How big is a high format movie file theatres get for their screenings, and can we also access these versions as consumers in any way?

Submitted by niklasd2003 t3_11cf674 in movies

Hey, I was wondering how big the file of a high format movie that is sent to the theatres is going to be. For example, a movie like "Avatar 2: The Way of Water" that is in a 3D/4K/HDR/HFR(48FPS)/IMAX format. I'm wondering if these files are terabytes big?

And is it possible in any way for us consumers to access such movies in this original highest quality? Because I assume that UHD Blu-rays (a popular media in which films are consumed in high quality) are substantially compressed compared to the original theatre quality?! And obviously we consumers always want the best possible quality especially when you are a home theatre enthusiast, so why would these companies not realese these movies in native uncompressed quality for a premium price? I mean there are even official licensed IMAX home theatres for consumers so why should they "just" use UHD Blu-rays (which are often not even in 3D/HFR/IMAX format) when there is a way better version out there?

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Givemeahippo t1_ja2qpgv wrote

They’re DCP files. You could get something like DCP-o-matic to convert it to mp4, but it would be very difficult to actually get ahold of a DCP from a theatre to begin with. Also, it’s just straight up not worth it.

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niklasd2003 OP t1_ja2r31h wrote

Replying to Givemeahippo (#2,021,186)

Why would it not be worth it when the quality is way better? I mean, especially when you have a very good high end home theatre, then you could fully use your whole setup by using the highest format for best immersion (like what you get in a public theatre)

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Consistent-Annual268 t1_ja2s6ak wrote

Replying to Givemeahippo (#2,021,328)

The DCP would be very lightly compressed though. Even the best Blu-rays are compressed down to a 100GB disc. It might make a difference in very dark scenes where compression artifacts are most likely to be evident. But probably not worth it.

The other thing is that the DCP will likely contain 10+ audio channels. Now, whether there is any home theater system that can decode and play it (maybe a properly set up Dolby ATMOS system?) is TBD.

I know in the r/fanedits community there's a lot of stock placed in getting work print copies and 35mm open mattes of movies.

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Indy997 t1_ja3kzpu wrote

You can have a real theater projector in your home and them deliver movies to you just like theaters do, it costs like $5k/mo though.

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Consistent-Annual268 t1_ja3t6lz wrote

Replying to niklasd2003 (#2,027,247)

Essentially, the full image frame as captured by the film or the digital camera sensor, usually in a tall 4:3 aspect ratio before being cropped down to a cinematic wide screen format (1.85:1, 2.35:1 etc.). So it shows off much more vertical space. To be fair, the director and cinematographer would compose the shots for the target aspect ratio, so the extra vertical space is usually visually uninteresting (sky, ground) because all the production design and composition will be set up for the frame they wanted to shoot. But purists are always after it for preservation reasons.

Also, of note to this discussion, it is typically very lightly compressed as it is the version intended to be used for post production and editing so is in the highest available quality.

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igoslowly t1_ja430nu wrote

Kaleidescape is the best at home setup for watching movies. but is $9k and you still have to purchase the movies to watch. the quality is the same and sometime better than 4k disks.

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RoboPuG t1_ja4k1ug wrote

You're chasing something that's not worth it's cost and something that you won't benefit from either. At the distance you're going to be sitting from a high end projector or oled that supposed extra detail won't be visible. UHD bluray is more than enough for the foreseeable future.

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niklasd2003 OP t1_ja4qloe wrote

Replying to igoslowly (#2,030,297)

Thank you, that's what I wanted to know. But I just read that it only downloads movies in Blu-ray quality. So wouldn't that basically not just be like a Blu-ray rip that has exactly the same quality as the UHD Blu-ray disk version?

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