This is the real answer to the "portable 1431" dream. At CES 2024, projector maker XGIMI unveiled the , billing it as the "world's first portable IMAX smart projector". What makes it special is its ability to project at the 1.9:1 and, crucially, the 1.43:1 aspect ratios on a 100-inch screen. While still a niche product, the Horizon Max is the first device that allows a consumer to essentially recreate the IMAX 70mm framing in their own home theater. With a portable projector, you could "do" The Dark Knight in IMAX 1.43 in your backyard, a hotel room, or a friend's house.
Expand vertically to fill a 16:9 (1.78:1) television screen.
The Quest for the 1.43:1 "True IMAX" Ratio Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises were partially shot using 15-perf 70mm IMAX cameras, which produce a nearly square .
Because 1.43:1 is a nearly square format, these "portable" restoration files are best suited for specific hardware: This is the real answer to the "portable 1431" dream
To understand why enthusiasts go to such lengths to build portable rigs for these specific films, you must look at how the frame changes.
is a masterpiece of scale and spectacle. The aspect ratio is used to ground the fantasy in
The format found in standard multiplex IMAX theaters. While taller than standard cinema, it still crops the top and bottom of the original film frame. While still a niche product, the Horizon Max
Check the Science Museum (London) or BFI IMAX schedules for special anniversary screenings.
The IMAX 1431 portable format boasts an impressive array of features, including:
This was the first narrative feature film in history to use IMAX cameras for select scenes, and the result is legendary. The Quest for the 1
If you watch a 1.43:1 "portable" file on a standard 16:9 television, the widescreen scenes will fill the screen normally. However, when an IMAX sequence begins, the image will narrow, creating black bars on the left and right sides of your screen.
When Nolan decided to shoot The Dark Knight on IMAX film, it was a technological leap. Four IMAX cameras were used—one was even famously destroyed during a stunt.
: Large files (~40GB) with high bitrates to preserve grain and detail.