IMAX® ENHANCED PROGRAM CONTINUES MOMENTUM WITH ADDITION OF NEW LEADING STREAMING AND DEVICE PARTNERS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF FIRST BLOCKBUSTER TITLES

Tencent Video, FandangoNOW, Privilege 4K and Rakuten TV to begin streaming first IMAX Enhanced titles from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Paramount Pictures in 2019 Arcam, Elite, Integra, Lexicon, Onkyo, Pioneer, TCL and Trinnov join as de

January 8, 2019

IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) and audio leader, DTS®, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xperi Corporation (Nasdaq: XPER), today announced a significant expansion of their IMAX® Enhanced program to offer consumers a new level of quality in home entertainment. Streaming leaders, Tencent Video, FandangoNOW and Rakuten TV, and global device partners, Arcam, Elite, Integra, Lexicon, Onkyo, Pioneer, TCL and Trinnov have joined the IMAX® Enhanced program. The companies also announced the first IMAX Enhanced blockbuster titles from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Paramount Pictures to be released in 2019.

As part of today’s announcement, Tencent Video (China), FandangoNOW (U.S.), and Rakuten TV (Europe) will stream IMAX Enhanced content to certified devices beginning in 2019. Additionally, Privilege 4K (U.S.) will stream IMAX Enhanced content to select Sony BRAVIA televisions beginning this year. Only digital retailers that meet the highest standards for 4K HDR streaming will be authorized to distribute IMAX Enhanced content.

The companies also announced the first IMAX Enhanced titles to be released on streaming platforms and Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release “Venom” and “Alpha” amongst 15 confirmed launch titles via participating digital retailers. Additionally, Paramount Pictures will make its initial titles available in 2019. In early December 2018, the IMAX documentaries, “Journey to the South Pacific” and “A Beautiful Planet,” were the first IMAX Enhanced Ultra HD Blu-ray discs to be released. They are available for purchase through Amazon and major retailers.

Arcam, Elite, Integra, Lexicon, Onkyo, Pioneer, TCL and Trinnov join Sony Electronics and Sound United brands, Denon and Marantz, as IMAX Enhanced device partners. Arcam, Elite, Integra, Lexicon, Onkyo, Pioneer and Trinnov will offer IMAX Enhanced-certified A/V receivers and TCL will debut IMAX Enhanced-certified televisions in select regions beginning in 2019. Additional information about specific products and availability will be forthcoming.

“We’re encouraged by the significant momentum and high-caliber partners that are embracing the IMAX Enhanced program in just the first few months of its launch,” said IMAX CFO and Head of Corporate Strategy & Development Patrick McClymont. “These premium partners and the blockbuster titles announced today extend our product and content offering and advance our efforts to deliver the best at-home entertainment experiences to more consumers around the world.” 

“We are pleased to announce the growth of the IMAX Enhanced ecosystem with leading studios, streaming services, and device partners who share our vision of raising the bar for home entertainment by delivering the highest quality content to premium devices,” said Xperi EVP and Chief Products and Services Officer, Geir Skaaden.

The IMAX Enhanced program, announced in September 2018, combines the highest-end consumer electronics products with IMAX digitally re-mastered 4K HDR content and DTS audio technologies to offer consumers a new level of quality in immersive sight and sound experiences for the home. Televisions, projectors and A/V receivers from Sony Electronics, A/V receivers from Denon and Marantz, and content collaborations with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Paramount Pictures were announced at launch.

The IMAX Enhanced program uses the newest, proprietary post-production process developed by IMAX to digitally re-master content to produce more vibrant colors, greater contrast and sharper clarity. IMAX and DTS have also partnered with award-winning Hollywood sound mixers to use a special variant of the DTS:X codec technology integrated in home audio equipment to deliver an IMAX signature sound experience with more immersive, powerful sound. The companies are also designing an IMAX Mode or suggesting the most suitable picture mode for the enhanced devices that will be meticulously optimized to play the digitally re-mastered content as the filmmaker intended in the home.

For more information about the IMAX Enhanced program, please visit www.IMAXenhanced.com.