看电影的效果在电影院无疑更好，甚至有些电影如果不在电影院看，将没有办法体会到震撼，有人说：「没看过 3D IMAX 版《阿凡达》就相当于没看过这部电影。」
当我们选择电影院时，经常会遇到各种令人眼花缭乱的影厅，比如：IMAX、杜比影院、RealD 3D……这些名词背后究竟代表着什么？
各种「厅」有什么差别？
IMAX
并非所有 IMAX 都是「激光 IMAX」，这两者的观影体验存在很大差异。
IMAX 一词自《阿凡达》以来在中国迅速流行，成为看电影的高品质首选。IMAX 之所以有如此好口碑，是因为从拍摄到放映，IMAX 都有自己的工艺，最大程度地保证了观影的质量。
与普通荧幕相比，IMAX 的显示面积更大，画质更好。在电影拍摄过程中，IMAX 有专门的摄影设备，IMAX 摄影机采用的 70mm 胶片比普通的 35mm 胶片的分辨率高出10倍，并且在画面上也比 35mm 胶片更有优势。
用 IMAX 摄影机拍摄的电影，在 IMAX 影厅中的内容要比普通画幅多26%。
IMAX 实际上有三种放映规格：胶片、数字、激光。由于胶片放映系统没有商用，所以不在讨论范围之内。
当前大多数 IMAX 都是数字 IMAX，由于 IMAX 的普及，大部分人觉得在 IMAX 影厅观影效果好像只是屏幕变大了。尤其是在看 3D 电影时，屏幕特别暗，甚至还可能出现拖影。
这是因为大多数 3D 影片的亮度只有 4.5 FL（福特朗伯Foot Lambert，亮度的测量单位），而普通的 2D 电影的亮度可达14FL。这也正是大多数人对 3D 电影不感兴趣的原因。
激光 IMAX 是 IMAX 的全面升级，不仅在 3D 亮度上达到14FL，清晰度也比数字 IMAX 更高。在音效方面，激光 IMAX 采用 12.1 声道的音频系统（数字 IMAX 为 5.1）。
虽然都叫 IMAX，但是激光 IMAX 在 3D 电影的亮度、清晰度和音效上都要优于数字 IMAX。
那么到底是哪个电影院提供了激光 IMAX 呢？实际上，目前中国提供激光 IMAX 的影院并不多。
杜比影院（Dolby Cinema）
并非所有带有「杜比」标签的影院都是「杜比影院」。
你可能听人说过去杜比看电影多么过瘾，但当你去体验之后感觉效果一般。这时，你可能去的是「杜比厅」，也可能是「杜比全景声厅」，但唯独不是「杜比影院」。
杜比影院 = 杜比全景声 + 杜比视界 + 杜比 3D。
我相信你对杜比应该不陌生，但你可能更多听到的是它在声音方面的表现。但实际上，只有杜比影院能和激光 IMAX 垄断，甚至在某些方面表现得更好。
首先要提的就是声音效果，普遍认为杜比全景声要优于激光 IMAX。IMAX 只是单纯的「震撼」，声音大未必好，但绝对给人留下深刻印象。杜比全景声则更自然且真实。影院的扬声器通常超过60个以上，并对影厅的材质和空间提出极严格的要求。结果就是在任意位置都可以感受到三维的声音。
在 3D 电影的亮度方面，杜比影院稍微优于激光 IMAX，缺点是 3D 眼镜十分重，对于本来近视的观众来说，两副眼镜的确不是个好感受。在观感体验和佩戴难度之间，取舍就看你自己了。
杜比视界在动态范围、亮度、对比等一系列参数上超越了对手，这项技术要从影片制作之初就参与其中，凡是能够在杜比影院播放的电影都具备出色的画面表现。
而我们通常见到的「杜比厅」和「杜比全景声厅」，只有声音符合杜比标准，在画面和亮度方面无法保证，所以选择影院时一定要小心。还有一个判别方法——杜比影院票价相对更贵。
电影最重要的就是视听语言，而杜比影院在这两方面都是市面上最顶尖的水准，甚至连座椅都经过专门设计。杜比影院应该是观看电影的最稳妥选择。
RealD
除了大名鼎鼎的 IMAX 和杜比，我们在选择影厅时，经常会看到 RealD 或者 RealD 6FL 的字样。RealD 主攻的是 3D 技术，在 3D 观看体验上优于一般的影院。
RealD 3D 技术最大的优点在于不受观众位置的影响，即便倾斜头部，也不会产生重影。而数字 IMAX 可能存在这个问题，不过激光 IMAX 进行了技术革新，避免了这个问题。
那么 RealD 6FL 又是什么？我们先前提到 FL 越高，代表3D电影的亮度越高。RealD 6FL 只支持在6FL以上的亮度进行放映，以保证观影效果。
In addition to RealD, we also have the LUXE theater. LUXE is a giant screen theater under RealD, which is equipped with at least a 7.1 channel sound system besides a bigger screen. However, compared to IMAX and Dolby, it has no exclusive film source, so the viewing experience may be weaker.
If you find the laser IMAX and Dolby cinemas too expensive, RealD might be a good option for watching 3D movies.
China Giant Screen
From the name, we can tell that China Giant Screen is independently developed in China. However, not all Chinese giant screens are not as good as digital IMAX.
With three generations of technology iteration and cooperation with other technologies such as Dolby Atmos and RealD 3D, some of the latest Chinese giant screens are almost as good as IMAX in terms of clarity. Some theaters are even better than IMAX in terms of sound due to the addition of Dolby Atmos.
But this is on the premise of the latest technology integrated Chinese giant screens, so you should check the reputation of each cinema before choosing.
Other Theaters
4DX: Vibrating seats, water spraying, mist…It can simulate the sensory stimulation in the movie to a certain extent.
ScreenX & Barco Escape: A three-screen setup that provides better immersion than a single screen, but at the same time, it brings about the fragmentation of the picture, to some extent, breaking the movie viewing experience.
DTS:X Immersive Sound Theater: With two giant names in the sound industry, Dolby and DTS, you can expect good sound experience. However, the picture quality might not be as reliable. Still, it’s better than a regular screen.
How to choose the right “theater”
After learning about the characteristics of various theaters, here are a few points to consider when making a choice:
1. Exclusive Aspect Ratio Films – Prefer Laser IMAX
The advantage of IMAX is the exclusive aspect ratio, which means you can see 26% more film in an IMAX theater. However, not all IMAX theaters have this feature. There are two scenarios:
First, films shot with IMAX cameras.
Second, films not shot with IMAX cameras, but with a special exclusive aspect ratio version for IMAX.
Apart from these, what you see in an IMAX theater won’t be significantly different from other theaters, but it’s a larger screen.
So, how do you determine if a movie is shot with IMAX cameras?
You can find out if a film was shot with an IMAX camera in the Technical Specifications on IMDB or the professional version of the “technical parameters”.
A more straightforward approach is to check the aspect ratio. If it’s 1.90:1, then it’s an exclusive aspect ratio, and you must watch it in an IMAX theater to see the complete picture, regardless of whether it’s 3D or not.
2. 3D Movies
3D movies can’t match 2D movies in brightness. However, if a movie is only available in 3D, apart from IMAX’s exclusive aspect ratio, you should prefer Dolby cinemas, which are superior in overall experience compared to laser IMAX.
RealD 6FL comes next, with reasonable brightness. You can choose some theaters with Dolby Atmos such as Lu Miae’s LD theater, which combines RealD 6FL with Dolby Atmos for a better viewing experience.
3. 2D Movies
Dolby Cinema ≈ Laser IMAX ＞ Digital IMAX ≈ Part of China Giant Screen ＞ Others
4. Pursuing the Ultimate Viewing Experience
IMAX camera shot films: Prefer Laser IMAX. Other films: Prefer Dolby cinema. (This applies regardless of whether it’s 3D or not.)
Dolby Cinema represents the best overall experience, while IMAX represents a larger screen and immersive experience.
Of course, the above experience is only applicable to most situations. With the gradual popularity of IMAX, it also means the aging of IMAX equipment, so you should still select based on the actual situation of the cinema.