What Is IMAX Enhanced? Do You Need It on Your TV?

Buying a TV with the IMAX Enhanced badge doesn't automatically make every movie look bigger or sound better. The badge doesn't upgrade every title the same way: the expanded picture depends on which movie and which streaming app is playing it, while the IMAX picture preset and DTS:X audio track need far more specific hardware to actually turn on.

So what is IMAX Enhanced, in plain terms? It's a joint certification program from IMAX Corporation and DTS, the audio technology company, created to bring parts of the theatrical experience into home entertainment gear (The Home Theater DIY; Tom's Guide). It marks TVs, soundbars, receivers, and streaming titles that meet a set of picture and audio standards, pairing a remastering process with a branded DTS:X audio track called IMAX Signature Sound.

The part that answers most people's actual question: a certified TV isn't required to see Disney+'s taller IMAX framing. That expanded picture plays on any supported Disney+ device, certified or not (Disney+ support). What does require certified hardware is the DTS:X audio piece, and that list of compatible devices is a lot shorter.

What IMAX Enhanced actually is, and what it isn't

Think of IMAX Enhanced as a bundle of requirements rather than a single format, the way Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos are formats you can point to on a spec sheet (Tom's Guide). It combines IMAX's Digital Media Remastering (DMR) process for the picture with a DTS:X profile for the sound, layered on top of existing standards rather than replacing them (The Home Theater DIY).

To earn certification, a device needs 4K Ultra HD as a minimum resolution and an IMAX-calibrated picture mode. It also has to support DTS:X, either by decoding the audio itself or by correctly recognizing and passing the signal along to a connected soundbar or receiver that does the decoding (Tom's Guide). That last part matters: a TV doesn't need built-in speakers capable of object-based audio to qualify, it just has to transmit the DTS:X signal correctly to whatever sound system is attached.

IMAX Enhanced isn't tied to one HDR format the way Dolby Vision is. Tom's Guide notes content can appear in a variety of HDR formats, including HDR10, depending on the title and platform (Tom's Guide). That flexibility is part of why the badge functions more like a checklist than a competing spec.

It helps to see how the pieces line up against formats readers already know:

• IMAX Enhanced covers the taller 1.90:1 framing, IMAX's DMR remastering process, and, on certified gear, a DTS:X track branded IMAX Signature Sound.
• Dolby Vision is a dynamic HDR format that adjusts brightness and color scene by scene. It isn't a rival aspect ratio or audio system, and IMAX Enhanced titles can run in Dolby Vision, HDR10, or other HDR formats depending on the release.
• Dolby Atmos is a separate object-based audio format. Because titles often carry several masters, a movie can offer a Dolby Atmos track alongside the IMAX Enhanced DTS:X mix rather than one replacing the other (The Home Theater DIY).

On the remastering side, IMAX says the process reduces noise and grain while boosting brightness and contrast, though the company is careful to note filmmakers keep final say over how a title looks afterward (What Hi-Fi?). Worth remembering: those quality claims come from IMAX's own marketing, not an independent lab test.

IMAX Enhanced on TV: the picture benefit vs. the audio requirement

The most accessible part of IMAX Enhanced is the aspect ratio. Instead of the 2.39:1 widescreen frame that leaves thick black bars above and below the picture, IMAX Enhanced titles typically use a taller 1.90:1 frame that fills more of a 16:9 screen (Tom's Guide). Disney+ puts a figure on that difference, saying the expanded ratio can reveal up to 26% more of the original image compared with the cropped widescreen cut (Disney+ support).

That framing benefit plays on any supported Disney+ device, whether it carries an IMAX Enhanced badge or not (Disney+ support). One caveat before assuming a movie plays "full IMAX" the whole way through: some films only shift into the expanded frame during select sequences originally shot on IMAX cameras, not the entire runtime (Disney+ support).

The audio side is a different story. IMAX Signature Sound is a specially encoded DTS:X track that IMAX says is built to preserve the full dynamic range of the original theatrical mix, though the exact technical difference from a standard DTS:X track isn't independently documented anywhere (Tom's Guide; What Hi-Fi?). Getting that track to play isn't automatic. Disney+'s June 2024 support page listed DTS:X playback as limited to select Android TV models from Sony, Hisense, Sharp, and Xiaomi, and required manually toggling the setting during playback rather than switching on by itself (Disney+ support).

To check whether a specific Disney+ title carries the feature, open its Details tab and look for a DTS:X badge. If that badge doesn't show up, don't assume the title includes the IMAX Enhanced audio track, regardless of what TV is running it (Disney+ support).

Do you need an IMAX Enhanced TV?

For most shoppers, no. Tom's Guide's assessment is that buyers don't need IMAX Enhanced certification specifically when picking a TV, though a certified model can serve as a rough proxy for solid overall image quality if it's already on the shortlist for other reasons (Tom's Guide). It's a bonus feature to notice, not a spec worth paying extra for on its own.

Device coverage also has gaps worth knowing about. As of a mid-2024 survey, support was confined to TVs, soundbars, and AV receivers, with no external streaming sticks or boxes offering IMAX Enhanced playback, leaving Roku, Fire TV, and similar devices out entirely (What Hi-Fi?). That's more than two years old at this point, so treat it as a snapshot, not a current fact, and check a manufacturer's compatibility page before assuming a streaming box has caught up.

Even with a certified TV, the audio chain has more links than people expect. A TV can be certified without decoding DTS:X itself; plenty just recognize and pass the signal to a separate soundbar or receiver, and it's that connected gear doing the actual decoding (The Home Theater DIY). As of that same mid-2024 reporting, the compatible list included select Sony, LG, and Philips soundbars, along with receivers from Denon, Marantz, Onkyo, and several other AV brands (What Hi-Fi?). Anyone relying on that list two years later should verify the exact model against a current spec sheet rather than assuming it still applies, and should confirm the DTS:X signal path runs through eARC or a direct HDMI connection so the audio and metadata make it through intact (The Home Theater DIY).

One more thing worth flagging before buying into the hype: IMAX and Xperi's own marketing describes IMAX Enhanced as "the only way" to get IMAX's signature picture and sound outside a theater (Xperi/IMAX/Sony Pictures press release). That's a promotional line from the companies running the program, not an independent finding, and outlets that have looked closely note the specific audio advantage over plain DTS:X isn't clearly spelled out anywhere (What Hi-Fi?). Read "only way" as a sales pitch, not proof of a measurable technical edge.

Where to watch IMAX Enhanced on Disney+ and other services

Disney+, Sony Pictures Core, and Rakuten TV are the services that regularly carry IMAX Enhanced titles, and none of them offer a huge catalog. As of a mid-2024 count, Sony Pictures Core carried 157 IMAX Enhanced titles and Rakuten's European service carried 61, a modest lineup for a program that had already been running for six years at that point (What Hi-Fi?). Catalog size and device support can vary by region and title, so a movie certified on one service or country's app list isn't guaranteed to show up the same way elsewhere.

Disney+'s rollout has also been uneven between picture and sound. The service began offering the expanded 1.90:1 framing on its Marvel titles back in 2021, but DTS:X audio mixes didn't arrive for those same titles until May 2024, years after the visual upgrade landed (What Hi-Fi?). That gap is a reminder that the picture and audio halves of IMAX Enhanced don't necessarily ship together, even on the same platform.

Physical media, once the format's strongest showcase, has gone quiet. 4K Blu-ray discs offered what What Hi-Fi? called the "purest" version of both the picture remaster and the DTS:X audio, but the latest supplied disc survey found no new IMAX Enhanced titles after a run released in 2019 and 2020, making streaming the better-documented current path for new content (What Hi-Fi?).

There's also a planned expansion worth watching, though it needs a careful read. A press release from Xperi and IMAX roughly a year ago said Sony Pictures Entertainment planned to add hundreds of DTS:X-encoded IMAX Enhanced titles to its catalog, with select content expected to launch through ad-supported streaming on certain Hisense and Toshiba TVs in the UK and Germany starting in early 2026 (Xperi/IMAX/Sony Pictures press release). That early-2026 window has already passed, but nothing in the available reporting confirms whether the expanded catalog actually reached those TVs. The research here can't establish whether the rollout shipped as described, so it's worth treating as an unconfirmed company plan until Hisense's or Toshiba's own app or catalog shows it directly.

What to check before you buy or rely on it

Start with what's actually in the room. If the goal is just the taller, more immersive picture on Disney+, no certified TV is necessary since that framing plays on any supported device. If a certified TV is already on the shortlist for other reasons, like panel quality, HDR performance, gaming features, or price, the badge is a fine tiebreaker but shouldn't be the deciding factor on its own.

Anyone chasing the DTS:X audio needs three things at once: a certified source, a soundbar or receiver that can actually decode the track, and a title with the DTS:X badge showing up in its details. Missing any one of those breaks the chain, and a badge on the TV box alone doesn't guarantee the other two pieces are in place. Before buying gear to complete that chain, confirm the TV, app, receiver, and soundbar all support the DTS:X signal path through eARC or a direct HDMI connection, and check current manufacturer spec sheets rather than a two-year-old compatibility list.

Do not buy a TV for the badge alone. Check a Disney+ title's Details tab for the DTS:X badge before expecting the audio upgrade, verify the exact hardware path before assuming a soundbar or receiver will decode it, and treat Sony Pictures' planned 2026 catalog expansion as unconfirmed until a current announcement or an actual title list on a Hisense or Toshiba TV proves it shipped.