The MCU will be available in Imax on your TV sets. And yes, that technical jargon actually means something. Earlier this week, Disney announced that a feature called Imax Enhanced will arrive on Disney+ Friday. (It’s one of the many surprises in store for the company’s corporate celebration, Disney+ Day.) For the first time on any streaming service, users can watch 13 Marvel films in the Imax Expanded Aspect Ratio, giving subscribers the closest thing to the huge and splashy theater experience in their homes.
The feature will be available for the following MCU films:
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Iron Man
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Captain America: Civil War
Doctor Strange
Thor: Ragnarok
Black Panther
Avengers: Infinity War
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Captain Marvel
Avengers: Endgame
Black Widow
So you may be wondering, What the hell does this mean exactly? What changes? Well, with those 13 Marvel movies — and it seems likely more will become available in this format — you’ll be able to watch the films in Imax’s 1.90:1 aspect ratio, which fits nicely within 16:9-ratio televisions. Most TVs are made to fit that ratio, while big-budget movies tend to go wider, usually around 2.35:1. But to take aspect-ratio numbers out of this, Imax Enhanced basically means you’ll get way more movie on your television screen. Notice those black bars at the top and bottom of your screen when you watch movies? With Imax Enhanced, those bars will be slim to gone, replaced with more room for footage. Disney boasts that you’ll get “26 percent more picture for select sequences.”
The best part is all you have to do is press play — no extra TV maneuvering required. (Don’t worry: For those of us interested in admiring the original theatrical presentation of “America’s ass,” Disney+ confirmed it would retain that option under a “Versions” tab.) Imax Enhanced will be jazzed up with more features down the line including better audio and sound by DTS, giving you plenty of time to soup up your home-theater sitch.
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