As mentioned earlier, I wanted to revisit the IMAX version of the second trailer for Top Gun: Maverick (2022) to see if I could produce an encode that was a better representation of the 12 bit 444 chroma subsampled source. I believe I have.

The process I used was to convert the .mxf from Jpeg 2000 444 12 bit to a .mov as DNxHR 444 12 bit. This was used to encode the H.265 444 10 bit and H.265 422 10 bit encodes. I also attempted to encode an H.264 420 8 bit version and while there are some artifacts, it is an improvement over the original from 2019.

Here is an link that illustrates some of the differences in the image between YUV 444 10bit and YUV 420 8 bit. The first image is a screen shot from the 1920×1012 yuv444 10 bit encode and when you move your mouse over it, it will switch to the same frame from the yuv420 8 bit encode of 2019.

Screen Shot Comparison: 444 10 bit vs. 420 8 bit

You will notice that there is a lot more shadow detail in the 444 encode, such as the sign to the bottom left of the open door that clearly says DOORS MUST BE KEPT CLOSED which was lost in the 420 encode. As well there is a smoother gradient in the colors going out from the hangar door. As well there is a noticeable difference in the “noise” in the sky.

The audio is an unofficial 5.1 mix, where the centre channel was created from an official stereo mix.

I was able to playback the yuv444 version using Media Player Classic – Home Cinema, but it would not play at all when I tried using VLC. I have no idea how it will play on blu-ray players or game consoles. Also coming soon are IMAX 4K UHD encodes for The Eternals (2021) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

IMAX Trailer 2 – UHD HEVC H265 yuv444 10 bit 16 Mbps – Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Video: HEVC H265 yuv444 10 bit 16 Mbps
Audio: Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Image: IMAX 3840×2025
Format: MKV

IMAX Trailer 2 – UHD HEVC H265 yuv422 10 bit 16 Mbps – Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Video: HEVC H265 yuv422 10 bit 16 Mbps
Audio: Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Image: IMAX 3840×2025
Format: MKV

IMAX Trailer 2 – HD HEVC H265 yuv444 10 bit 16 Mbps – Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Video: HEVC H265 yuv444 10 bit 16 Mbps
Audio: Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Image: IMAX 1920×1012
Format: MKV

IMAX Trailer 2 – UHD AVC H264 yuv420 8 bit 32 Mbps – Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Video: AVC H264 yuv420 8 bit 32 Mbps
Audio: Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Image: IMAX 3840×2025
Format: MKV

IMAX Trailer 2 – HD AVC H264 yuv420 8 bit 32 Mbps – Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Video: AVC H264 yuv420 8 bit 32 Mbps
Audio: Unofficial Mix – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, AC3 5.1
Image: IMAX 1920×1012
Format: MKV

Release Date: May 27, 2022 (North America)
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Writers: Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer
Studio: Paramount