You Know You’re a Geek… (updated! again!)

5/20 update – apparently Cinemark is now calling it “XD” instead of “XD3″.

… when you spend half an hour trying to research the difference between Cinemark’s new XD3 (link, link) and IMAX formats so you can get the absolute best moviegoing experience for the new Star Trek movie coming out this week.  :) (and then blog about it!)

Though I haven’t been able to find technical specs to do a side-by-side comparison, I did learn that the XD3 screen is 70 feet wide, while IMAX is about 72 – so in that respect they are pretty comparable.  (I emailed the box office at the IMAX and Cinemark Plano West where the XD3 is — we’ll see if I get a response)

I did a quick search on Twitter and with the exception of one negative item, everybody had good things to say.  (I had a good laugh over several tweets (link, link) RE: Hugh Jackman’s “mutant ass” on a floor to ceiling screen [Wolverine]!)

Price-wise they are the same ($12/ticket).

So I guess at this point I’m leaning towards giving the XD3 experience a shot, mainly because we really like this Cinemark theater in West Plano…

UPDATE 1:

A few minutes ago I received the following email from the manager of the Cinemark IMAX in Dallas:

Basically the difference between the two formats is XD3 is digital, IMAX is not. XD3 is a form of presenting feature films in a digital arena on a larger screen. The XD3 screen is a little bigger than the standard 75 ft.

Our IMAX theatre is the largest theatre in the city. Our sound system is unsurpassed, boasting forty speakers and over 10,000 watts of sound, however both presentations have perfect picture quality.

Thank you for your inquiry into our theatre, and I am sure both systems will meet your expectations. Whichever one you decide, Cinemark Theatres will appreciate your business.

Thank You!
IMAX House Manager

UPDATE 2 (2pm 5/4):

I just received the following from somebody Cinemark’s corporate office:

Visually, you can’t lose in either format. Personally, I LOVE the JBL
Sound system they installed in the XD3 auditorium. Plus, they have all
new oversized seats and wider rows…so that adds to the comfort level.
I believe the IMAX screen is taller…but I think XD3 is wider. The
IMAX auditorium holds maybe 200 people…XD3 holds around 500. So,
that’s kind of exciting to be a part of a large group.

Having seen the movie a couple of weeks ago, I have been counting the
minutes waiting for the chance to see it again in a large screen format.
You will be amazed!

My vote is for XD3. Visually it’s a tie. Comfort and sound win.

HAVE FUN!!!

UPDATE 3 (5/9):

And finally, a couple days ago I got this response from the Plano West Cinemark:

I am not sure if anyone responded to you on this…if not…sorry for the delay.  Both formats are a superb way to enjoy the movie and neither will leave you disappointed. That being said, the major technical difference is that IMAX is on film and XD is digital. Both deliver a superb image. The auditorium in an IMAX has a steeper rise so you will feel closer to the screen even if you are sitting a ways back.  The screens are close to the same size but the IMAX auditorium is much smaller, so the screen may seem even bigger since it is in a relatively smaller room.

I’m impressed I got responses at all!!

We have tickets for the 12:30 show Saturday 5/9 at te Plano West XD3 theater.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 at 4:54 pm and is filed under Entertainment, Techie. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • DallasJayhawk
    Thank you for your blog. After checking out info on EdgadgetHD I was still confused about which was was the best way to see Star Trek. My wife and I saw in at Cinemark 16 in Allen which was 35mm low tech since it wasn't DLP, XD3 or IMAX and we still enjoyed it. But now I want to do it right so I appreciate the feedback and will try Cinemark Tinseltown Plano's XD3 instead of driving down to Farmersbranch/635-Webb Chapel to see the IMAX.

    You might want to check out the Engadget blog just to set them straight.
    http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/05/10/poll-is-st...
  • Worker 11811
    Greetings;

    I am a professional movie theater technician. It is my responsibility to install, maintain and oversee the operation of projection equipment in movie theaters. I have formerly worked for Cinemark. I have since moved on to other positions. (Better pay.) I have direct, hands-on experience with Cinemark's XD3 projection system. Although I do not have direct experience with the AMC IMAX system, I know how it works.

    The simple answer is: It is all about marketing hype.

    XD3 and IMAX digital are simply names for digital movie systems. Nothing more.
    What they have done is to rip out the old 35mm projector and replace it with a new digital projector. I am the guy who did the "ripping." And, yes, I mean rip! We literally cut the wires with a pair of wire cutters, hauled the old projector away and plopped the new one in its place. We did some minor upgrades to the sound system. We installed some new amplifiers, replaced a few of the old speakers and tweaked it to make it better. You are still listening to the same old sound system. It's just been fixed up a bit.

    The XD3 system is based on the Barco DP-300 digital projection system. It uses the Doremi digital cinema server, capable of playing movies in Real-D 3-D format.

    http://www.barco.com/

    http://www.doremicinema.com/

    Please enjoy reading the websites I have listed above. You should be able to find lots of good information to satisfy your curiosity.

    Here's the bottom line: XD3 is nothing special. It is a very nice digital movie system. Cinemark has spiffed up their theaters and has done a few nice things for the customers to enjoy but this is nothing special.

    The AMC Digital IMAX system is very similar. It simply uses equipment made by another manufacturer. To explain the differences between the IMAX and the XD3 would take a long-winded technical explanation that will bore you to tears. I will spare you the pain. ;)
    The difference between them is similar to comparing a Ford car to a Chevrolet. While they are very nice cars, they are certainly not Ferraris!

    If you like watching movies in digital format, you will see a very nice presentation. Even though I do not work for Cinemark any more, I still keep in touch with guys who do. Those guys know their jobs. They do good work. If you are watching movies on digital projectors installed by my former coworkers, you are seeing a good presentation.

    But you are NOT watching anything special. It's just a digital movie. "XD3" is just a name some marketing executive slapped on it in hopes it would sell more tickets.

    Do you really want to see a good movie presentation? Go find a movie theater with a 70mm projector. Yes, I said film! There is no video technology that can produce the resolution of 70mm film. There likely never will be. All the marketing "suits" would have you believe that film projectors are "old technology" but the truth is that digital video will never equal the quality of film. It's just not technically possible.

    If you like watching movies, great! If you want to see movies in the latest digital formats, in new updated movie theaters, wonderful! You will have a good movie-going experience. But the bottom line of what I am saying is:

    DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
  • I went to a 10:15 showing of Trek on Friday night at the XD3 at the West Plano. yeah yeah yeah, the screen was big, crisp, whatever.

    The sound - we were near the back and the right side surround channel was completely OFF - no sound coming from the right at all - all from the left (which is not a political metaphor, even though that would describe me pretty well, and it looks like maybe you too)

    I just wrote an email, we'll see if I get a response.
  • Wow, thanks for the comments!

    We saw it Saturday in the XD3 theater -- and then again on Sunday in a regular "digital" theater. We REALLY like the digital screens, they're so much brighter and crisper than the typical theaters.

    For most movies we'll continue to see them in the "regular" digital theaters at Cinemark West Plano; but for cool action flicks, stuff like that, we'll probably go to XD3 over IMAX, just because it's closer to home and the seats are more comfortable. ;-)

    I'm not enough of a videophile & audiophile to notice much of a difference - it's all about the good experience for me, and we've had that consistently at the West Plano theater. :)
  • I too was struggling to find a comparison and happily stumbled upon your post and the responses from Cinemark. It seems as though Cinemark did a fast-follower routine and did so quite well. I'm curious what the results of the lawsuits will be... I'm all for competition but the idea of duplicating a contractual partners' technologies leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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