How IMAX Projector Works

Sensational and fascinating are just some of the many adjectives that can be used to describe the movie experience we can have in IMAX theaters. Image Maximum or IMAX is a motion picture film format that was conceptualized in the year 1967 in Montreal Expo. In this expo, some Canadian entrepreneurs and filmmakers like Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroiter and Robert Kerr came up with an idea to make modifications in the projectors present in those times, that were technologically not very advanced. To replace them, the idea of single projector system called IMAX came into inception. From the year 1970, IMAX system came into official existence and since then, this system has increased in popularity by leaps and bounds.

Working of IMAX Projector
The fundamental difference in IMAX theaters and normal theaters is very evident the moment you step in an IMAX theater. The basic and one of the most important differences between an IMAX theater and a normal theater is the size of screen. In IMAX theaters, the screen size is gigantic. The screen is designed in two ways. Firstly, there are normal IMAX screens, that range in the size 16 meters long by 22 meters wide or 52 by 73 feet!!

Certainly, many times bigger than normal sized screens. One of the largest IMAX movie theaters is 30 meters in size. This distance equals 98 feet and is equivalent to an 8 storied building!! Just imagine, the huge size of the screen. Secondly, IMAX domes are types of IMAX screens, that are hemispherical screens having domes of diameter 30 meters. If you're wondering how would it be possible to project images on such large screens then you'll be surprised to know that IMAX projectors are not similar to the normal projectors. Their basic designing and working are somewhat different.

Whether you're watching a movie in a normal IMAX theater screen or in a dome shaped IMAX screen, the effects of watching movies in both the places is amazing. The screens are large enough to fit in the area of our vision and you can have a feeling as if you are into the movie, totally. The field of motion is often so strong that it makes people ill! Generally, the films we see in a theater are of 35 millimeter format and they're almost square. However, we all know movie screens are not square and they're very wide for their heights. This leads to the need of projectors in which the wide image is compressed into a 35 millimeter frame and expanded by projector to fill the screen size. The IMAX films in IMAX projectors come in a 15/70 film format. This means that each frame is 70 mm high and 15 perforations wide. This comes to be nearly 10 times bigger than our normal. This 15/70 frame makes IMAX projectors a very specific type of device.

In normal projectors, the film to be presented is fed from the top of the projector. An arrangement known as 'sprocket' or 'claw' helps in advancing one frame and helps in holding it in front of light. Finally, a shutter mechanism helps light shine through film and lens for few seconds onto the screen. However, in IMAX projectors, the size of films is very big and so normal projectors can't be used for such file formats. Hence, IMAX projectors are significantly different from normal projectors. In IMAX projectors, films move horizontally and not vertically. By the help of a developed vacuum system, the image is sucked in front of the lens, so that all images are properly aligned in front of the lens. And unlike normal projectors, the shutters open for long duration.

So did you get 'how IMAX projector works'? Basically, understanding minor details of IMAX projector can be done through detailed physical observation of these projectors. An IMAX projector weighs about the size of a small car and uses nearly 15000 watt water cooled xenon unit!! This was a brief information about IMAX theaters and their working.