Blu-ray vs. cinema; how close?

[J_UNTITLED]

How close in picture quality is Blu-ray to a film being played in an actual theater/cinema? What are the exact tech specs there between the two if anyone knows them?

[ReduxInflux]

i'm no techie but i can tell you that my blu-ray home theater set-up is better than the movie theater. its sooo clean. via the ps3 and a sony 60" xbr2. suddenly the projected image and theater amplified sound isn't as great anymore. im spoiled.

[CptGreedle]

10000 x 7000 for IMAX (roughly)
2048 (2K) for digital projectors
4096 (4K) for digital projectors
1080 for FULL HDTV
720 for HDTV (min)


The format of the film changes the height/width.

(Although I hear most films are captured in 1920x1080)

[cajmoyper]

Blu-Ray= Better.

[PaulDubya]

Theatre is so sorry! bLU RAY kicks butt. I see things on Blu that i never caught in the theatre

[The Guardian]

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_cinema


"Most major digital features to date have been shot at 1920x1080 HD resolution using cameras such as the Sony CineAlta or Thomson Viper. New cameras such as the Arriflex D-20 and Silicon Imaging's SI-2K can capture 2K resolution images. Currently in development are cameras capable of recording 4K RAW, such as the RED One and Dalsa Corporation's Origin."

Also,

"In mid 2006, about 400 theaters have been equipped with 2K digital projectors with the number increasing every month."

So it looks like it varies, however for many films it could match the quality of a digital theater (and beat the quality of a film theater due to artifacts) when showing a movie that was filmed digitally. Of course this doesn't take compression into account.

The article also alludes to some movies actually being played off Blu-ray discs in some theaters! Although it says the most common method is 300Gb hard drives.

[CptGreedle]

1280 x 1024 (Old projectors for pre-show ads)
2048x1080 (2K)
4096x2160 (4K)
10000x7000 (IMAX)

These run at 24 fps and 48 fps (for 2K).
However if the projectors are not digital yo will see film dirt/grain/scratches/etc. There are markers also put on the film to mark when the change to the next film reel. The new digital projectors don't have these problems.
Blu-ray might look better to you mainly cause you are sitting that much closer and the resolution is tighter. The screens are much bigger than your TV and so the resolution (even thought it is greater) will be stretched much more.

So ratio:resolution, Blu-ray probably is better.

[The Guardian]

The stretching is a good point... even if you are watching a 100' wide screen at a theater with a 2k projector that makes the pixels around a third of an inch in size... now I know why I like sitting near the back hehe.

[WriteSimply]

If you have a 1080p24 projector, that's close to a 2K cinema already. I'm sure Deci have educated y'all already on this.

You can't compare BD with cinema if you have 60" and below screens. The format really comes alive with a projector and constant height screens. First run theaters CAN but not always beat home projectors. But not the second run/dollar theaters.

And when it comes to 35mm projection, BD ALWAYS beat that in SOUND.


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[Deciazulado]

Originally Posted by CptGreedle

10000 x 7000 for IMAX (roughly)
2048 (2K) for digital projectors
4096 (4K) for digital projectors
1080 for FULL HDTV
720 for HDTV (min)


The format of the film changes the height/width.

(Although I hear most films are captured in 1920x1080)

1080p and 2K are equivalent

According to ITU tests, onscreen resolution for 35mm movies is about 700 lines

[w_tanoto]

blu is way better.

[shock_terminal]

HD 1080p = 1920x1080 1.77:1 Aspect Ratio or "16x9"

The Spec for recording Digital images to 35mm film is.

2K 35mm Film FLAT = 2048x1107 for 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio

2K 35mm Film SCOPE = 2048x1742 for 2.35:1 Anamorphic Aspect Ratio

4K 35mm Film FLAT = 4096x2214 for 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio

4K 35mm Film SCOPE = 4096x3484 for 2.35:1 Anamorphic Aspect Ratio



DCI Spec 2K D-Cinema FLAT = 1998x1080 for 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio

DCI Spec 2K D-Cinema SCOPE = 2048x858 for 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio

[k20king]

I project up to 200"!

all i am missing are the sticky floors!

Go Blu-ray!

Dont forget to support blu-ray Sept. 18th!

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=13878

[Mr.Neutral]

Last movie I saw was bourne ultimatum and it looked awful. I think it was much more the theater than anything else - It was an old theater. This was one I was waiting for to see at home and I wish I had... Transformers, Spiderman-3 and Pirates 3 are all movies I still haven't seen yet that I've been waiting for HD DVD or Blu-ray releases.

The theater should look very good though, if not better than many home setups - just make sure you go to a good theater.

[surfdude12]

and lets not forget the audio power of BD v. in a theater. with my 5.1 system, all of the PCM audio is severly concentrated in one small area, compared with a theater which blasts it aimlessly all over. To me, the audio of BD is what really leaves the theater in the dust. video is comparable.

[CptGreedle]

This reminds me of a song by "Weird Al" (yes, a song he actually wrote) called
Frank's 2000" TV
In an SD format... that screen would be 1200" high by 1600" long. I wonder how large those pixel would have to be

There are so many obstacles that can affect the way a projected movie theater screen looks (from the film to the screen to the lenses to the projectionist... etc) that a digital display is always sharper and cleaner.
It is true that there are some excellent screens out there and I still go to the movies, but I think my HDTV and Blu-rays look better overall.

[WriteSimply]

Originally Posted by k20king

all i am missing are the sticky floors!

For that you need a dozen guys, some beer maybe and the right kinda movie to play.

Or just three kids, lots of soda and Spider-man.


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[Digital Filmmaker]

I attended a private screening of Superman II: TRDC at a digital theater sourced from a Blu-ray disc and projected onto a 50-foot screen. Even considering the age of the source material, it was breathtaking.

[TyrantSilkey]

There's already 2160p cameras that have been developed. I believe their in Hollywood now but not 100% sure on that, but I've seen them at electronics shows in Tokyo. Then again, they had 1080p TVs at electronics shows in Tokyo back in 1988. So I'm guessing the major theatres PQ will go up very soon.

I wonder how long it's going to be till we see the first 1440p and 2160p TVs hit the market. And if so, is there going to be a new format war with the new 200+ gigabyte media needed to support it.

[Deciazulado]

Originally Posted by shock_terminal

HD 1080p = 1920x1080 1.77:1 Aspect Ratio or "16x9"

The Spec for recording Digital images to 35mm film is.

2K 35mm Film FLAT = 2048x1107 for 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio

2K 35mm Film SCOPE = 2048x1742 for 2.35:1 Anamorphic Aspect Ratio

4K 35mm Film FLAT = 4096x2214 for 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio

4K 35mm Film SCOPE = 4096x3484 for 2.35:1 Anamorphic Aspect Ratio

Hi Shock

Don't forget the Projector Aperture is about 5% less than Camera Aperture

Projecting RP-40 (which is 160 lines/mm at -1dB) I'd think very few theaters would reach around 1000 lines...