Not necessarily, before this article I did not know that the range of screen sizes considered IMAX™, was so large. That's a pretty damning detail Ars slipped in there and will definitely make me think twice when going to the movies.
It's a huge problem that people that people haven't understood this. For me, it's akin to Apple back in the early days, and to some extent right now, enforcing low bit rate standards on iTunes. They're hinging on enough people not being educated or interested enough to protest. Just because it is possible to get away with this kind of, it really frustrates me because it lowers the standard for the creation and display of art. You may not notice an immediate difference, but you definitely would if they're side by side.
As for the new IMAX screens, not only is it the size of the screen, but the quality of the projector and speaker setup not to mention the actual proportion of the screen as well.
There are only a handful of "true original" IMAX screens. I'm not hating on their brand, I know they've needed to dilute to actually not go bankrupt, but it's important to note that there is a legitimate difference between "large format" (that's the term that's replacing IMAX for legalities sake and so IMAX competitors can be introduced and undercut IMAX licensing fees) and IMAX.
To be totally honest, they're in a lot of trouble as a company and they desperately need to find a way to save their product before competitors like Regals "RPX Experience" ruin them.
Hehe. I swear I had plans for Mad Max on IMAX this weekend way before hearing about this story. Good publicity? So, I will resist buying the super-sized popcorn as my attempt to protest.
All publicity is good publicity, right?