Roving Mars

[Jon K.]

Originally Posted by M. Krass

Most IMAX films are released on DVD, actually.

Wow I actually did not know that, I am sorry for my previous post then. I had always thought that due to the nature of the IMAX movie they were not released on DVD/VHS, or at least those that where just straight IMAX release.

[Arkorobotics]

Originally Posted by Jon K.

Wow I actually did not know that, I am sorry for my previous post then. I had always thought that due to the nature of the IMAX movie they were not released on DVD/VHS, or at least those that where just straight IMAX release.

Apollo 13 was released in IMAX quality, it magnificent!

[Madison]

Originally Posted by Arkorobotics

Apollo 13 was released in IMAX quality, it magnificent!

The IMAX edit of Apollo 13 is shorter than the theatrical edit, interestingly enough, because the original edit is too long to fit on standard IMAX film platters.

Our IMAX theater, the Boeing Theater at Pacific Science Center, recently retrofitted its platter storage mechanisms so as to be able to play Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Polar Express in 3D simultaneously -- meaning that the mechanisms could hold up to 40 miles of film.

[Wetzel]

Originally Posted by M. Krass

The IMAX edit of Apollo 13 is shorter than the theatrical edit, interestingly enough, because the original edit is too long to fit on standard IMAX film platters.

Our IMAX theater, the Boeing Theater at Pacific Science Center, recently retrofitted its platter storage mechanisms so as to be able to play Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Polar Express in 3D simultaneously -- meaning that the mechanisms could hold up to 40 miles of film.

Do you mean you can load Goblet of Fire AND Polar Express on the same platter? That would be huge!

Wetzel

[Madison]

Originally Posted by Wetzel

Do you mean you can load Goblet of Fire AND Polar Express on the same platter? That would be huge!

Wetzel

No -- the IMAX projectors can hold multiple platters at a time. The limiting factor in how much film can be stored is simply the number of total platters and the maximum diameter of the platters. Apollo 13 was edited, for example, because it was too long to fit on a single platter of small enough diameter to fit in the projector.

I don't know that they've modified the projector here, Howard, to hold larger diameter platters, but they have made it so that it can hold more of them.

I checked with friends last night and they're not sure of when Roving Mars will be making its way to our area. They've just ended Harry Potter's run and are moving back to a normal schedule of 45-minute documentaries. When I was around, we'd often have the films we'd showed planned for anywhere from 6 months to a year in advance.

[Arkorobotics]

By the way, I just talked to Steve Squyres (Principle Investigator of the MER mission) and he said "Hi: I believe that it will come out on DVD, though I'm not sure when... probably not for a while yet. - SS"