Samsung Electronics today announced that it has installed its first commercial Cinema LED Screen at Lotte Cinema World Tower in Korea. The high dynamic range display is the result of collaboration between Harman Professional Solutions and Samsung Audio Lab.
“Through sharper and more realistic colors, complementary audio and an elevated presentation, our Cinema LED Screen makes viewers feel as if they are part of the picture,” said HS Kim, president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics. “We are excited to partner with Lotte Cinema to bring this technology to theater-goers, and look forward to continuing to shape the cinema of the future.”
Roughly 34 feet wide, the display offers HDR 4K-resolution (4,096 x 2,160) and peak brightness levels of 146fL, nearly 10 times greater than that offered by standard projector technologies. Additionally, the Cinema LED Screen leverages ultra-contrast and low-tone grayscale settings to showcase colors, blacks and whites at a nearly infinite contrast ratio.
When Samsung first unveiled the screen last March at CinemaCon 2017 in Las Vegas, exhibitors expressed two key concerns about the technology: audio and the need to show films in 3D. I asked a Samsung spokeswoman if the Cinema LED Screen at Lotte Cinema’s Super S theatre can display 3D movies and was told, “Samsung is working with the 3D technology companies and studios to ensure we provide the best and preferred cinema-goers experience.”
To deal with the audio concerns Samsung has paired its Cinema LED Screen with audio technologies from JBL by Harman. This integration includes speakers bordering the screen, proprietary audio processing technology, and JBL’s Sculpted Surround system.
As demands within the cinema space evolve, Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen offers the versatility to expand services to meet a wider range of audience needs. According to the company, the display maintains its presentation capabilities in a range of dark and ambient lighting conditions. This flexibility makes the Cinema LED Screen ideal for venues wishing to use their theatre space for corporate events, concerts, sports event viewing and gaming competitions.
“Super S theatre is a new paradigm of movie screening,” said Lotte Cinema CEO Wonchun Cha. “We look forward to working with Samsung to introduce new, high-quality technology to the movie industry in the future, and we are excited to drive customer satisfaction through an improved viewing environment that brings a variety of content to life.”
Prior to its commercial debut, Samsung ran the Cinema LED Screen through a series of the industry’s most rigorous tests to validate its performance and presentation. In May, the Cinema LED Screen became the first product to achieve full compliance with the Digital Cinema Initiatives theatre technology standards prior to its commercial release.