Electronics

Samsung sounds death knell for movie theater projectors

Samsung sounds death knell for movie theater projectors
The first commercial installation of Samsung's 34 ft Cinema LED Screen
The first commercial installation of Samsung's 34 ft Cinema LED Screen
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Samsung's Cinema LED Screen boasts 4,096 x 2,160 UHD resolution, coupled with High Dynamic Range technology
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Samsung's Cinema LED Screen boasts 4,096 x 2,160 UHD resolution, coupled with High Dynamic Range technology
The first commercial installation of Samsung's 34 ft Cinema LED Screen
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The first commercial installation of Samsung's 34 ft Cinema LED Screen
The combination of 4K resolution, HDR technology and "nearly infinite" contrast is promised to offer movie goers an unparalleled cinema experience
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The combination of 4K resolution, HDR technology and "nearly infinite" contrast is promised to offer movie goers an unparalleled cinema experience
As well as crisp 4K/HDR visuals, patrons can look forward to top notch audio courtesy of Harman Professional Solutions
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As well as crisp 4K/HDR visuals, patrons can look forward to top notch audio courtesy of Harman Professional Solutions
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After previewing its cinema-sized LED display back in March, Samsung has now installed its first commercial screen in Korea. The 34 ft Cinema LED Screen boasts 4K resolution, supports more lifelike HDR picture quality and is backed up by "state-of-the-art" audio from Harman.

Where most movie theaters around the world use digital or laser projectors to throw the latest blockbuster onto a huge screen in front of the audience, the Lotte Cinema World Tower in Seoul, South Korea, has ditched the projector at its Super S theater in favor of Samsung's first Cinema LED Screen. At 33.8 ft (10.3 m) wide, it's not going to worry IMAX theater owners too much, but as the installation is made up of a number of cabinets, it can be scaled to suit the requirements of different theaters.

Samsung's screen couples 4,096 x 2,160 UHD resolution with High Dynamic Range technology, now common in big screen televisions, for the promise of true-to-life colors and sharp, vibrant images. Meanwhile, a "nearly infinite" contrast ratio should be more than capable of handling the deepest blacks and brightest whites. It also manages 10 times the brightness levels offered by movie projectors.

The combination of 4K resolution, HDR technology and "nearly infinite" contrast is promised to offer movie goers an unparalleled cinema experience
The combination of 4K resolution, HDR technology and "nearly infinite" contrast is promised to offer movie goers an unparalleled cinema experience

The new display is said to be capable of maintaining top notch digital picture quality in a variety of lighting scenarios, allowing venues to use theaters for corporate events, concerts, gaming competitions and sporting event viewing as well as showing the latest movies. And it was the first to fully comply with the Digital Cinema Initiative theater technology standards in May, which is said to validate the screen's ability "to showcase the complete color spectrum with unaltered accuracy."

Harman Professional Solutions and Samsung's own Audio Lab share the sound credits, a combination of speakers bordering the display, Samsung's audio processing tech and JBL's Sculpted Surround Sound system.

According to ZDNet, Lotte Cinema is planning to install more of the screens in key theaters throughout South Korea, while Samsung is taking aim at the US, China and Japan.

Source: Samsung

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5 comments
5 comments
Gizmowiz
Get it up to 80 to 100 feet and I'll try it out!
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that would be really cool to see. Perhaps it could the projectionist will be the guy who pushes the start button? It would use big blue ray disc's? As it develops and becomes lower in price, it would be used by theaters.
Wombat56
4K resolution is pretty good for a lounge room, but pretty crappy for a commercial theater.
IvanWashington
I hope it is capable of displaying 48/60/120 frame per second movies.
Gaëtan Mahon
This is probably the only application where I could see the rise of 8K as a must before this would be a usable alternative.