Iron Man at the iPic

[SRW1000]

The wife and I both wanted to see this movie, and selected the iPic theater.  We had never been there before, but were both looking forward to seeing the movie at a digital theater.

Well, the movie wasn't presented in digital projection.  The website says that all movies are shown digitally unless stated otherwise, but there's no indication of it not being digital on their website.  The other disappointment was the screen itself.  There was some kind of flaw or stain in the screen that produced a marked, streaky look that was especially evident during bright scenes.

Has anyone else gone to this theater?  Have your experiences been the same?  Are there any other digital screens in the area?

We really liked the idea of reserved seating, and the theater itself was nice, but the presentation suffered.

By the way, the movie was great.  If you like comic book movies, you should love Iron Man.  I thought it was the best Marvel Comics movie ever.

Scott

[LoadStar]

Did you talk to anyone from management and get an explanation?

[SRW1000]

Did you talk to anyone from management and get an explanation?

There wasn't anyone there that looked like a manager, and I didn't feel like looking around for one.

I did send them an email though.

It's too bad, since it does look like a great idea, just poorly executed.

And, it does make us appreciate our modest home theater.

Scott

[SRW1000]

I received a nice email today in response to my complaints.  

They were unable to get a digital file for Iron Man from Paramount, so they had to rely on one of their back-up 35mm projectors.  They will also look into the screen flaw/stain that was evident during the movie.  They're also going to send me two replacement tickets for future use, which I thought was a nice touch.

I'll be eager to try them again in the future.  I really love the idea of reserved seating, and the venue is also very nice.  I'm guessing that the slightly higher prices and age restrictions will keep some of the more disruptive elements out of the theater, which is an added benefit.

Scott

[Tom Snyder]

Brings up a question I've had for awhile.

While the immersive experience of a huge screen is the reason for seeing a movie in a theater, once I got a big screen HD at home, I never was happy with the comparative picture quality in a theater. So I have only gone to one movie a year (A Christmas Day family tradition) for about 10 years, and have never seen a Digital movie in a theater (that I know of).  What actually is the screen resolution of a projected digital movie :confused:

BTW... nice touch from the iPic folks... we're all so used to crummy customer service it's always a surprise to have someone who actually gives a rip.

[LoadStar]

What actually is the screen resolution of a projected digital movie :confused:

Digital Cinema has two formats, 2048 lines of resolution and 4096 lines of resolution.

[Tom Snyder]

2048 lines of resolution and 4096 lines of resolution.

Progressive or Interlaced?

[SRW1000]

BTW... nice touch from the iPic folks... we're all so used to crummy customer service it's always a surprise to have someone who actually gives a rip.

In fact, I received another reply from them today.  They have found a flaw in the screen and will be contacting the manufacturer about it.

I've been very impressed with what they're trying to do and their responsiveness to the problem.  Such service is a rarity, and should be recognized.

Scott

[SRW1000]

Progressive or Interlaced?

I don't know if the information is proprietary or not, but I've asked if they'd be willing to give me the specs so I can post them here.  I'll see what they say - I've been very interested in this also.

Scott

[TPK]

In fact, I received another reply from them today.  They have found a flaw in the screen and will be contacting the manufacturer about it.

I've been very impressed with what they're trying to do and their responsiveness to the problem.  Such service is a rarity, and should be recognized.

Scott

At first when I read your post about the picture and the flaws in the screen I thought that the i-pic (which I have not been to yet) was just another counter-example of the "you get what you pay for" adage...

But now, I must say I am totally impressed...

Not only did they recognize and respond to your email, but they went so far as to actually look for and FIND the problem, ADMIT to their mistake, and TAKE STEPS to fix it!!....

Very, very, very (3 very) impressive...

[SRW1000]

Another great response from the IPic people - here's the specs for their projectors:

Projectors - DLP Cinema: Barco DP100
Cinema Server: DCP-2000
Digital Cinema systems provider: Technicolor Digital Cinema

Projector Highlights:

   Native resolution 2048 x 1080
Screen width (screen gain 1: @ 14ftL: 25m - 82ft
Contrast ratio:   2000:1
Here's a link to all the specs.

Scott

[TPK]

Another great response from the IPic people - here's the specs for their projectors:

Projectors - DLP Cinema: Barco DP100
Cinema Server: DCP-2000
Digital Cinema systems provider: Technicolor Digital Cinema

Projector Highlights:

   Native resolution 2048 x 1080
Screen width (screen gain 1: @ 14ftL: 25m - 82ft
Contrast ratio:   2000:1
Here's a link to all the specs.

Scott

Hmmmm, I wonder how much it costs....

... Id like to put one in my living room, but I imagine this thing costs more than my house

[Steve Mann]

Hmmmm, I wonder how much it costs....

I found this Australian site which lists it at $176,000.  :eek:

[oz]

I saw Juno at the Marcus North Shore theater in Mequon on a Friday night last December - that was a big mistake. Half of the theater was filled with North Shore teens with their Ugg boots and North Face jackets who constantly opened their mobile phones throughout the movie to check for text messages. The kids were also chatting during parts of the movie and their bright phone screens in the darkness annoyed and distracted me and also reminded me that I'm now a grumpy old man. It's just another reason why I prefer watching movies at home.

This year I did go to IPic and I thought the the theater was really cool.  We had reserved seats that an usher escorted us to. The $9 seats ($6 for the matinee show plus $3 for VIP seats) included a large popcorn for each of us and you can add your own butter-flavored topping and various powders like barbecue flavoring, parmesan cheese, and salt.

The VIP seats are probably most comfortable movie seats I've experienced. They are giant high-backed love seats with an armrest that you can move out of the way and each side can rock back independently of the other side. The seats are also really spaced out so there's only like 10 people in each row.

The theater was immaculate and the sound and screen were excellent. I think the higher prices might keep out the riffraff too.

The theater also has a restaurant, a bowling alley, and a bar (you can bring your drinks into the movie and micro-beer prices are $5, not bad for movie theater prices).

On Tuesday nights you can get a half-pound hamburger from Bar Louie at Bayshore for just $1. And if you go before 7:00pm, all beer taps are just $2, including all sorts of microbrews like Lindemans Framboise and Delirium Tremens.

So for $5 you can get two great beers and a decent burger; there's your cheap date before a movie.

[LoadStar]

I found this Australian site which lists it at $176,000.  :eek:

Well, the projector is just one piece of the system... there's a whole server system that has to be installed, plus then facilities for doing the digital key exchange to unlock the digital cinema files. It's not cheap.