I’ve been ‘Bieber-fied’. Saw the Justin Bieber 3D film today on screen 5, and even though the film was shot with HD-3D cameras and in an aspect ratio of 1.85 – which took most of the wall (2.35 films look terrible on already small screens) – it was quite impressive nonetheless (the movie itself might not have been all that) – the 3D had appropriate depth and the 5.1 lossless sound had tremendous punch.
sorry, I’m on a stream of consciousness – since it appears that AMC now has the money and the actual effort in adding Sony 4K systems in and around it’s theaters in the DC metro area, it would behoeve them to upgrade a couple of other screens here at Tysons, so the films released in harddrive form to the digital projectors and specifically the ETX screen can move inbetween different auditoriums in the complex – it works for the Cinemark Egyptian since all the screens are digital alot of diverse films get the chance to be on the XD screen (examples being ‘The Karate Kid’, ‘Piranha 3D’ ‘Unknown’ etc,)
I’m assuming ETX is like Cinemark’s XD screens where it’s a basic 7.1 set up, but with an 12 speaker configuration (I was off by one) with most of them behind the screen doing alot of matrixing and a couple of bass speakers.
AMC’s explanation of an ETX screen:
“ETX includes a 20-percent larger screen, 3D technology, digital projection and an upgraded sound system. Specifically, the digital projection system produces images comprised of 2 million pixels, which delivers a higher resolution than HD. This eye-popping image is then showcased on a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling screen that immerses guests in the image.
The ETX auditorium also boasts 12 audio channels fueled by 50,000 watts of power, which is a major upgrade and three times the power of typical auditoriums with six audio channels. As a result of this improved sight and sound experience, guests will not simply watch a movie. They will live it in ETX."
I can’t wait to see what film debuts on the ETX screen unfortunatly the date is right inbetween ‘Battle: LA’ and ‘Suckerpunch’
oh and I understand it, ETX screens allow up to 11 channels of sound with the minimum of 7.1 with discrete 4-channel surround sound that is not achievable on the IMAX screen – these ETX presentations could easily sound superior to the IMAX sound setup.
I didn’t realize this, but the theatre has reopened as the AED Globe Theatre – as a multi-use space:
“On Friday July 24 (2009), the new AED Globe Theater in Washington, D.C. will open to the public with a benefit concert by three-time Grammy Award-winning singers Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The performance will help raise funds to support Ghana CEDEM, a Ghanaian NGO dedicated to improving the quality of education for Ghana’s children.
“Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s presence at the AED Globe Theater offers the community a chance to see superb performers in an intimate setting,†said Stephen F. Moseley, President of AED. “These talented musicians will be celebrating our new theater and AED’s place in the community and world.â€
“This theater will host cultural programs, films, and discussions to encourage dialogue and bring the local community, and communities around the world, closer together,†Moseley added."
~~~~
a few films of this year’s Environment Film Festival will be shown next month (March) at the theatre.
that’s terrible news, the point of Cinemark’s XD screens was that other non-IMAX release films could get the big screen treatment, it also served a purpose when a @#$%ty IMAX movie didn’t hog a screen for two to three weeks time (i.e, ‘Sanctum’)
did anyone check out ‘The African Queen’ or ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’ they weren’t 35mm, but in actual 2K DCP harddrive form from Paramount – ‘Queen’ most have looked stunning!
REAL-D 3D system opened on screen 5. Screens 6 and 7 also now have digital projection. Obviousily the hold outs and most obvious next conversions are the two largest auditoriums 1 and 4.
I could nitpick, but I wont …(oh who am I kidding) but a few things I want to point out about the presentation last night (Friday) – was that the curtains were used for the beginning, the beginning of the intermission and obviousily the beginning of the second act of the film [hooray!]. The annyoing thing though was that of course in this day and age, we dumb humans have to be reminded to turn off our phones, pagers, things that go ‘ping’ so, the AFI slide comes up behind the curtain along with the opening whistle [face palm]. As for the print, it’s surprisingly (annoyingly) hit or miss, more notably in the first half of the film than the second. The most noticeable is the beginning of the dance in the gym, it almost seems out of focus and drained of color. In once instance, a reel change results in the next scene the image to jump. Even though 70mm easily trounces hidef bluray resolution, the hidef presentation I saw on HD Net Movies was meticulousily cleaned up to the point it looked like the first time the movie unspooled
As for the sound – wow! it’s very front heavy, while the under the highway rumble scene creates some interesting rear channel sound effects. But the five across front sound is quite remarkable. One flaw though is that when the police lieutenant first address' the Jets in the playground, his voice echoes in the center and immediate left/center channel. The more appropriate moment of echoing voices and best implemented the speaker configuration is the beginning of the song ‘Maria’ – the additional ‘Maria’s’ envelope Tony’s main voice to excellent effect. The spreading out of the music really is the star here and even though early it seems a tad too strident at times, the musical cues and crescendo’s in the second act sound full and grandiose and really add drama to the underlying scenes. Another scene that is brief, beautiful and delicate: is the music cue that Maria dances on the rooftop after the rumble scene, the individual musical instruments creates a wall of sound that seems light and airy and just wonderful translucent – I wish more mixers would go back and resurrect 8-channel SDDS sound. Digital receivers in conjunction with digital projection can allow up to sixteen channels of sound – for someone to mix in a movie with five front + four surrounds AND bass channel could technically produce some really spectacular soundmixes.
you know what you should do Jodar is send them a request via their facebook page – they read it daily and they always address questions/requests – I know I’ve complained on their facebook page before and they have always replied. Which night are you going to see ‘West Side Story’ – I’m more than likely going to Saturday nights screening.
was the Norelco projector ever replaced? I didn’t think so… til now. As for the ‘non-aligned edges of the image’ this is also a problem on the curved Cinerama Dome screen in LA, it’s a problem in that DCI digital projection specifications never has had to address an image (and modify it) on a curved theater screen.
unfortunately the current 3D film now at the Uptown is the craptacular ‘Sanctum’ that’s been getting alot of negative reviews – I have no plans on seeing this, guess I’ll wait for the next film at the Uptown. Considering alot of the films that are being shown on IMAX screens are scope films (2.35) I’d favour seeing them here on the Uptown’s wide screen than paying extra for a screen that adds black borders above and below the image.
Poltergeist at the Embassy? – 70mmm!!, crap! why did my mom take me to see this at the Alexandria Virginia theatre – mind you there, the sound (the rear speaker we sat under) was near assaultive – I went to all the wrong theaters :( … well not all, Star Trek II. E.T., and Gandhi (70mm for all three) at the right theaters.
given it’s the dead of winter, the number of showings per day has decreased dramatically, a four and seven showing only, just this week they added a 10pm showing. Unfortunately, given the fact the theatre added a DLP unit, the choice or implementation of ‘alternative programming’ has yet to booked at this theatre – the one off ‘Carmen 3D’ would be ideal.
it’s been noted that it’s the same 70mm print that the Aero Theatre played last month, which they advertised as being the ‘original 6-track soundtrack’ I can’t wait to see/hear this, this weekend!!
I must be confused, I’m thinking of the theatres that were closer to L Street Screens 1-4 – screen 1 to be exact, the one with the raked seats (early ‘stadium seating’) So, only Fine Arts was the closest screen that was equipped with 70mm, not at the West End 1-4 – right?
so aside from HOOK, STAR TREK III and ALIENS, what other 70mm presentations were shown here as such (I’m kicking myself for not trekking down to see ALIENS there instead of subjecting myself to the small Mazza Galleria screen)
Any chance the WEC might be booking ‘Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives’ in March? I must admit I saw it last November at the Virginia Film Festival, but I’d really like to see it again. Their digital presentation of the film was a letdown.
according to AMC’s website, 7 auditoriums have changed over to digital projection.
I’ve been ‘Bieber-fied’. Saw the Justin Bieber 3D film today on screen 5, and even though the film was shot with HD-3D cameras and in an aspect ratio of 1.85 – which took most of the wall (2.35 films look terrible on already small screens) – it was quite impressive nonetheless (the movie itself might not have been all that) – the 3D had appropriate depth and the 5.1 lossless sound had tremendous punch.
sorry, I’m on a stream of consciousness – since it appears that AMC now has the money and the actual effort in adding Sony 4K systems in and around it’s theaters in the DC metro area, it would behoeve them to upgrade a couple of other screens here at Tysons, so the films released in harddrive form to the digital projectors and specifically the ETX screen can move inbetween different auditoriums in the complex – it works for the Cinemark Egyptian since all the screens are digital alot of diverse films get the chance to be on the XD screen (examples being ‘The Karate Kid’, ‘Piranha 3D’ ‘Unknown’ etc,)
I’m assuming ETX is like Cinemark’s XD screens where it’s a basic 7.1 set up, but with an 12 speaker configuration (I was off by one) with most of them behind the screen doing alot of matrixing and a couple of bass speakers.
AMC’s explanation of an ETX screen:
“ETX includes a 20-percent larger screen, 3D technology, digital projection and an upgraded sound system. Specifically, the digital projection system produces images comprised of 2 million pixels, which delivers a higher resolution than HD. This eye-popping image is then showcased on a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling screen that immerses guests in the image.
The ETX auditorium also boasts 12 audio channels fueled by 50,000 watts of power, which is a major upgrade and three times the power of typical auditoriums with six audio channels. As a result of this improved sight and sound experience, guests will not simply watch a movie. They will live it in ETX."
I can’t wait to see what film debuts on the ETX screen unfortunatly the date is right inbetween ‘Battle: LA’ and ‘Suckerpunch’
oh and I understand it, ETX screens allow up to 11 channels of sound with the minimum of 7.1 with discrete 4-channel surround sound that is not achievable on the IMAX screen – these ETX presentations could easily sound superior to the IMAX sound setup.
the only good about an ETX screen is that non-IMAX films can get the big screen treatment – sounds cool to me!
Auditorium 6’s digital projection system can also present REAL-D 3D features.
I didn’t realize this, but the theatre has reopened as the AED Globe Theatre – as a multi-use space:
“On Friday July 24 (2009), the new AED Globe Theater in Washington, D.C. will open to the public with a benefit concert by three-time Grammy Award-winning singers Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The performance will help raise funds to support Ghana CEDEM, a Ghanaian NGO dedicated to improving the quality of education for Ghana’s children.
“Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s presence at the AED Globe Theater offers the community a chance to see superb performers in an intimate setting,†said Stephen F. Moseley, President of AED. “These talented musicians will be celebrating our new theater and AED’s place in the community and world.â€
“This theater will host cultural programs, films, and discussions to encourage dialogue and bring the local community, and communities around the world, closer together,†Moseley added."
~~~~
a few films of this year’s Environment Film Festival will be shown next month (March) at the theatre.
that’s terrible news, the point of Cinemark’s XD screens was that other non-IMAX release films could get the big screen treatment, it also served a purpose when a @#$%ty IMAX movie didn’t hog a screen for two to three weeks time (i.e, ‘Sanctum’)
did anyone check out ‘The African Queen’ or ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’ they weren’t 35mm, but in actual 2K DCP harddrive form from Paramount – ‘Queen’ most have looked stunning!
REAL-D 3D system opened on screen 5. Screens 6 and 7 also now have digital projection. Obviousily the hold outs and most obvious next conversions are the two largest auditoriums 1 and 4.
I could nitpick, but I wont …(oh who am I kidding) but a few things I want to point out about the presentation last night (Friday) – was that the curtains were used for the beginning, the beginning of the intermission and obviousily the beginning of the second act of the film [hooray!]. The annyoing thing though was that of course in this day and age, we dumb humans have to be reminded to turn off our phones, pagers, things that go ‘ping’ so, the AFI slide comes up behind the curtain along with the opening whistle [face palm]. As for the print, it’s surprisingly (annoyingly) hit or miss, more notably in the first half of the film than the second. The most noticeable is the beginning of the dance in the gym, it almost seems out of focus and drained of color. In once instance, a reel change results in the next scene the image to jump. Even though 70mm easily trounces hidef bluray resolution, the hidef presentation I saw on HD Net Movies was meticulousily cleaned up to the point it looked like the first time the movie unspooled
As for the sound – wow! it’s very front heavy, while the under the highway rumble scene creates some interesting rear channel sound effects. But the five across front sound is quite remarkable. One flaw though is that when the police lieutenant first address' the Jets in the playground, his voice echoes in the center and immediate left/center channel. The more appropriate moment of echoing voices and best implemented the speaker configuration is the beginning of the song ‘Maria’ – the additional ‘Maria’s’ envelope Tony’s main voice to excellent effect. The spreading out of the music really is the star here and even though early it seems a tad too strident at times, the musical cues and crescendo’s in the second act sound full and grandiose and really add drama to the underlying scenes. Another scene that is brief, beautiful and delicate: is the music cue that Maria dances on the rooftop after the rumble scene, the individual musical instruments creates a wall of sound that seems light and airy and just wonderful translucent – I wish more mixers would go back and resurrect 8-channel SDDS sound. Digital receivers in conjunction with digital projection can allow up to sixteen channels of sound – for someone to mix in a movie with five front + four surrounds AND bass channel could technically produce some really spectacular soundmixes.
you know what you should do Jodar is send them a request via their facebook page – they read it daily and they always address questions/requests – I know I’ve complained on their facebook page before and they have always replied. Which night are you going to see ‘West Side Story’ – I’m more than likely going to Saturday nights screening.
was the Norelco projector ever replaced? I didn’t think so… til now. As for the ‘non-aligned edges of the image’ this is also a problem on the curved Cinerama Dome screen in LA, it’s a problem in that DCI digital projection specifications never has had to address an image (and modify it) on a curved theater screen.
unfortunately the current 3D film now at the Uptown is the craptacular ‘Sanctum’ that’s been getting alot of negative reviews – I have no plans on seeing this, guess I’ll wait for the next film at the Uptown. Considering alot of the films that are being shown on IMAX screens are scope films (2.35) I’d favour seeing them here on the Uptown’s wide screen than paying extra for a screen that adds black borders above and below the image.
Poltergeist at the Embassy? – 70mmm!!, crap! why did my mom take me to see this at the Alexandria Virginia theatre – mind you there, the sound (the rear speaker we sat under) was near assaultive – I went to all the wrong theaters :( … well not all, Star Trek II. E.T., and Gandhi (70mm for all three) at the right theaters.
given it’s the dead of winter, the number of showings per day has decreased dramatically, a four and seven showing only, just this week they added a 10pm showing. Unfortunately, given the fact the theatre added a DLP unit, the choice or implementation of ‘alternative programming’ has yet to booked at this theatre – the one off ‘Carmen 3D’ would be ideal.
it’s been noted that it’s the same 70mm print that the Aero Theatre played last month, which they advertised as being the ‘original 6-track soundtrack’ I can’t wait to see/hear this, this weekend!!
I must be confused, I’m thinking of the theatres that were closer to L Street Screens 1-4 – screen 1 to be exact, the one with the raked seats (early ‘stadium seating’) So, only Fine Arts was the closest screen that was equipped with 70mm, not at the West End 1-4 – right?
so aside from HOOK, STAR TREK III and ALIENS, what other 70mm presentations were shown here as such (I’m kicking myself for not trekking down to see ALIENS there instead of subjecting myself to the small Mazza Galleria screen)
JodarMovieFan: I remember seeing ‘Tron’ at this theatre too, but was in 35mm or 70mm, THAT aspect I can’t remember?
Any chance the WEC might be booking ‘Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives’ in March? I must admit I saw it last November at the Virginia Film Festival, but I’d really like to see it again. Their digital presentation of the film was a letdown.
Just a head’s up that there will be three showings of ‘West Side Story’ in glorious 70mm for the film’s 50th Anniversary at the AFI/Silver next month:
Friday February 11: 8:30pm
Saturday (12th): 9:30pm
Sunday (13th): 5:30pm
the new film program (Feb. 2 – Apr.14) came in the Post this morning.
ah-hah, essentially the same problem, but the image on the curved screen at the Cinerama isn’t? that’s odd.
‘Summer Wars’ looks really interesting, might have to check it out!