Disney+ is about to get a new feature that will certainly put it ahead of any of its streaming rivals. Disney is getting ready to roll out heavily upgraded versions of 12 popular Marvel movies this month. The movies will be available in the larger IMAX format, meaning they’ll fill more of the screen rather than sticking with the horizontal black borders. Now, this may seem strange, but frankly, I’m amazed this hasn’t been a thing already.
You’ve likely got a 16:9 aspect ratio TV, that’s the market standard now, and it has been and will be for some time now. However, most movies from Marvel are shot in the wider 2.31:1 format, which results in some black bars at the top and bottom of your screen. We’re all pretty much used to this format now; it’s not uncommon to see black bars on a movie. However, IMAX uses the larger 1.9:1 ratio, which is 26% taller than 2.35:1, meaning the image will almost fill your 16:9 screen. There will be black bars, but they’re very small indeed.
What’s amazing is that no other streaming platform offers movies with a shifting aspect ratio. I didn’t even realise myself, but if you watch a movie like Avengers: Endgame on Blu-Ray, when they switch to an IMAX shot, the screen is full height, then back to the extra-wide format for other shots, as the moviemakers intended. However, while streaming them, it would stay with the black bars, and you would miss the top of the image. That’s not uncommon, as this is how it would look in none IMAX cinemas anyway. Of course, they’ve finally figured out that people with TVs can enjoy that extra screen space on streaming platforms.
The IMAX Enhanced format will unleash on Disney+ on November 12th. However, the option to watch the older widescreen format will still be available, pointless if you’re watching on a 16:9 panel, but that would be handy if you have a protector that’s already using the 2.31:1 output. Further benefits will include DTS sound and Dolby Atmos support, Dolby Vision, HDR10, and they’re all in 4K too. Overall, it looks like Disney are leading the charge when it comes to getting streaming more in line with physical media, and it’s about damn time!
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