frame instead of 35mm's four. The resulting picture is 10 times larger with 10 times the resolution. Ideally, it's displayed at up to twice the usual brightness, on a curved screen that can be as tall as an eight-storey building. Together with 360-degree surround sound and stadium seating, it's supposed to provide the "most immersive motion picture entertainment" available.

The rest of the movie is presented in 35 millimeter, a squatter, more rectangular look that may be likened to letterbox. The film freely changes format from scene to scene, but viewers who look closely may notice one transition in particular: a gate slams down, and the screen goes from standard to Imax within the shot.

“The sharpness and the depth of the image, projected onto those enormous screens, is simply the best quality image that has ever been invented,” Mr. Nolan said by phone from Los Angeles.

By comparison the Imax version of the frame is about 10 times larger with 10 times the resolution. Greater detail makes it in the shot, like the smoke and fog, and also more vivid-looking extras. To allow for as much screen space as possible, Imax runs its film through the cameras and projectors sideways, with the sprocket holes — 15 per frame — at the top and bottom instead of the sides. And the audio track doesn’t appear on the film print, but on a separate program that is synced to the projector. All this makes for more surface area on the frame to create a denser, sharper image.

To grasp the image clarity, consider a home HD television screen with 1,920 pixels of horizontal resolution. An Imax frame, meanwhile, has a resolution upward of 18,000 pixels, said David Keighley, chief quality officer for Imax, who spoke by phone from Los Angeles.

“It helps make the audience really feel like they’re in the picture,” he said. “It’s also very bright on the screen because there’s a tremendous amount of light that can be projected on that large frame. The Imax screens are almost twice the brightness of regular screens.” 

The size of the Imax image is 40 percent taller than “The Dark Knight’s” 35-millimeter moments. This difference can best be seen in Imax theaters where the movie will be projected on film, not digitally — there are a few more than 100 such sites worldwide — and that’s the only way to see the Imax material in its boxy fullness. (In digital Imax theaters the screens are more rectangular, so the scenes shot in the larger format will expand only 21 percent more. And regular theaters will show the Imax scenes in a cropped version, like the image at top.) 

The Imax cameras can be noisy and cumbersome, and they only shoot three minutes of film at a time, but Mr. Nolan drew on lessons he learned from “The Dark Knight” about how to modify and move more freely with them, including mounting one on a Steadicam system. 

In determining what to shoot in Imax Mr. Nolan began with the biggest action scenes, like the prologue, which includes Batman’s return from exile and a midair scene on a Lockheed C-130. But for nonaction shots he and his cinematographer, Wally Pfister, played it by ear. 

“We always carried at least one Imax camera through the run of the show,” Mr. Nolan said, “so then wherever we felt a scene would lend itself to Imax, we could decide on the day to go and put that camera in. And we wound up using it more and more.” 

The format is drawing more interest in Hollywood. The sequel to the “Star Trek” reboot, directed by J. J. Abrams, and “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” from Francis Lawrence, will include portions in Imax. Other films may be put off by the complications with the cameras. 

But Mr. Nolan is a believer. “When you’re talking about this large-scale studio filmmaking, the size of the camera is pretty irrelevant compared to the massive difficulties and the massive resources you’re wrangling on a daily basis,” he said. “And so having this extra image quality, giving the audience the best possible technical look at what you’ve shot, is the obvious thing to do.”

Week 17 - The IMAX Experience

The IMAX Experience

 

 

As soon as you walk into an IMAX theater, the difference in this format is immediately obvious -- the screen is gigantic! There are two different types:

• IMAX theaters - A standard IMAX theater has a huge rectangular screen. A typical IMAX screen is 16 meters high by 22 meters wide (approximately 52 by 72 feet), but they can be much larger. The largest IMAX screen is 30 meters (98 feet) high. Imagine standing next to an eight-story apartment building that is wider than it is tall. That's how big the screen is! It is many times larger than the screen at a normal movie theater.
• IMAX domes - An IMAX dome provides a hemispherical screen that wraps the entire theater. Domes can be up to 30 meters in diameter.

Whether you are in a theater or a dome, the effect is amazing. The screen is large enough to fill your field of vision. By doing this, the screen gives you an incredible feeling of immersion (there is nothing outside the film to distract your attention), and it also enhances the feeling of motion. In fact, the feeling of motion is so strong that it makes some people ill.

In order to fill this gigantic screen with a clear picture, IMAX films are shot and printed on huge film stock that is completely unique in the industry.

IMAX film stock is about 10 times larger than 35mm film stock.

Most films that you see in a theater come in a 35-millimeter format. The frame is 35 millimeters wide, and nearly square. But movie screens are not square -- they are very wide for their height. So the wide image is compressed into the 35-millimeter frame and expanded by the projector to fill the screen.

Some theater films come in a 70-millimeter format. This format provides roughly double the resolution, and the frame is naturally the width of the screen so there is no compression.
IMAX film is called the 15/70 film format. Each frame is 70 millimeters high and 15 perforations wide. In other words, the film size is about 10 times bigger than standard 35-millimeter film. This film size gives an IMAX movie incredible clarity, even on the huge screens in IMAX theaters.
The 15/70 film size makes an IMAX projector a truly unique device.

If you have read How Movie Projectors Work, you understand the basic mechanism of a 35mm projector:

• The film feeds in from the top of the projector.
• A claw or sprocket arrangement advances the film one frame and holds it steady in front of the light.
• A shutter opens and lets light shine through the film and lens onto the screen for a fraction of a second.

In an IMAX projector, the film is so heavy and large that a projector cannot use a claw to move it, and it is hard to hold such a big film frame perfectly flat with respect to the lens. Therefore, an IMAX projector is completely different from a normal projector:

• The film moves through it horizontally rather than vertically.
• A vacuum system sucks each image onto a piece of glass in front of the lens so that the image is oriented perfectly in front of the lens.
• The shutter opens for a longer period of time than on a normal projector in order to let more light through. The bulb for the projector is a 15,000-watt, water-cooled xenon unit.

All of this advanced technology means that an IMAX projector weighs over 2 tons (1,800 kilograms) -- the equivalent of a small car! That's what it takes to get such a bright, clear image onto such a tremendous screen.

Week 17 - The new LASER IMAX

I'm no fan of movie theater gimmicks. 3D glasses, giant screens, 4D "sensory experiences," food and drink service have simply never been worth the added ticket prices for me. That was, at least, until I sat down to watch Captain America: Civil War on IMAX's newest 3D laser projector system.

All told, IMAX invested a whopping $60 million over four years to develop its new laser projector system, making this the company's largest R&D investment to date. It's designed specifically for IMAX's largest screens -- in my case, the 100-by-80-foot behemoth at the AMC Metreon -- and marries a pair of 4K DLP laser projectors with a new optical engine. Together the system can generate a picture up to 1.43:1 aspect ratio, which gives filmmakers an unprecedented amount of space to work with, all while rendering images in 4K resolution. Of course, the added quality does also drive up the ticket price -- $19.69 per person at the Metreon in my case.

The system's optical engine is especially impressive. Conventional projectors still use prisms to split white light into its component colors. In normal cinemas, these prisms are fine; however, when you're throwing a 4K image up on a 100-foot screen, they tend to muddle the contrast a bit. That's why, according to IMAX's Chief Quality Officer David Keighley the company went a different route. It bought some IP from Kodak and ditched the prism system altogether. Instead, the new laser system uses six Digital Micromirror Devices (three per projector) to generate pure red, green and blue light, which are reflected through a thermally stable piece of invar and recombined onscreen. "It produces an extremely pure light, that's why we get such amazing contrast," Keighley continued.

What's more, because the projectors utilize lasers rather than conventional xenon bulbs, they're able to produce a 22-foot-lambert image (that's 50 percent brighter than the industry standard) with superior contrast and clarity. I noticed this as soon as the film started. Normally, the coating on 3D glasses makes the on-screen image appear darker that how the director envisioned it. However, even with glasses on, the image's whites were bright. The same could be said for the on-screen black levels. They were downright inky without a hint of graying or light bleed. This all translates into a vastly expanded contrast ratio -- that's the brightness difference between the brightest and darkest parts of an image. This in turn means that the image as a whole appears more vibrant and lifelike.

The new system also significantly expands the available color palette into HDR territory. According to Keighley, the projectors are capable of producing the Rec. 2020 gamut though no films have yet to take advantage of it. Watching the latest Suicide Squad and Dr Strange trailers were a delight, both practically exploded off the screen in hyper-saturated hues. The clarity was equally impressive: I could have sat through Civil War and counted Robert Downey Jr's pores if I'd wanted.
The new projectors are joined by a new 12-channel surround-sound system built to compete with Dolby Atmos but without the need for 40 individual channels. IMAX demonstrated this capability during a pre-film walkthrough. Still, the 12-channel sound isn't quite as nuanced as a 40-channel Atmos. As Keighley explained that was intentional. By using wider channels and reducing the number of required speakers, the IMAX system requires less upkeep and therefore costs less to maintain and operate. That said, the 3D sound profile was still quite impressive. Combined with 3D visuals, the on-screen action breaks the fourth wall more often than Schwarzenegger did in Last Action Hero.

The new technology is currently available in 30 of IMAX's 1,067 theaters worldwide and is generally going to be limited to the company's marquee locations. Still, seeing a blockbuster film like Civil War or The Jungle Book in this format will be well worth the trip.

Week 17 - Imax- explained further

IMAX

IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems. Feature films have traditionally been upconverted into IMAX format for display in IMAX theatres, though some have been partially shot in IMAX.

A comparison between 35 mm and 15/70 mm negative areas

IMAX is the most widely used system for special-venue film presentations. As of September 2010, there were more than 445 IMAX theatres in 47 countries.

Film

IMAX uses "ESTAR" (Kodak's trade name for PET film) base. The reason is for precision more than strength. Developing chemicals do not change the size or shape of ESTAR, and IMAX's pin registration (especially the cam mechanism) does not tolerate either sprocket – hole or film – thickness variations. The IMAX format is generically called "15/70" film, the name referring to the 15 sprocket holes per frame.

The film's bulk requires platters rather than conventional film reels. IMAX platters range from 1.2 to 1.83 metres (3.9 to 6.0 ft) diameter to accommodate 1 to 2.75 h of film. Platters with a 2.5 hour feature film weigh 250 kilograms (551 lb).

Projectors

The 15 kW Xenon short-arc lamp used in IMAX projectors, the GT 3D projector (dual rotor) used two!

Its operating voltage is 37.5 volts with a current consumption of 400 amps (3D 800 amps). At an operating temperature of approx. 700 degrees C, up to 1.6 cubic metres (3D 3.2 cubic meters) of air and 36 litres (3D 72 litres) of distilled water per minute are fed through the lamphouse, to cool down the xenon gas discharge lamp. The lamp is very expensive. One tells that the cost is approximately 6000 US dollars (3D 12000 US dollars), which is approximately 4400 Euros (8800 Euros). It should last 1000-1200 hours.

GT 3D projector (dual rotor) Water cooled reflector for the left eye projection

GT 3D projector (dual rotor) Water cooled mirror for the left eye projection

GT 3D projector (dual rotor) Water cooled mirror for the right eye projection

Drawing the large film through the projector presented challenges for both the camera and the projector. Conventional 70 mm systems were not steady enough for the 586× magnification. On the projector side, William Shaw adapted an Australian patent for film transport called the "rolling loop" by adding a compressed air "puffer" to accelerate the film, and put a cylindrical lens in the projector's "aperture block". The projector uses a vacuum to pull the film into contact with this lens. This the "field flattener" flattens the image field. The lens is twice the height of the film and connects to a pneumatic piston so it can be moved up or down while the projector is running. This way, if a piece of dust comes off the film and sticks to the lens, the projectionist can switch to the clean side of the lens at the push of a button.

The lens also has "wiper bars" made of a felt or brush-like material which can wipe dust off the lens as it moves up or down. IMAX projectors are pin stabilized, meaning four registration pins engage the perforations at the corners of the projected frame to ensure perfect alignment. Shaw added cam–controlled arms to decelerate each frame to eliminate the microscopic shaking as the frame "settled" onto the registration pins. The projector's shutter is open around 20% longer than in conventional equipment and the light source is brighter.

The xenon short-arc lamps are made of a thin layer of fused quartz and contain xenon gas at a pressure of about 25 atmospheres (367 PSI); because of this, projectionists are required to wear protective body armor when changing or handling these in case the lamp breaks (e.g., due to a drop to the floor) because of the danger from flying quartz shards when propelled by the high pressure of the Xenon gas within.

An IMAX projector weighs up to 1.8 t (2.0 short tons) and at over 178 cm (70 in) tall and 195 cm (77 in) long.

Double projection with two IMAX 15Perf/70mm films running from the right to left site of the projector. Please note the volumious service connections for the water- and air cooling supply.  IMAX projectors are the most advanced, precise and powerful projectors that have ever been made. Their image quality and reliability is based on an ingenious solution for the transport of the film, the so-called "rolling loop".

IMAX Corporation has released four projector types that use its 15-perforation, 70 mm film format: GT (Grand Theatre), GT 3D (dual rotor), SR (Small Rotor) and MPX, which was designed for retrofitted theatres. In July 2008, the company introduced a digital projection system, which it has not given a distinct name or brand, designed for multiplex theatres with screens no wider than 21.3 m (70 ft). All IMAX projectors, except the standard GT system, can project 3D images.

		70mm IMAX film (here lying flat in the upper rolling loop drum) in front of the image aperture glass which is opened to the right for film access, which can only be seen from above (edge) on the right here.
		The 70mm IMAX film is pulled out. Top left, light from the xenon gas discharge lamps can be seen. In front of this is the upper rolling loop drum with an indentation (there is a total of 8 per drum) for the film loop. In one indentation exactly fits one IMAX 15Perf/70mm piece of film.
		Here on the left, the image aperture glass that has been opened forwards. In front of this are the two rolling loop drums for the bottom and top film runs, with the openings for the lights of the two projection lamps illuminated in blue.
		Running double projection through polarisation filters. The vertical projection gates in front are destined for the projection of 2D films.

In this report I have attempted to describe how the best possible - but also most expensive - analogue 3D presentation could be achieved in cinemas using 70mm film and how it is still used today with IMAX.

Soundtrack

The 35mm sound dubber with 6 channel magnetic IMAX sound. To the left all the amps are located.  I will try to describe how the audio system works, from projector to the audience. Sound for an IMAX or IMAX Dome film program historically has been supplied on 35mm sprocketed magnetic film which runs at 90 feet per minute (45.7 cm/sec.). The sound reproducer, often called a dubber, is located in the projection room.  This multi channel playback unit was originally developed for film studios where banks of them are used when mixing sound tracks. It provides exceptionally high quality sound reproduction and feeds the six channel system plus sub-bass through IMAX TAC-86 multi channel audio control computer. Maximum playing time is one hour with a reel capacity of 5000 feet (1500 m).  An interlock circuit between the projector and the reproducer maintains frame-to-frame synchronization of projected picture and sound. A rotary shaft encoder required for synchronizing audio reproduction is installed in the IMAX projector.

Most newer IMAX films are now using the IMAX digital sound DDP designed by Sonics. DDP is short for Digital Disc Playback. The system is a digital sound source specifically made for IMAX. Sonics uses compact disc technology to create the highest quality sound delivery possible today. Wide frequency response, dynamic range and the accurate perception of time are the attributes of DDP. A frequency response of 20 – 20.000 Hz is maintained over the entire audio spectrum of ten octaves. Six octaves is found in conventional cinemas.

Three CD’s are used for each soundtrack, one CD for every 2 channels. The audio is sent to the Sonics TAC-86. From the TAC-86 the signal is sent to the computer-controlled 1/3 octave equalization unit, developed for IMAX. This unit matches the sound system performance to suit the acoustics of the particular theater in which it is installed. The equalization can also be used to compensate the response of particular films for optimized playback in a particular theater.

Behind the screen

Imax theatres require a sound system able to produce believable effects and operate reliably at unusually high power levels. The Imax sound system by Sonics provides extremely high sound quality that does full justice to the unique film presentation. A Sonics sound system operates in an environment which is quite different acoustically from most other theatres. The Imax film program depends on the optimum performance of the combined projector and sound system to achieve maximum audience impact. 

In 1988, Imax acquired Sonics Associates Inc. as an affiliate. Alabama based Sonics is a world leader in sound system design and offers customers the benefits of more than 26 years of research and hands-on experience in the IMAX theatre network.

After the equalization, the signal is sent to the power amplifiers. The amps deliver more than 2000 watts per channel. The entire system is more than 15000 watts. The six audio channels are fed to a 4-way JBL speaker array. Every section is equipped with JBL models no: 2404 H (Ultra-High Frequency), 2445 J (Wide Range), 2123 H (High Power Low Frequency), and 2245 H (Medium Efficiency Extended Bass). They are located to give strong directional effects and placed as follows: Channel 1 Left rear (theater), Channel 2 Left screen, Channel 3 Center screen, Channel 4 Right screen, Channel 5 Right rear (theater), Channel 6 Top of screen.

A special subwoofer with 8 JBL model 2245 H (Medium Efficiency Extended Bass) in one enclosure (a cabinet huge like a caravan) is provided to extend the range of the main channels and reproduce such sounds as rocket launches, thunder, close-flying aircrafts, etc. at loudness which approaches that of the original sound source. Because the lowest pitched sounds that human can hear are also felt, this enhances the realism, making the audience feel they are actually experiencing the event. The writer is seen here standing inside the subwoofer. The subwoofer is equipped with 8 JBL 2245 H woofers.

The group of sub-bass speakers, located at the front of the theater behind the screen, is fed a mix of low frequency sound derived by the TAC-86 from all six channels. The power amplifier for sub-bass is more than 3000 watts. The price for the Sonics sound system is more than 300,000 $. After many years of work with Sonics sound system, there has never been one complaint about the sound system, except maybe that it is too loud. I have listened to the system many times with hi-fi enthusiasts, and they always say it is the best cinema system they have heard. Because of the enormous power you can always hear all details.