IMAX® DMR™ IMAX® DMR™ Technology Technology

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What is IMAX® DMR™?What is IMAX® DMR™?

Process that Process that converts 35mm converts 35mm frame into digital frame into digital form form

Transfers into large Transfers into large film format, 15 film format, 15 perforations 70mmperforations 70mm

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/imax/science-07.asp

CHALLENGECHALLENGE: Implement a : Implement a computing architecture to computing architecture to process terabytes of image process terabytes of image data efficiently and cost-data efficiently and cost-effectivelyeffectively

SOLUTIONSOLUTION: Intel Pentium III : Intel Pentium III processor-based server farm processor-based server farm comprising Dell™ comprising Dell™ PowerEdge™ 2550 servers PowerEdge™ 2550 servers running the Red Hat Linux running the Red Hat Linux operating systemoperating system

BENEFIT:BENEFIT: Time and cost Time and cost savings by digitally savings by digitally remastering 7 TB of image remastering 7 TB of image data in 10 weeksdata in 10 weeks

http://www.putnam.org/imax/imaxdmr.html

Process of DMRProcess of DMR

Computation-intensive frame-by-Computation-intensive frame-by-frame processing of the images to frame processing of the images to master a high-resolution release of master a high-resolution release of the movie onto IMAX film. the movie onto IMAX film.

Individual frames stored into arraysIndividual frames stored into arrays

File SizesFile Sizes

DMR usually results in about 7 DMR usually results in about 7 Terabytes (7000 Gigabytes) of Terabytes (7000 Gigabytes) of data.data.

Each frame of the movie takes Each frame of the movie takes around 28 Megabytes of storage.around 28 Megabytes of storage.

It takes a system with 18 400-GB It takes a system with 18 400-GB Hard Drives to store all of this data!Hard Drives to store all of this data!

Image CompressionImage Compression

IMAX DMR employs Geometric analysis IMAX DMR employs Geometric analysis of the image artifacts to remove them.of the image artifacts to remove them.

The images are then compressed using The images are then compressed using a proprietary algorithm developed a proprietary algorithm developed exclusively for IMAX.exclusively for IMAX.

The quality is comparable to 16-bit The quality is comparable to 16-bit uncompressed TIFF images with equal uncompressed TIFF images with equal resolutions.resolutions.

Why is this necessary?Why is this necessary?

If you’ve ever tried to enlarge a If you’ve ever tried to enlarge a digital picture, you know the digital picture, you know the limitations.limitations.

35MM film must be enlarged several 35MM film must be enlarged several times to reach IMAX dimensions.times to reach IMAX dimensions.

http://www.putnam.org/imax/imaxdmr.html

What does all this mean?What does all this mean?

IMAX DMR takes painstaking IMAX DMR takes painstaking measures to assure the quality of the measures to assure the quality of the image we see onscreen.image we see onscreen.

This process can handle about This process can handle about 25,000 frames a week.25,000 frames a week.

Quality is very near what a 7 Quality is very near what a 7 Megapixel digital camera would Megapixel digital camera would produce if its images were produce if its images were uncompressed.uncompressed.