Disney Plus IMAX Enhanced vs 4K Blu-ray Comparison - Here's What You're Missing

[@TheRextc]

I like the IMAX enhanced aspect ratio. Hopefully these options will be allowed on 4k bluray soon. I want the IMAX enhanced audio also on Disney+

[@RobertK1993]

They will have to reissue the 4K Ultra HD Blu ray disc with Dolby Vision

[@sunnyschramm9650]

please go back to the 70ies and watch your movies in 4:3 xD

[@EpicGamerWinXD69]

I highly doubt that will ever happen.

[@stsxt05]

@@EpicGamerWinXD69 I agree as they can’t do DTS X , which is why disc is the future :)

[@EpicGamerWinXD69]

@@stsxt05 Are 4k discs better than 4k Streaming? Almost always. Are 4k discs the future? Not even close.

[@RandomBlackGamer]

After discovering how Disney upscales their Marvel movies I pretty much knew it was a waste to even buy the 4K blurays. There's only a handful that actually look good. Which are the earlier 1s that were shot on classic film like Iron Man.

[@BugLocc]

Do you know which upscaling algorithm did they use?

[@zaymax_7]

Almost every 4k movie is upscaled... They shoot in 4k-12k cameras for vfx then usually export those at 2k for the main editing. Afterwards upscaled into 4k for the final export. It's more common than everyone thinks

[@Charlie-hv3dh]

Iron Man was shot on film?

[@Killermike2178]

Iron Man (2008) was finished on a 2K DI, though...

[@rtchannel8171]

They already fix it all.

[@jebo4jc]

I'm a physical media enthusiast, largely because physical is usually the way to get the *best* audio and video quality. Having arguably better image quality on a streaming service coupled with inferior audio quality infuriates me.

[@RobertK1993]

Streaming service picture is not superior it's worse then 4K Ultra HD Blu ray disc and sound is too.

[@geiers6013]

@@RobertK1993 The streaming quality in this case is better, because you get DV with imax enhanced, while the blu-ray only has inferior hdr 10. If the blu-ray also would have DV it would be a bit better than streaming of course.

[@hard8gamingandagslive559]

@@geiers6013 Bit rate is still much lower and audio is compressed so physical is still much better especially if you have a true Dolby Atmos setup as I do (7.2.4)

[@geiers6013]

@@hard8gamingandagslive559 Thats true, but I was only talking about the picture. Hdtv made a test and a DV stream is superior to hdr 10, even if you have a lower bitrate, because the contrast and colors in DV are much better

[@Lead_Foot]

Larger viewport, but worse quality.

[@TheLingo56]

I personally love how Chris Nolan does his IMAX shots. Switches to widescreen for closeups/shots done in regular widescreen, but then expands the frame for IMAX shots.

[@raiyzan6200]

When watching his movies, when it switches to imax, you know shit is about to go down

[@jayvee175]

eternals was shot like that if i remember correctly

[@tantandepzai]

Marvels movies do the same thing when watched at the cinema, only the disney plus version has *Imax frame* during the whole movie.

[@Jo-el768]

Zack Snyder does it as well

[@PurooRoy]

@@Jo-el768 Zack Snyder's Justice League was entirely in the IMAX ratio, although it never used the IMAX camera. Also Christopher Nolan is the executive producer of the Snyderverse so probably he recommended it, because Snyder didn't do it in his previous movies like 300 or Watchmen.

[@arikelvara]

Some Blu Rays like the Dark Knight have some IMAX scenes in them! It's a bit annoying with the switching aspect ratio, but those IMAX shots in the movie are amazing.

[@elmingggg]

yep, Nolan does that a lot in his movies

[@scottish-atechreviews]

Yes I’ve noticed this and it’s full screen no black lines

[@EscapeVelocity11186]

@@elmingggg I would guess that, like a few other filmmakers around 2010 (Michael Bay's Transformers movies come to mind), Nolan was constrained by film IMAX cameras - they were loud enough to drown out dialogue (Nolan dislikes ADR), huge (like the size of a car, so unfit for many scenes like those found in Inception), and could only film a few minutes at a time. These problems were resolved when digital IMAX cameras began to come out - Marvel Studios, for example, uses a modified ARRI Alexa 65 (the Alexa IMAX) to shoot their movies, Civil War being the first one to have some scenes shot using that camera. Nolan is also a big proponent of film, so while some movies have been moving to digital IMAX cameras, he has stuck on film IMAX cameras. His next movie, Oppenheimer, will still be shot on film.

[@elmingggg]

@@EscapeVelocity11186 oohhh that's interesting, i didn't really know the explanation behind switching aspect ratio/camera, i just assume that it was an artistic choice of the director

[@3IRDDY]

Doesn’t Aquaman have the same thing? I swear it does if I’m wrong.

[@soraceant]

Sounds like disney is purposely nerfing their physical and digital releases so they can encourage more disney + subscription.

[@maybebutwhatever]

It was obvious when they released cropped versions and not the imax ones.

[@fist003]

not really nerfing what's already out there, but they can give more over a streaming platform.

[@jsward96]

@@fist003 The point he’s making is that they could have included the IMAX versions on UHD Blu ray, but chose not to. This sends the message that paying for Disney + is better, even though physical media is more capable. The difference is the consumer owns nothing with streaming, and the company gets continuous revenue.

[@danthemeegs8751]

Yep, even though plenty of people (like myself) would happily buy both

[@SomeHarbourBastard]

It's been obvious for a long time. 66GB discs (when everyone else uses 100GB), just HDR10, no Dolby Vision (even though the masters are readily available), not to mention the half-assing of their Dolby Atmos soundtracks (plus excluding them from the regular Blu-rays).

[@KDCloudy]

The reason for the extra brightness is because of IMAX's remastering process, they account for the dimming due to projections. Plus there’s also reduction of film grain during the remastering, you can see that in Iron Man 1 which was shot on 35mm

[@ki700]

The DNR isn’t IMAX’s doing. Disney did that themselves when they released Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Thor on 4K. All three movies are shot on film, and all three were scrubbed of grain in an attempt to make them look more similar to the rest of the digitally shot MCU.

[@bened22]

Urgh, how horrible! 🤮

[@tarunverma802]

but iron man was not shot in IMAX camera civil war was the 1st marvel movie to be shot in IMAX

[@KDCloudy]

@@tarunverma802 no. Guardians of The Galaxy was the first film with switching aspect ratios. Iron Man was remastered into IMAX on it’s 10 year anniversary

[@tarunverma802]

@@KDCloudy chek Wikipedia it has list of all movies shot in IMAX camera

[@implicitmintjulep]

Thank you for pointing out the benefits of BOTH aspect ratios. I was concerned this was going to be a one-sided comparison

[@arhaankhan319]

There are many movies with full screen aspect ratio tho.

[@MamadNobari]

Boh*

[@eliascrooker7773]

Physical media is better than streaming.

[@Lalo-dh8xq]

@@arhaankhan319 But most full screen movies were shot only with one aspect ration in mind, which is not the case here.

[@Bazzookie]

@@eliascrooker7773 maybe on paper physical copies are better, but it is literally negligible in any real world use case. You aren’t going to notice that difference sitting 10-15 feet from your TV, and you certainly aren’t going to notice a difference in audio coming from your consumer sound system in a room that Is in no way shape or form professionally designed or setup for the big ass sound system you’ll throw at it. It’s like when Audiophiles try to talk about audio, when in reality 95% of what they believe is placebo and misinformation.

[@bhusar1]

The issue that I have is that Disney could have put the Imax versions on 4K Disc like Christopher Nolan does, and even James Gunn had The Suicide Squad on disc at the Imax 1.90 ratio and encouraged fans to get the disc. But the main issue I had with the Imax Enhanced versions of the MCU films, is that in the 2.35 aspect ratio, they all seem properly framed, where as the Imax Enhanced at 1.98, I noticed a lot of head room, and even a boom mic in Endgame when Happy talks to Tony's daughter, which is not there in the 2.35. That's why I am happy Top Gun Maverick has the Imax ratio on disc.

[@Thetechchap]

Really interesting! Thanks Vincent

[@hdtvtest]

Thanks Tom! See you at CES if we're still allowed to fly out? :-)

[@olievans7840]

I'm so frustrated that Dolby True HD & DTS HD MA are not yet being carried over to streaming services. We really are going to lose physical media even with its benefits and have to settle for lower quality audio. The stream clearly delivers more visual impact and is more pleasing to watch for the majority, however this has to be partnered with full-fat audio for it to really create that cinematic experience! I've spoiled myself with disc quality audio now and the difference is night and day to me.

[@adriannn3720]

Except for Disney, the disc is still better in all cases.

[@jackdennis3511]

DTS not in the streaming service game is no one’s fault but there own.

[@krane15]

False. Properly done physical formats deliver by far the best viewing and audio experience. The only clear advantage to streaming is convenience.

[@ricarmig]

Honestly very few have a home and devices that show the difference between those high / very high quality modes.

[@summertyme5748]

@@krane15 “Properly done” So, almost never then?

[@JungleLarry]

To your point about the bloom in the letterbox bars: another benefit of IMAX enhanced is that there are no true black letterbox bars with which give reference to the blacks in the picture, tricking your eyes into perceiving deeper black levels instead of slightly grey.

[@hdtvtest]

Good point.

[@geiers6013]

In dark rooms you could probably still see it.

[@halfvader8015]

Sure. But that's a tail wags the dog argument.

[@BleedForTheWorld]

It seems to me like it's just another marketing trick in order to sell the product again. It works and the product is indeed better but it's also manufactured.

[@GameSack]

I dunno on my OLED the letterbox bars look like the TV's bevel.

[@brodelicious]

To me nothing takes me out of an immersive experience more than visual artifacts resulting from the lower bitrates on streaming platforms. Disney+ IMAX enhanced is definitely not immune to it. Any time there is dense fog, heavy rain, or extremely fast movement of small and complex scenery (like the garden fight scene in Shang Chi) I can always see when there is chunky macro blocking, severe posterization and micro noise in the picture. Until the internet and streaming services can provide me with a bit rate that completely eliminates to the degree that UHD physical media does I’m not going to a stream first existence.

[@MagnumMuscle1000]

I cannot abide macro blocking and posterization. It's awful and takes me out of the experience.

[@maulcs]

@Fint Flint Something funny?

[@paulcox2447]

@@maulcs people willing to not have the convenience of streaming because it's only 99.9 percent as good (how many frames there are in a movie and how few frames you're talking about, it's 99.9 at least) You're not streaming your content you're either spending a large amount of money on movies and you're not watching much

[@maulcs]

@@paulcox2447 Have you actually compared a true 4k Blu-ray to these streaming services? Not everyone is as oblivious to these things as you are.

[@cyberathlete]

Videophiles make up an insignificant percentage of their streaming audience. Most of the people streaming are doing so on their phones/tablets/laptops. Or their cheaper LCD TV's where they don't care about these things nor notice them. You may notice it, but Disney has 118+ million paying subscribers. They don't feel threatened by the cries of a few thousand videophiles. It won't make a difference. If all videophiles cancelled their subscriptions, all at the same time, it'll make absolutely no difference to their revenue. Also, the fact you are buying Disney 4k discs means you're still giving them your money.

[@NitkowskiPictures]

I have all of these titles on 3D blu-ray and all except for Avenger: Infinity War, Endgame, and Shang-Chi contain the IMAX aspect ratios. To me, the 3D greatly benefits from the IMAX ratios and makes it way more immersive than an open 2D image. I truly believe that the IMAX aspect ratios should have been made available on all platforms from the very moment that they started filming with them. 3D blu-ray, standard blu-ray, and the 4K versions all should have featured the IMAX aspect ratio.

[@jimroscovius]

I have a big 3D collection, but if my 3D TV goes belly up, good luck finding another one. I would have gladly bought an LG Nano90 like I have, but with the 3D capability, if they offered it. It's asinine that the studios decide what we want.

[@Scar1920]

@@jimroscovius You can always do what I did and ditch TV's for 3D all together by purchasing an Ultra Short Throw Projector. I have the Optoma P2 CinemaX with a 100 inch screen and the Marvel 3D blurays with the IMAX ratio looks AMAZING!! A few 2023 models will feature better blacks but I can't complain once I tweak the picture settings. The immersion is astonishing!!! I highly recommend it.

[@jimroscovius]

@Scar1920 I currently have a 75" LG NANO90 that I love, but it's not 3D. If a company would make one, I'd buy it. Maybe even software could do it.

[@jemstar63]

Very good video. Although I am a physical media collector, I don’t have any 4K Marvel movies, and only a few on blu ray, so I don’t think I’m too biased towards praising the physical releases, as I’m not so obsessed where I must praise what I’ve already bought over another. However, I do personally prefer a standard aspect ratio in most cases. Like you said, IMAX can sometimes compromise the shot composition. I think a standard aspect ratio is more likely to convey the feeling of a shot over an IMAX shot. Although I also understand that it can be a lot more immersive. So I personally view IMAX as a different way to watch a movie and not necessarily the superior way, kind of like black and white editions of movies.

[@erenk261]

Where to download IMAX movie?

[@LoganScottY]

Well in the case of Infinity War and Endgame. IMAX is objectively far superior. It is so painfully obvious that it was meant to be seen in IMAX when you watch the blu-ray. It's so cramped and some shots just look downright silly without the expanded ratio since the two films were shot entirely with IMAX cameras.

[@lalitmehta6969]

@@erenk261 torrent

[@DjJokerr]

I'm still waiting for Tron Legacy on 4k.

[@EricMalette]

And The Abyss, and True Lies, and Aliens, and The Terminator, and etc etc

[@maybebutwhatever]

Isn't it shot on like digital 2k camera?

[@SuperSnakePlissken]

@@EricMalette Amen brother. Tron Legacy is still one of the best 3D theater experiences that I have ever enjoyed. I'm also waiting for the sequel that Tomorrowland's shittty box office performance killed.

[@geiers6013]

@@maybebutwhatever Today with enough effort you can upscale and put hdr on everything.

[@LifeLongMETALHead83]

@@EricMalette Need True Lies on HD bluray first. 😆

[@totempolejoe1]

This is aggravating. Yes, Disney, please put your IMAX enhanced versions of these movies on your streaming service, and then charge $30 each for the same movies on 4K Blu-ray with cropped frames, fewer special features, and no Dolby Vision. I live in a rural area. My internet is awful. The internet company we have is literally only giving us internet access because we were grandfathered in, and they can't, or won't, make it any better. Hitting 720p on a KZbin stream is rare, and anything higher is practically impossible. For most films, 4K Blu-ray is the only way I can watch them in 4K. Locking these films' IMAX and DV presentations to streaming even when we have the technology to do it on disc infuriates me.

[@geiers6013]

I think sadly most big companys only care about streaming nowadays. Probably not enough people are buying blu-rays regularly. Also with streaming they make much more money with subscription.

[@railerswim]

Disney barely puts much effort into their 4K disc releases any more. It's sad when the streaming versions have better quality and better mixed audio than the 4K discs. Add the IMAX ARs to that now and its scary. My family lives in a rural area and are just now getting 40 mbps down and 10 up. I have google fiber so 1 gbps both ways. And I will always prefer physical media.

[@geiers6013]

@@railerswim Hopefully satelite internet will solve the problems of people in rural areas. Here in germany you can be happy if you get fiber optic cable at all even in citys. In rural areas often something like 5mbps down still is normal. Sadly I think we cannot stop the death of blu-rays anymore.

[@hardnine]

Audio is also vastly better on disney plus

[@HardCold-Alquan]

@@geiers6013 People are buying BD's, but companies want total CONTROL via streaming. Profits also get raised by not shipping discs but charging by the month! For we video and audiophiles, we cannot have streaming as our MAIN viewing medium.

[@r_bear]

I'm really frustrated that the 4K Blu-Ray for Dune isn't going to have the expanded aspect ratio. 40% of the movie was filmed in IMAX!! And we know that they *can* do this, because Nolan did it with TDK in 2008!

[@ghostviggen]

Just get a projector and a 2.35 screen. That will give you a fantastic Dune experience.

[@paulsantibanez525]

@@ghostviggen yes but you still won’t get the full picture. Dune was amazing on our 8 story screen here in my city 🔥🔥🔥

[@budthecyborg4575]

Yeah for Marvel no-one is going to really care about the aspect ratio, but for Dune I would expect better treatment.

[@ghostviggen]

@@paulsantibanez525 no but you get the epic 2.35 experience. And you don’t get that on a 16:9 TV.

[@maybebutwhatever]

Wait really? More and more i feel like nowadays there only one chance to see movies property. Thank god i went to imax.

[@anmolagrawal5358]

Would love to see a blind test between streaming service video quality vs Blu-ray. That would help conclude whether the lower bitrate is perceivable in motion picture or not

[@jonahflint4200]

It definitely is to me, but to be fair I have a more trained eye

[@baan7782]

@@jonahflint4200 how did you train your eyes?

[@RdCrestdBreegull]

@@baan7782 by understanding what compression artifacts look like and how colors and contrast are supposed to look

[@kingzor100]

@@RdCrestdBreegull yeah i see streaming artifacts almost instantly 4k streaming isnt even better than 1080p bluray ic you exclude the hdr aspect

[@erenk261]

Where to download IMAX movie?

[@markvicferrer]

Aspect ratios vs filmmaker intent can be a contentious topic. He's a parish now, but I liked Joss Whedon's concept of Avengers movies being Academy ratio for full frame spectacle & the solo movies aspect ratio being at whichever director's discretion. It depends on the director, but these fuller frame releases may not have been the way they intended the movie to look.

[@Crlarl]

Academy ratio is 1.38:1. I believe you're thinking of 1.85:1.

[@erenk261]

Where to download IMAX movie?

[@RigVader]

Thanks for the comparison, I’ll take the intended aspect ratio any day. Happy they made it an option!

[@alexatkin]

I've always been a 16:9 advocate and never understood why they couldn't make it optional on the Bluray. Surely there is some way to encode adaptive framing so the player itself can crop the image correctly and if not, why the heck didn't someone think of that when designing the spec? Oh right, its so they had the option to sell you multiple copies in different ratios. ;)

[@Caruniom]

@@alexatkin There is a Malcolm in the Middle BluRay from Turbine (german release). You can choose between 16:9 and 4:3 and the bars are added via software so it should be possible.

[@richardfranklin6003]

Honestly annoys me in the modern age that you would even release 4K blurays which are very expensive and are supposed be the peak of home video quality with anything less that an imax enhanced presentation and dolby vision when such is available to you. They have very successfully killed the vast majority of people's desire to collect physical media on music, film, and now they are working on games. As nice and convenient as this is, if a streaming channel goes down the only way to preserve it, is illegal. Not to mention while these enhancements do arguably outweigh a higher bitrate you are still taking a downgrade for an upgrade.

[@STormnNormn2027]

All of the 3D Blu-Rays have had the IMAX Enhanced versions included. I realize that not many people have 3D TV’s anymore but it’s still worth mention that they were there.

[@jeanking4686]

@Joseph Cuevas ye that's because the movie was shot in 2d and then converted to 3d. they slide the frame to create the depth of field effect so that the background goes inward while characters are rotoscoped out. kinda sucks this isn't true 3d but it saves them money from not having to shoot scenes in 2 cameras.

[@ParzivalTheThird]

I recently picked up a limited collector’s edition of The Amazing Spider-Man (because I’m a rare TASM superfan) which came with a 3D Blu-Ray. I was disappointed to learn that 3D Blu-Ray was a short-lived gimmicky format in the early 2010s that required not only glasses but also it’s own TV and blu-ray player. Then I popped it into my PS4 and to my shock, you can actually watch the movies in 3D using PSVR. That’s actually super cool, and it looks perfect.

[@STormnNormn2027]

@@ParzivalTheThird you can still get 3D Blu-ray’s. Not always in North America though. I import mine from Europe or Asia. Why I just got Black Widow in 3D shipped in from Japan. And it is worth mention that the 3D blu-rays always come with a 2D version aswell so you’re not hampered with always having to watch it in 3D. My kids are too young to watch movies in 3D but I still treat myself to it when I have the opportunity.

[@이마크-r8e]

I don't think every IMAX Enhanced version are the best. When I watched the IMAX Enhanced version along with the standard version, some shots of the IMAX version are just pan and scan of the standard version and not really expanded versions. To some that might not be much of a big deal, but the composition is better on the standard version than the zoomed in ones in the IMAX version. Only Infinity War and Endgame has a true full IMAX version since it's been shot that way.

[@captainsigismund6449]

Sorry I don't quite understand what you are saying. Pan and scan was used to adapt the wide screen shots used in movies to the 4:3 ratio of SD television. How can that technique be used to adapt from the 4k to the IMAX version? From what I can tell it looks like it was the opposite. They seem to be shot in IMAX or larger and then chopped them down to the 4k's 16:9 (or 16:10) ratio?

[@이마크-r8e]

@@captainsigismund6449 From what I know, these Marvel movies are composed primarily for scope ratio, with the exception of Infinity War and Endgame which was shot entirely in the IMAX format. Scope ratio isn't strictly 2.39:1 when shot, so there is excess data at the top and bottom then cropped to 2.39:1 when it's fully rendered. These "IMAX Enhanced" versions are just versions that are cropped to 1.9:1 instead of scope. Now the issue with films shot and composed for scope ratio then reformatted for 1.9:1 is that not all of these scenes are "true" bigger shots. They say you can see a certain percent more, but not all of the shots are like that. Like the 3rd act of Shang Chi, some were really bigger shots where you see more details at the top and bottom than the scope version. But certain shots were just pan and scan crops of the scope version. It might be due to how the shots are composed.

[@blue4059]

Depends on the movie. Some like Dunkirk are intentionally shot in multiple scopes from 1.43:1 all the way to 2.39:1 to convey a scene in that specific aspect ratio. Even with Marvel movies, the IMAX Enhanced is "better to have than not" for the majority of scenes because directors have planned for it that way.

[@jeanking4686]

@@captainsigismund6449 i think what 이마크 was trying to say is that there are some movies that were originally in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio and in order for it to be "imax enhanced", the original long image was chopped on each side (pan and scan) to the 1.9:1 imax ratio (there is the 1.43:1 aspect ratio as well but it's only in tenet and batman). Yes, movies that were shot on imax cameras such as infinity war and endgame has an aspect ratio of 1.9:1 and were later reduced to 2.39:1 aspect ratio for the normal theatrical and bluray release (chopped on top and bottom). This happens as well on tenet and batman, going from 1.43:1 to 2.39:1 in theatres for imax sequences, and to 1.78:1 (16:9) for home tv releases. imax is always has been, and always will be designed to be viewed in the special imax theatre where the screens are huge, utilizing negative spaces for immersion where it's way off to the border of the viewer's vision. viewing shots composed for imax aspect ratio, on imax aspect ratio and on a small screen makes it feels out of place because everything is in the viewer's vision. after recently watching some imax movies in imax theatre, i will have to agree that there are some dialog narative heavy scenes where the traditional 2.39:1 cinematic aspect ratio would've worked better to let the viewer focus on the story and not on details we have to turn our heads to look at. also you might want to google these aspect ratios they're a bit confusing when it's just numbers.

[@tarunverma802]

IMAX don't have pan and scan format it has full screen format if you have seen any movie in pan and scan format than it is not true IMAX or maybe you have watched that movie from pirated sites or open matte (unofficial) format where ripper merge two different source file into one frame by frame and then there is black bar in each corner so they trim left and right

[@neeleshbhajantri6283]

Thank you sir for taking the time to make this video. You gave me more information that i was looking for in a very crisp and understanding way. Thank you!

[@vincevirtua]

The Imax versions are excellent, I watched Shang Chi on Plus. However it’s hilarious Disney thought it wise to put their physical media out in inferior versions when was the easiest possible thing to put the Imax on the discs.

[@dominicarroyo6269]

Maybe but Disney from the start planned to put the imax versions only on Disney+ and not on the disc. It’s their way of having another reason to keep people subscribed to their app. The same with hbo max when it comes to the justice is gray version of justice league or why the Snyder cut didn’t come with digital codes because they want you to stay subscribed to their app as long as possible if you want to watch those versions. Now Disney know they could release the movies with the imax enhanced scenes and they will make twice as much money from people buying those but why would they give up a constant revenue stream over a one time buy? It’s all about money and they know what they are doing to keep people subscribed to the app

[@tarunverma802]

@@dominicarroyo6269 they were giving imax ratio in their 3d disk except infinity war and endgame now from shang chi they stop giving imax ratio in 3d disk

[@dominicarroyo6269]

@@tarunverma802 but how many people still do 3-D tho ? Ik there’s people who do 3-D but that number has drop drastically over the years. I wish 3-D could make a comeback tho

[@Dreadpirateflappy]

@@dominicarroyo6269 3d is amazing for VR headsets. hopefully now 3d is getting bigger and bigger it will make a comeback.

[@dewey79]

Disney plus audio in general is not very good. I have a home theater and I had to turn the sound up more to compensate on their streaming service than any other streaming service I tried. The dynamic range and audio fidelity suffers greatly because of whatever way they have decided to code their sound. They do not have the best interest of physical movie buyers in mind either and this clearly shows it for those who have already bout physical copies.

[@alvallac2171]

*bought

[@lgans316]

The usual BS.

[@DukeSan27]

Exactly. For home theater setup, streaming audio quality is a deal-breaker for me. And if you have 2:35:1 setup, watching anything in 16:9 is like watching a TV show.

[@dewey79]

Disney is capable of decent audio. I recently watched the first episode of welcome to earth and there are some epic low rumbles through the episode . The sound field and sound quality of this recent show is better than the sound I experienced watching IMAX enhanced infinity war. I hope they continue to improve and show more consistency across all of their content. I know that sound tracks are designed different but they should make sure they are encoded with with care because I have heard even some older movies sound outstanding while being streamed on other services.

[@zachb4561]

It's not anywhere near as good as a physical disc, but it's not all that terrible either. Disney+ generally seems better to me than Netflix does for sound, at least.

[@TheRocco96]

I will still buy discs. The advantage of discs is that you can play them as often as you want, and their contents won't change. With streaming, the inventory of available movies changes constantly, so you favorite movie may become unavailable. Movies or episodes from TV-series may also be altered or removed from streaming due to censorship.

[@cooler145]

I will pirate the imax enhanced version. Problem solved

[@kev3226]

I don’t know about your taste, but I rarely watch a movie twice.

[@adriannn3720]

@@kev3226 How so? Why would you never rewatch a movie? If you don't rewatch it, it's like never having seen it

[@kev3226]

@@adriannn3720 If you had watched it once already, the ending is spoiled. Kind of pointless to rewatch it, unless you didn’t understand the movie.

[@TobyJones69]

Kev many people rewatch movies to appreciate the movie as a whole dude, not just for the ending.

[@daftrok]

HDTVTest: These IMAX Enhanced are exclusively available on Disney+ Torrentors: *awkward glance*

[@conradap]

Thank you for the info! Without the side-by-side comparisons, I wouldn't have noticed how much I was missing!

[@GstarCurtis]

What pisses me off, is the fact that Disney didnt include IMAX Enchanced on 4k Bluray discs, when they had the ability to do it.

[@TheCrucialQ]

Probably for the same reason DV is only available on D+.

[@GstarCurtis]

@@TheCrucialQ Its super annoying when we here in Europe are paying 30-50$ for a 4K disc. (Atleast Nordic versions)

[@TheCrucialQ]

@@GstarCurtis Unfortunately for the customer and fortunately for Disney, the cost to modify mastered content is cheaper than paying to have new disk pressed. Then there is the timing of the agreement with IMAX to allow IMAX Enhanced streams that also carry DV along with them.

[@GstarCurtis]

@@TheCrucialQ Fair enough, but i mean like from this point onwards, if it has IMAX enhanced, it should also be on the disc. We pay a decent premium for a disc.

[@StephenGarnett]

All I'm bothered about is directors intent. It's THEIR art, THEIR movie, THEIR choice of aspect ratio. Nolans IMAX films not withstanding, the aspect ratio changes here could be seen as a little gimmicky. But as long as it's what the director wants, hey... Please Disney, don't start doing this to catalogue 'scope' titles by cropping in and such! (Sleeping Beauty Imax Enhanced anyone?) Also, as someone has already pointed out, with streaming services, the 'host' has the option to change, alter or censor content in the future. Disney in particular do this quite often.

[@StephenGarnett]

@iamspyvspy gawd...really? I mean, I know it's done here in the UK on terrestrial TV 'sometimes' (I'm looking at you Ch5). Part of me thinks this push is to satisfy the more everyday punter crowd. The typical 'I want MOAR screen filled' crowd, that maybe doesn't understand (or like) that films come in different aspect ratios. And that goes likewise for old 4:3 content too, of which Disney again tried to crop into, with disastrous results. (Doh!)

[@DuSeun]

I'm all for creators intent, but honestly I think films should just be full screen. There's no benefit to watching black bars. None.

[@paulcox2447]

Directors intent is a cop out because directors are all stuck using the industry standards anyway. it's not like these guys really get to do anything they want. The director doesn't get to decide if the film makes it to imax or not.

[@Mowglibaloo2]

Trigger warning

[@Mowglibaloo2]

@@DuSeun agreed with this for a long time

[@Totalplonker]

"Movies are made up of 50% visuals and 50% audio and there are occasions when the audio out does the visuals" I've had several soundbars and a surround sound package but it was only when I purchased an budget AVR and a pair of budget stereo speakers that I realised what I had been missing (stereo imaging, thumping base) besides going down this route one can always add to it overtime! subwoofer, surround speakers you could even get height speakers to get the full 'non-virtual' Dolby Atmos experience. Nowadays AVRs are so simple to setup, they even walk you through the process!

[@kebbinator]

That is my #1 recommendation to everybody wanting to get better sound out of their TVs. It may not be quite as simple as just plugging a soundbar directly into the TV, but even a budget AVR and budget bookshelf speakers will give you in my opinion a better audio experience than even the best soundbars on the market and can be significantly cheaper; and if you spent the money for a high end soundbar on a quality 2.1 system and some basic acoustic treatment you can get surprisingly close to cinema quality audio at home.

[@krane15]

Essentially correct, but a lot more complicated in application. For example, there is an audio/video split but not always 50/50.

[@bullettin]

@@krane15 True. A very wise man at the NPPA Video Workshop said that good sound can carry bad pictures. Nothing helps bad sound.

[@Dylansirver]

Dude! Keep up the good work! Everything I need to research something regarding TVs, I learn so much off you. I've been watching since 2020! Great job!

[@Iamaljith]

For the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, there are 2 amazing frame breaking scenes that were removed in the Disney Plus IMAX cut. Those were incredible.

[@DanielRodriguez-eh1qd]

Which scenes are those?

[@TheEmmanuelJunior]

@@DanielRodriguez-eh1qd I have the same question 👀

[@Iamaljith]

The scene in Guardians of the galaxy where Groot rescues Drax. And In GotG2, there are lots of Frame breaking scenes. Most of them are asteroids and explotions. The best two are, 1. Yondu's arrow when it is fired to Rocket. 2. When Nebula fires at Yondu's 'headpiece'. It's an incredible 3D frame break scene.

[@iurigrang]

What's a frame break?

[@szewai395]

The Disney + version of the Black Panther is the best version. I remember that the version I saw in the cinema was so black that I couldn't see anything clearly, but the streaming version had a very strong visual impact. I watched it on my LG C1, XF90 and even oneplus 9 pro phone.

[@Neoxon619]

They also added a tribute to Chadwick at the start of the movie on D+.

[@szewai395]

@@Neoxon619 I can't imagine Black Panther without him. In my mind, he is the only candidate for T'Challa.

[@robertlawrence9000]

A lot of theaters use messed up or old equipment that makes the experience bad compared to what we can get at home now days.

[@domonon]

It always bothered me since a few years ago when I noticed that Disney 4kBDs were not Dolby Vision like the Digital Copy that came with the discs. Great Video!!

[@killer92173]

Yeah me too, and since these IMAX Enhanced Editions are on Disney Plus I now got rid of those old 4K Blu-Rays, and am waiting for the IMAX Enhanced Editions to come to 4k Blu-Ray.

[@asmodeusml]

Even though I am normally against changing aspect ratios in such scenarios due to creator's intent, I still believe that Disney should have at least given people a choice and not limit this to Disney+. The amount of subscription services over which all movies/series are spread nowadays and the way companies force FOMO in people is infuriating.

[@senseisprotege3632]

💯 🙌🏽. Choice is 🔑. To me at least.

[@erenk261]

Where to download IMAX movie?

[@possiblyinsane6995]

why are you infuriated with a companies distribution channels? that some entitled shit

[@microsofttechsupport3622]

There was a scene on No Way Home that they talk about something that’s not in frame on the regular Dolby version but then I went to the IMAX showing and you can tell what they were pointing out. I hope Sony releases the imax version and I hope Disney releases the imax blu rays

[@heavenlyesthetis9084]

What scene(

[@arshawitoelar7675]

What scene?

[@WilliumBobCole]

I would really like to see how the difference in bitrate actually affects image quality, it's really impossible to notice that from this zoomed out side by side comparison

[@CameronKiesser]

Widescreen videos are so much better as it fills up the entire 16:9 screen I paid for. Filling up my tv gives far better immersion. I actually like "negative space". Framing your shots as an aspect ratio with black bars (fullscreen, scope) but filming with 16:9 widescreen looks so cool to me.

[@andmicbro1]

I agree, a lot of close up shots in modern movies feel almost claustrophobic to me at times. Like it's so close it feels like I'm standing way to close to someone while talking to them. Having more room makes the shot feel a lot more like a close intimate conversation without being uncomfortably close. And being able to see more of the surroundings gives a better reference for where things are happening. Since almost all TVs are 16:9 it really makes sense to display the video in 16:9 instead of widescreen. If you've got a projector then you can be a bit more flexible with the aspect ratio, but in a regular HDTV 16:9 is king.

[@CameronKiesser]

@@andmicbro1 Whenever I watch a movie with widescreen(16:9) it's just is so amazing. Especially with 1080p or 4K. Just sucks you into the world.

[@ZambonieDude]

@@andmicbro1 Tell that to Zack Synder.

[@krane15]

Negative space is an important too in film production. That said, there is nothing magical about filling the screen. Especially since there are aspect ratios much greater than 16:9. Which in itself, is a compromise.

[@CameronKiesser]

@@krane15 That's your opinion. For me and many others a fully filled screen is immersive.

[@Nelthalin]

Thanks for this test Vincent! And i totally agree with you conclusion. While i love the higher quality of blue ray disks it cannot make up for the viewing experience these Imax Enhanced titles offer. I personally stopped buying Marvell movies for now because of this. I dont think there is any reason why they could not launch this on Disk since for example the batman movies are switching back and forth between normal and Imax apect rations when watching the 4K blueray version on disk. I hope more movies will feature these aspect ratio's or 16:9 thats one think i like a bout a lot of netflix content its full screen. An yes OLED has a harder time with the ABL but i love how the A90J is handeling that so far. (A9G was truggeling at times).

[@krane15]

False. A movie is only as good as its production, and that goes a lot further than simply aspect ratio alone.

[@Nelthalin]

@@krane15 off course but with a bad production it's always bad. But that was not what I was talking about I was talking about the examples Vincent gave the Marvell movies and then blue ray scope with better bitrate for audio and video vs streaming with imax aspect ratio. In that case I and Vincent prefer the streaming version with the wider aspect ratio. Productions are similar on both cases.

[@alexatkin]

I wont stop buying because that would sign the death of Bluray which is limping along as it is. They want us to not own anything so we have to pay forever, and what if they suddenly decide all this content is taking up too much storage for not enough viewers, then you have no Bluray to buy and no streaming version either.

[@Nelthalin]

@@alexatkin i will still buy but nothing from disney. I hope more streaming services will get quality like Bravia core. That one is really good! Only audio is still a issue because of the media tech chipset screwing things up. Blue ray audio is still better. But iq wise it's very close to blueray

[@MaximizedAction]

The reason for Disney not to publish this ratio to BR or any physical media is to give their streaming service an upper hand - exclusiveness

[@Killmaster7]

I just hope they eventually update our digital copies on Movies Anywhere with the Imax AR versions as an option. I’m not rebuying any of them.

[@EpicGamerWinXD69]

That's not gonna happen.

[@UnitedRedDevil13]

Would be nice if at least iTunes/apple did that like they did with free 4K upgrades.

[@Lil_Valor]

Why is it that our TVs have gotten bigger, yet aspect ratios have gotten smaller and smaller

[@darkshines800]

At the end of the day the best aspect ratio to watch a film in, is the one it was intended for, where the director and DOP have framed and blocked their shots to maximise the impact of what they're shooting. Being able to access an IMAX version at all is exciting though, as films shot intentionally for IMAX can really be impressive.

[@elkartian]

I've just been watching the Disney plus imax enhanced films on my Sony Bravia AF9 4K 55 Oled. Its a brilliant experience and as far as I'm concerned the imax versions are the best I've seen so far, it really does bring the cinema experience home

[@Zerobob26]

It's criminal that films directly produced for streaming services aren't in IMAX or 16:9 format by default. Most films are now watched in the living room on a 16:9 TV!

[@wafflesforbrains9502]

Filmmakers don't care about what works the best for your TV. They care about what works best for the film. Even a lot of TV series now are ditching 16:9 for 2:35:1. The Marvel movies are shot with the intent to be seen in varying aspect ratios, so you can benefit from the larger frame. Most films aren't.

[@aaromon43]

criminal would be the intentional watering down of content to suit TV owners. 16:9 is a compromised aspect ratio (born as the middle ground between two extremes--4:3 & 2.39:1). 2:1 seems to be the default streaming aspect ratio these days for tv shows which is at least a step in the right direction towards a wider AR. still prefer scope for film and always will, and i say that as someone who enjoys all aspect ratios and watches content on both a TV, and a 160" projection setup.

[@cjplay2]

@@wafflesforbrains9502 agreed. A scope film wants to enhance the distance of 2 people sharing screen real estate. Doing that on a 16x9, to the HDTVTest video's point, makes shots "feel" different. I agree with filmmakers choosing wider ratios. Please keep testing projectors, @hdtvtest!

[@PSYCHOV3N0M]

Nah. What's really criminal is that there aren't native 21:9 TV's available to buy. I recall LG showing off a 21:9 OLED TV many many years ago but I don't think it ever made it to the market.

[@PSYCHOV3N0M]

@@wafflesforbrains9502 I believe Superman and Lois uses that wider more cinematic aspect ratio compared to 99% of TV shows filmed in 16:9.

[@jonmayer]

Usually an aspect ratio is another part used in story telling. Most directors and editors keep the imax ratios limited to scenes where they want you to see it all. It is interesting that this entire movie could have the larger aspect ratio though. It's an odd decision to purposefully waste space (lose picture) on consumer blurays when you know almost all of the TVs will be 16:9.

[@MattFralala]

Vincent, firstly incredible work as always! But I seem to remember you saying LG TVs had a tendency to increase/decrease the overall brightness of the panel when particularly bright scenes are shown. Do you think this could be why the overall brightness is affected in wide-screen as the TV is compensating for the black bars? Might be worth a test with a Sony/Panasonic OLED as well!

[@K_ingh16]

I didn't know you were British, loved the joke about the Christmas quiz

[@joevictor53]

I can't believe I had to scroll down this far to find a comment about that joke

[@MrDogtown22]

Surely they can do the same on discs?

[@coljjw4019]

I d'led the IMAX Enhanced version of 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' a few weeks ago. It was sourced from Sony's 'Bravia Core' streaming service, had the Atmos track from the 4K UHD disc and was 72 GB in size. 🙊

[@BozQ]

I've been searching for this for a long time and can never find it

[@mareklesniak8768]

It shouldn't be called 'expanded' aspect ratio, as it's just a regular 16:9 which is also standard for blu-rays. Question arises, why those movies were cropped to widescreen AR in the first place? Also, keep in mind, at some point Disney may take those movies off the list from the streaming service and you won't be able to watch them anymore. So, to me this 'expanded' version is just a pure marketing to bring more sales to for streaming service.

[@bighands69]

Because the optical aspect of the movie is widescreen not 16:9 full screen. The main purpose of 16:9 is to try and get the aspect as close to the film as possible. IMAX enhanced is a gimmick that unfortunately will probably end up being the norm. On a large TV screen you want the image to be as close to native as possible and not some gimmick. It is the reason why digital cinema theatres have taken over as people were lied to.

[@michael-r4k]

Why would Disney ever take their own first-party, exclusive content off their own streaming service?

[@BassLiberators]

@@michael-r4k To boost blu ray sales.

[@michael-r4k]

@@BassLiberators If they were concerned with blu ray sales they wouldn't have made Disney+ in the first place.

[@MegaFinalRound]

@@BassLiberators physical media is gradually giving way to streaming.

[@dyn9726]

at 3:17 , On how things look bigger, Corridor Digital has covered it in their VFX react where they are showing Game of Thrones dragons look bigger because of the cut out from the frame if you want to watch Corridor statement, its specifically " VFX Artists React to Bad & Great CGi 28 " at 4:25

[@Detroit_Dawg]

Someone please explain to me the point of the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen? Why are they there? I never got it. I have a 60" TV I want it all filled, why add the bars and make the picture smaller? Old 4:3 TVs did this to make it widescreen, but all TVs sold now are widescreen already, so the bars are not needed anymore! Why do they still exist??? Whats the point?

[@df4196]

Yes you see more in the IMAX enhanced but the framing is clearly for 2.39:1 More is not necessarily better.

[@blingdaddyx]

finally someone with a brain here

[@DaBombDiggidy88]

Do you think 21:9 or some version of ultrawide will ever make it to televisions? I absolutely love watching content on this screen because it naturally fills my screen vs having black bars. Feel like it'd be an easy marketing ploy as a "theater tv" or something along those lines.

[@EpicGamerWinXD69]

That's one area streaming unquestionably has physical media beat. They change aspect ratio depending on the content.

[@NL0Gwenster]

We used to have 21:9 televisions. Phillips had a range. Like 15 years ago. But yes I've been thinking about getting 21:9 back to big tv's. I have an ultra wide 21:9 since 2015 for my PC. I have a 21:9 on my phone since last year with the xperia 1 mk2 and I feel like letterbox wide screen is perfect on these. As well as gaming, I think is more immersive in 21:9, than @16:9, even tho I have a 55 inch A90J hooked up to my computer as well. I mostly use my 34 inch wide screen still for gaming.

[@DaBombDiggidy88]

@@NL0Gwenster 100% with the gaming aspect of it. 21:9 is a much more natural view. I've found it most telling with driving games in cockpit view. Much closer to what you see IRL than the claustrophobic 16:9

[@krane15]

We moved from 4:3 to 16:9. All aspect ratios are a compromise to one extent or another.

[@PowerControl]

Does anybody remember 4:3 screens as TVs? Luxury problems...

[@SidVidZid]

The point about close up scenes is 👍👍

[@KASmonkeys]

I think physical media is only a clear advantage on a large projector and audio quality/definition is a must. :) Thanks

[@cloudxenogear]

Wish this taller aspect ratio become standard in normal cinemas and 4K blu-ray disc. Maximize screen real estate >>>> smaller viewing with big black bar.

[@shirgall]

Now compare the impact of the bit rates...

[@VinnyCThatWhoIBe]

This pains me to no end. Especially when coupled with (from what I've seen) an inferior audio track. So now we have to choose, "better" picture (larger aspect ratio, better HDR format, lower bitrate) or actually better audio.

[@pliablefoe4337]

back in my day "open matte" was a bad thing. if these extended versions are supposedly the "best" versions of the movie, why were we not shown that in the theater?

[@halfvader8015]

Because while on tv you can change the height of the picture as the width is the constant, in non true imax cinemas, it's the height that's the constant and the width that changes (how does no-one ever notice the black curtains?!!!). So if you wanted to do the aspect changes there, you'd have to start with the width being greatly reduced.

[@HEAVYHEARTSMUSIC]

well... you were shown it in theaters, you just had to go to an IMAX location that supported the 1.90 aspect ratio

[@tyrantcodex002]

Even though it looks nicer I’ve tried it and if you don’t have high speed internet everything becomes a blur (especially when there’s so much action in it) like there’s no point in imax enhanced when you don’t have the speed for it.

[@FreakyAndrew428]

Thank you so much for doing this video. I was waiting for someone to do a detailed comparison.

[@stsxt05]

This review sadly completely misses the other most important element , whilst there are obvious advantages of having the Aspect ratio improved by Disney the medium completely leaves out the IMAX audio soundtrack, as a professional reviewer I am dispppointed that you haven’t even mentioned this major omission. Why doesn’t IMAX include the full IMAX product and release its entire capability on disc since streaming does not currently support DTS X which is required to enable IMAX audio? Disney is a stream that only offers IMAX in part, true IMAX enhanced includes a load of audio changes too . I use a Denon 4500h AVR , in my Denon menu, and using a source disc playing a true IMAX enhanced movie which is played on my Panasonic 820 I leverage the AVR which has full IMAX capability. This only occurs when you play an IMAX disc as it triggers extra settings. This is why streaming isn’t the right way to go as you only get a compromised experience, for true IMAX you have to have an IMAX capable AVR not a streaming set top box or tv . Denon produces a number of AVRs that are IMAX capable, along with others such as Marantz and Onkyo, you unfortunately cannot derive full IMAX enhanced from eArc , TVs or the likes of Disney+, Netflix etc, all of whom offer a part only presentation of the IMAX medium. IMAX audio is very different and you need a significant speaker configuration to appreciate it, the audio from IMAX is a cry down version of what you hear at an IMAX cinema, only cut down as an IMAX cinema has a huge number of speakers to deliver the extra sound channels and deeper base, Im running a 7.2.4 (11.2processing) to try and get as close as possible. IMAX Enhanced soundtracks differ from most DTS:X soundtracks in two ways: they contain an audio object and they are pre bass managed. IMAX theatrical soundtracks have 12 channels: typical 7.1.4 plus an Upper Centre speaker at the top of the (tall) IMAX screen. The IMAX Enhanced program brings the IMAX theatrical version of a movie to home video using the DTS:X format. Since the DTS:X format doesn't have a speaker location at the top of the screen, the IMAX 12th channel (Upper Centre) is encoded as an object in 3D space. That's one way IMAX Enhanced soundtracks are different from most DTS:X soundtracks. IMAX theatrical soundtracks don't contain a LFE channel; they're 12.0 channels, not 11.1 channels. IMAX movie theatres feed their subs via bass management: all the channels are high passed at 70Hz using a 24dB per octave filter and everything below that range goes to the subwoofer. The crossovers in most consumer devices are 12dB per octave. So all the channels (and lone object) on an IMAX Enhanced disc come already high-passed at 70Hz using a 12dB per octave filter and everything below that range goes to the .1 channel. When played back at home, the 12dB crossover in the receiver is combined with the 12dB filtered soundtrack to sum to a 24dB per octave high pass at 70Hz. Exactly like in an IMAX theatre. So that's another way IMAX Enhanced soundtracks are different from DTS:X soundtracks.

[@hdtvtest]

@Steve Tucker: 1) The LG C1 OLED TVs used in this side-by-side comparison don't even support DTS. 2) The main focus on this channel is picture quality, not audio. 3) This video is not meant to be an exhaustive review. If we wanted to cover every single aspect in every video, we'll end up never publishing a single one.

[@stsxt05]

@@hdtvtest understood Sir but if we are to review in a meaningful way we don’t normally review just half a product, the sound stage is critical to every time you play a movie surely , and the fact that Disney is unable to deliver the full product in my humble view is a major failing which at least deserves a mention.Disneys marketing is such that 90% of users don’t fully understand that the IMAX product even has its own soundtrack which integrates completely with the delivery of the movie so why miss it out? I know you are mainly picture orientated and I really value your expertise in this arena, but sound is also just as important and would bring the physical disc back to where it belongs as the number one choice for delivering the very best in movie presentation. I also want to own the movie not the license that allows me to play it , and a lot of us don’t have a good enough internet connection to play these items effectively.

[@qSPARTANp]

@@stsxt05 To a degree, you settle your own argument... "90 of user don't fully understand that..." 99% of Disney streamers probably do not have a unit capable of playing the expanded audio either. As Vincent states, he is about the screen - not the sound. Are you not subbed to an audiophile channel?

[@stsxt05]

@@qSPARTANp lol I know exactly what Vincent does I’ve followed the channel for a long time but I’m also in the industry , im trying to get it seen that IMAX as a product is superb if implemented correctly, I just wanted Vincent to include all the functionality of the product rather than just the video side of things, to all of us who support the physical disc as a medium we are being short changed by Disney who only offer a part solution as they know full well they cannot broadcast DTS X the required element for the soundtrack. We don’t help our cause if we willingly then review it without mentioning the basics of what IMAX is , leaving those that are still learning about it in the dark. I’m just asking for a balanced review , I’m sure Vincent appreciates where I’m coming from, and yes just as Vincent is an expert reviewer in video I’ve spent 37 years in the audio visual world as a profession so I know a little. I’d like to thank Vincent for the part review and I look forward to the full review in due course, wishing you, your families and everyone else out there a peaceful and safe Christmas and 2022.

[@qSPARTANp]

@@stsxt05 Merry Christmas 🎅

[@georgev.h.7710]

Almost every movie is nowadays recorded in a 16:9 and later framed in the cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio so we loose a lot of image. If Disney has released these "enhanced" aspect ratio versions for their Marvel movies it is just to promote their platform, they now don't care a lot about the physical releases.

[@Gryph30]

Physical disc for me. I loved blu ray when it first dropped. The detail on the 1080p tvs back then was amazing. Really the limitation for the 2160p tvs now. It can only go dark to an extent. I'd rather have the better sound as well along with the way a movie should be viewed. I do not like it when it is super bright on parts of movies. Bring back plasma tv's, imagine a 2160p Plasma!

[@lucidhysteria]

Very helpful - especially the comparisons between the IMAX enhanced and normal widescreen versions of Black Panther. Thanks for the info!

[@volerasphere]

The problem with watching the IMAX enhanced versions on Disney+ is that it forces my TV to only use 3 picture settings: Dolby Vision Light, Dolby Vision Dark and Dynamic modes. All my TV's other picture modes (Standard, Cinematic, etc.) are disabled while watching them. They need to fix it so I can use any picture settings whenever I please.

[@MonkeyDude1999]

I own A LOT of regular blurays and now I’ve started buying 4K UHD blurays. It’s great honestly and I’m very satisfied with it, but I must confess that I also really really enjoy my 4K Apple TV collection and even disneyplus and Netflix for that matter… i really don’t get “the DD+ version of Dolby Atmos is bad” thing… I’ve watched many youtube comparisons and yes 4K UHD audio is better, BUT NOT BY THAT MUCH! It’s still very much enjoyable. I have an LG 65C9 and man does EVERYTHING look nice on it. DV looks amazing whether I watch it on disneyplus or Apple TV etc (I haven’t seen DV on a 4K disc yet, I don’t even think it exist in Belgium tbh I’ve looked everywhere and couldn’t find a damn 4K blu-ray movie with DV only hdr10 but whatever…) Normal Blu-ray movies look really great, 4K HDR movies look awesome but because those look awesome doesn’t mean all of a sudden that the normal Blu-ray doesn’t look good anymore… the same with audio. Yes Dolby True HD is what you want and need BUT that doesn’t mean DD+ can’t also be really fun and awesome… comparison is the death of joy and man ow man do people into hometheater like to ruin things for themselves by comparing WAY too much…🙄 Edit: I have an LG 65C9, Panasonic DP-UB450 4K UHD Blu-Ray player (it has EVERYTHING the more expensive models have except wifi and stuff but audio/video wise it has everything), Yamaha Aventage RX-A2040, klipsch RP600M (L+R), klipsch RP504C (center channel) and klipsch SPL-150 subwoofer. Apple TV, disneyplus and Netflix are from the TVOS. I’m planning to expand my 3.1.0 setup in the future to a 5.1.4 setup but this 3.1 setup is no slouch by all means! It’s a great setup and I love watching movies on it. It’s way better than a soundbar or whatever and I really do feel like I’m in a ‘theater’. Whether I’m watching 4K blurays or disneyplus. THAT WAS MY WHOLE POINT. Yes setup matters of course it does but the formats you’re watching on your great setup DOESN’T as much…

[@PeterScream]

Assesing audio differences would be different depending on audio setup (avr , amplification and speakr config)

[@gordonk9001]

If you have a genuinely great sound system then it’s a night and day difference.

[@ericcarrion5803]

I have the Sony ubp 800 m it’s in America and it has Dolby vision if you want it

[@MonkeyDude1999]

@@PeterScream I made an edit in my original comment. And yes I do agree that the setup makes the difference but I don’t agree that the formats you’re playing matter that much if you have a great setup.

[@MonkeyDude1999]

@@gordonk9001 yes of course I agree, but whether you’re playing DD+ or Dolby True HD on your great setup doesn’t matter that much does it? The setup itself matters

[@Viking4real]

They need to introduce Imax Enhanced picture mode and not just the aspect ratio, I prefer it to Dolby Vision.

[@geiers6013]

Finally a step for even better viewing experience. Now they need to also add it to blu-rays.

[@HardCold-Alquan]

What exactly is BETTER about it? I can always watch a 16X9 movie on a Blu-Ray...

[@geiers6013]

@@HardCold-Alquan You would have to cropp in for that. Since the films on disney+ are shot on Imax they have this aspect ratio without cropping in in most scenes.

[@HardCold-Alquan]

@@geiers6013 I don't have to crop anything if the film is presented in 16x9 - like a great, many films are!

[@geiers6013]

@@HardCold-Alquan But most films are not and Imax enhanced is definitely a step in the right direction.

[@HardCold-Alquan]

@@geiers6013 Believe it or not, most are filmed in a FORM of 19X9. Tell me what IMAX Enhanced does

[@Leisurous]

the framing is better in imax i never realised it cut off so much of peoples heads look at the framing on1:15 and see how in the imax version we never lose eye contact with the character but in the widescreen blue=ray version his head is cut off and we get mr.zoro over here with the mask

[@gbej1]

Vincent’s jokes followed by a ding are just priceless

[@liggerstuxin1]

I wonder when we’re going to get 4K video for just our regular cable channels. I know there are packages where you can get additional channels in 4K but how long is it going to take till it’s the standard? It’s crazy that we can have 8K TVs but there’s nothing to actually play it besides computers. We’re so far behind on 4K content.

[@meritofapproval]

✅

[@krane15]

Thee are no completely 4K feature films either. So there's that.

[@Dilzy23]

I prefer the black bars and wider 2.39:1 ratio. It gives more of a cinema feel for me.

[@falmatrix2r]

I love physical media but it’s getting harder to justify…this IMAX stuff is just really nice Even if they update the Blu-ray, gonna have to buy again I wish we moved to a USB stick. Lots of space and can be updated if needed, no spinning disc noise, no reading hiccups…call it the Blu-Stick UHD+ Max

[@TheBlueB0mber]

I was wondering about this. Excellent breakdown & explanation, thank you!

[@HoIyGrail]

Only thing to do, if you have the technical knowledge, is to rip the audio off the Blu Rays, and Remux it with the IMAX Video. Only way right now to have the best versions.

[@gamestation2690]

The problem is that I don't know how to burn my own 4K Blu-Ray with an HEVC codec.

[@outsideredge]

Big MCU fan here. Thanks for this video. It's hard to justify the price of the UHD Blu Ray when more features and a wider aspect ratio are available on streaming, even at the cost of arguably lost audio quality. I will admit I haven't bought an MCU Blu Ray since I got Disney+.

[@madfinntech]

Taller aspect ratio. Not wider.

[@joeykeilholz925]

If you care about audio then it's extremely easy to justify

[@iceman00behave]

@@joeykeilholz925 Also if you care about owning a license, rather than renting one via subscription, or if you have a slow or spotty internet connection

[@outsideredge]

@@iceman00behave True. You are in effect, renting movies vs owning them with streaming services. But there is no other option with the death of rental stores, thanks to video streaming. You also have to add in the convenience factor of being able to stream pretty much anywhere (if you don't have the movie stored on your phone) vs carrying around a portable blu-ray player. There is no ultimate definitive option. I was a big fan of buying the UHD Blu Ray bundles that come with the digital copy, but then now you have a situation where more of the special features are on the streaming version.

[@t0biascze644]

4K HDR burays have the taller aspect ratio like imax

[@jeromevet007]

More screen use is better. Altho i also have seen quite some film who make good use of switching between aspect ratios depending on the scene. But wasnt imax a 4:3 aspect ratio ? So imax enhanced is 16:9ish ?

[@ghostviggen]

Unless you sit with a 2.35 screen at home.

[@budthecyborg4575]

Yeah if they really want to show people the IMAX image it's going to have to be in 8K to retain detail with a 4:3 ratio.

[@GameSack]

Correct, true IMAX is closer to 4:3. You are still missing a lot of trivia, LOL.

[@abeachristine5446]

IMAX Digital. MCU Movies are IMAX Digital 1.90:1 AR. MCU IS NOT Nolan Film Shot on IMAX Film with taller AR 1.43:1 (70mm IMAX)

[@aterikasedi]

People now watch movies at home on TV. The rate of going to the cinema-theatre has decreased a lot. Why should movies be broadcast in 21:9 format as if we are watching them on a cinema screen and reduce the field of view? It is a logical move. All movies should now be broadcast in full screen 16:9 format.

[@robertoosory398]

Good vid. Color and audio enhancements?

[@constantdissenter5825]

I really enjoy your thorough reviews.

[@Sheepy007]

So Hollywood went from 4:3 to 16:9 to 21:9 Back to 16:9 again, claiming each time that this is the true Cinema experience.

[@apokalypz]

I never understood why we couldn't always have IMAX widescreen in ultra bluray hopefully we can purchase IMAX widescreen in physical media it's quite vexing

[@almanac520]

It’s not as cinematic. AR is a choice

[@RKoen2006]

Hollywood movies are wider than the Imax 16'9 screen only a few movie will be made into it in disney Plus for tv's.

[@Creelick67]

I do love the IMAX enhanced versions in terms of video. Streaming services have gottem much better in their compression technology. The biggest knock on Disney+ is the lack of lossless audio codecs.

[@alexatkin]

I don't understand that either, its not like it would increase the bitrate that much compared to going from 1080p to 4K. Then again Amazon and Netflix are throttling bitrates horribly in the UK now. The weird thing is, Netflix seem to throttle 1080p so it gets bad macro-blocking in motion, but not 4K - so what bandwidth are they saving exactly?

[@gabriel101x]

Lossless audio is completely pointless. Nobody can actually tell the difference between a lossless audio stream and 320kbps AAC in a blind test.

[@Creelick67]

@@gabriel101x This is so false, I can't even believe you typed this. I have a dedicated theater room and a calibrated 7.1.2 Atmos setup and even a layman can tell the difference. Decibles are higher, surrounds are clearer, more defined sound stage. In fact, I believe lossless audio is more important and noticeable than the uptick in video bitrate between UHD Blu Ray and streaming services. Of course, if you have cheap speakers/equipment, a poorly setup room or are just listening on Airpods, you may not be able to tell. Equipment and room accoustics make all the difference. I would research this a bit more if I were you. ;)

[@gabriel101x]

@@Creelick67did you actually do a proper blind ABX test or are you just giving your subjective opinion prone to bias? And what bitrate did you compare the losses against?

[@forrandomsites3336]

@@Creelick67 Also, isn't 320kbps aac useless? Like is there any difference between audio quality _aside from size_ difference between 256 and 320kbps aac?

[@lvri0407]

Your video demonstrate only one thing : Marvel movies are made by "yes man" who doesn't even think about the ratio they want for their movies in order to tell their stories. It prooves they think about nothing before shooting these movies. Disney uses Imax as a commercial trick, and everybody just think about "oh look, there is more image"... God, this is just ridiculous. Disney+ will never offer the same quality as a 4K disc, period. Imax is just commercial here. Directors of these movies did not think their shot in Imax, but in scope. And, at the end, Imax will not make these movies better...

[@TwerpXNation]

This channel is a gift.

[@Krshna28]

It's just laziness from Disney to not provide the IMAX for 4KBD and withold extra features. Although they could be planning another physical release.

[@JJC1138]

Great analysis, thank you! I love the convenience of streaming, so I dearly wish the streaming services would just offer a premium version with video and audio bitrates that match the UHDBD versions. Take my money, please Disney/Netflix/Apple/Amazon!

[@audiovideo4166]

How about the quality of the image? The Disney+ versions are about 1/2 or 1/3rd of the file size so there's less information with a lower bitrate. How does it hold up on a 65" screen and on a 120 or 150? The audio is also a big let down imo on Disney+ as it's still compressed and not the uncompressed that's on the disc which is WAY more dynamic and impactful.

[@michaelfoster3441]

100 % true I have watch both versions imax enhance and 4k bluray , though Disney atmos mixes suck , I have a full theater and the 4k bluray destroy the imax enhance as far as audio and the picture is better to better contrast and better skin tones .

[@Skeware]

I always prefer the expanded image version, just because it shows more. Even though it's nice on cinemas to have the wider aspect ratio, it still crops the image, therefore I'd rather have the expanded version on theaters as standard...

[@Isoquant]

Disney needs to release the IMAX versions of these films on 4k blu ray.

[@MeowStationOrignal]

You make me never want to blue ray disc ever again based off your comparison. I’m genuinely glad I found your channel. Keep up the good work. It’s just sad the blue ray disc doesn’t give you an option to change the aspect ratio.

[@t0biascze644]

4K HDR blurays have the IMAX aspect ratio

[@MeowStationOrignal]

@@t0biascze644 that’s not what he said

[@TheSubZero187]

@@t0biascze644 not the Disney ones. Only one is first Avengers but it always had it. Disney handicapped the discs

[@ZeeZeeBun]

The blurays are better for one reason. You actually own them....

[@aaperez58]

Thank you for the explanation Disney pretty much like apple like to control their consumers. Disney at one point released their films once every 7 years or so to keep a new fresh audience coming to enjoy their movies. It seems that more or less has now ended and their movies are available without these 7-year long stretches now with the streaming their controlling again the consumer by having this Disney Plus extra available only through their streaming platform. At the end of the day all you're paying for is the right to stream it at any given time they can decide to change their policy and you can no longer stream that particular version and if you haven't purchased the 4K as you say that it's not necessary to purchase you can't watch it at your leisure. The consumer is the one who was really at risk here they own nothing when you agreed to their release it's more like you're renting it until they feel like it. And yes there's no doubt the quality is obviously better but is it really worth it that's debatable and a choice the person or the consumer makes but don't cry when they change the policy.

[@copioustime7029]

And? It’s their product, they have every right to do that just like you have every right to not allow others to use your property… to control their consumer is a joke, they’re trying different things to make their product different to others on the market. They don’t owe you nor I anything.

[@DellSnooze]

What in the world are you talking about…? Since when did they release films 7 years apart?? 1. 1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (G) 2. 1940: Pinocchio (G) 3. 1940: Fantasia (G) 4. 1941: The Reluctant Dragon 5. 1941: Dumbo (G) 6. 1942: Bambi (G) 7. 1943: Saludos Amigos 8. 1943: Victory Through Air Power 9. 1945: The Three Caballeros (G) 10. 1946: Make Mine Music 11. 1946: Song of the South (G) 12. 1947: Fun and Fancy Free 13. 1948: Melody Time 14. 1949: So Dear to My Heart (G) 15. 1949: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

[@copioustime7029]

@@DellSnooze they're referring to the retail releases of the movies... Disney would release their films on VHS and DVD for set periods of time to create an artificial shortage & demand for them. once the period for them being available ended. they could not be released for many years later again. that's why now there are VHS tapes of movies like Beaty and the beast that are worth thousands of dollars, because of the way they were released and how many were available.

[@DellSnooze]

@@copioustime7029 Ahhh, that makes more sense 👍

[@AndyGilleand]

You see more, but the cinematography was framed around the scope aspect, so the visuals look worse as a result.

[@geometrydashiuppiter6910]

Not really. Especially Infinity War, you can tell the scope ratio really kills the movie, especially during the action scenes. You get the feeling that some things are cut off.

[@AndyGilleand]

@@geometrydashiuppiter6910 No, I've compared many scenes, and scope is framed so much better in Infinity War

[@geometrydashiuppiter6910]

@@AndyGilleand I wish I could agree but no, I feel like the action sequences were clearly shot with the IMAX ratio in mind. They just look a lot more messy with the scope ratio. Action sequences aside though, the movie still looks good with the scope ratio, although some close-ups on Thanos felt a little exaggerated. Overall, IMAX is by far the best way to watch the movie in my opinion, and it pisses me the fuck off that it is only available on a streaming service and not on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

[@AndyGilleand]

@@geometrydashiuppiter6910 the IMAX ratio shows more, but it's clear the shots were composed with scope being the focus. The scope versions have better balance and focus to them. Seeing more isn't the most important thing to making a shot look good.

[@geometrydashiuppiter6910]

@@AndyGilleand I agree with everything you just said. But still, the action sequences look a lot better with the IMAX ratio in my opinion. I can see your point as far as dialogue scenes and the like are concerned.

[@pzencovich]

At the end, you have to choose for more image and lossy audio, or less image and lossless audio...I choose #2.

[@julianmorgan5994]

Na. Full image any day. It still sounds amazing to my ears.