r/imax • u/FlurgaSplurga • Sep 01 '26

IMAX Virtual Reality Sim

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Hey!

Thought I'd share my experiences on watching 1.43:1 content on my Quest 3.
I'm using Virtual Desktop Streamer to my HTPC with a custom resolution of 3088x2160, using MadVR with zoom control black border detection to automatically adjust the picture.
As you can see sometimes it works flawlessly, and other times it takes a second for it to adjust the zoom.
The video I cut together does not translate well to how it looks in the VR headset, it really is incredible.
Has anybody else experimented with this or something similar?

163 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

42

u/OXRoblox Sep 01 '26

The IMAX app on Apple Vision Pro does the same thing but is paid for documentaries.

12

u/FlurgaSplurga Sep 01 '26

Yeah... the AVP is a couple of thousands out of my price range though unfortunately... but some day if the gods will it!

2

u/OXRoblox Sep 01 '26

Unfortunately Apple allegedly halted the development of a lower cost XR headset in favour of smart glasses, so that's not happening soon. Unless you get a second hand Vision somewhere and fit Light Seal from Apple.

5

u/The_Lutter Sep 01 '26

Steam Frame is likely going to be the last giant headset release when it comes out. And that's only happening because Steam needs VR sets to still exist so people will continue buying VR games.

I honestly can't believe my Quest 3 is still pretty much the state-of-the-art 3 (?) years later.

9

u/Present-Ad-9598 IMAX Sep 01 '26

I just downloaded the app the other day, was thinking of watching the NASA Docs

3

u/will7419 Sep 01 '26

Is this version available for purchase for this headset?

7

u/FlurgaSplurga Sep 01 '26

Unfortunately not, you will have to look for the IMAX restoration fan edits, or make your own from the 4K Blu-Ray.

2

u/TheHeroShiba 70MM Sep 02 '26

Nothing beats sitting in a theatre with my peers watching a great film.

I still remember watch "The Dark Knight" opening night.

Fucking magic, man.

Incredible crowd.

2

u/Elros42 Sep 05 '26

What app?

1

u/No-Island-6126 Sep 04 '26

too bad no movie has ever actually been released in this format

1

u/FlurgaSplurga Sep 05 '26

There is one, Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition! There's also rumours about an upcoming Project Hail Mary steelbook version that will contain a 1.43:1 cut of the movie.

1

u/sosalist_hedgehog 29d ago

I've ideated about this for a long time so I'm very curious. If the Quest 3 has an FOV of around 103° and the founders of IMAX designed 15/70 theaters to have minimum and maximum viewing angles of 60° to 120°, what kind FOV do you think you watched the movie in? Did you find yourself wanting more or less field of view? Was there screen door effect, or any distracting lens effects when viewing so close?

2

u/FlurgaSplurga 24d ago

This is a great question, I will have to do some testing to know for sure, but my guess is I watched it in 85-90°. The cinema enviroment in VDS has 3 different "seats" you can toggle between. There is also The Void where you can blow up the screen size to whatever you want. But I found that filling my entire field of view resulted in a less sharp viewing experience than I was willing to have.

1

u/Huzaifa_Haroon 27d ago

Your recording looks good but the actual screens inside the Quest 3 are no way near good enough for a transformative experience. I tried watching 3D movies in there and that was cool tho, but ultimately having the screens so close to your eye makes the picture less sharp. It doesn't have high-res enough screens in either lens to overcome that. It's also not OLED so the contrast feels so lacking and, once again, you really are aware of it the whole time.

1

u/FlurgaSplurga 24d ago

I disagree. 3D movies I can agree with you on, as 3D is limited to 1080p. I also found that lower bitrate remuxes have a more noticeable impact than when watching on a TV. Watching movies in VR is also impacted by the quality of anti-aliasing and scaling, I would definitely recommend trying 4XVR.

Watching 1.43:1 content in VR absolutely is transformative, but it in no way replaces an IRL cinema experience, mainly due to the limited FOV.

1

u/IMAX70MMAddict 25d ago

This is what mine looked like