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Samsung first introduced its Onyx LED displays for cinema in 2018.
Courtesy of Samsung
Samsung and LG are among a number of tech companies quietly making a new push into Hollywood to use LED display technology to replace the theater projection systems that have been used since the birth of cinema. It will be a radical change.
A projection system, true to its name, projects images onto a large screen. The LED wall resembles a complex giant TV screen, and its use makes the projection booth a thing of the past. At this early stage, the major US theater chains are not using the technology.
The companies have been quick to share many details on their plans — Samsung’s Onyx LED displays have been installed in nearly 100 movie theaters worldwide, including the Culver Theater in Culver City — but Hollywood insiders have recently seen new displays of the technology. The Hollywood Reporter Learned.
Director and cinematographer Jay Holben, who worked with this technology, said: “As with any new technology, there are many positives and many negatives – classified in the industry as “live view” displays – as an American body, a society led by cinematographers to create standardized test material for all types of display.
Dominic Glynn, Senior Scientist at Pixar Animation Studios, added: “We are generally very strong supporters of the new creative opportunities these technologies bring. Glynn calls such live-view screens “very demanding and very capable” in areas such as high dynamic range and brightness. (Pixar released Light year (on such a screen at Houston’s Star Cinema Grille to paying audiences in 2022.)
But there’s still a lot of work to do, and for Holben and others, the “offensive” threat is how to handle sound. This is because in a traditional cinema there are speakers directly behind the screen, which cannot be done with LED panels. But the bigger issue may be how cost affects theater owners’ decisions about adopting this technology.
He noted that cost-effective LEDs involve “significantly” more power consumption and heat output (requiring additional air conditioning) compared to projection systems, adding that they “require a metal structure that is not normally available to support the weight of the screens.” , which can be vibrated by sound. All are huge expenses for theater owners.”
Tech developer Barco, meanwhile, is introducing HDR-capable “Light Leader” laser projection systems to Hollywood and, at least for now, is focusing its LED displays on markets such as digital signage. “There are some fundamental characteristics of LEDs that don’t make a good match for the cinema market … the price point is critical,” says Barco’s Tom Burt, senior member of the product management team in the entertainment division. (Similarly, Sony’s CLED technology is currently aimed at other uses, including virtual production and color grading units.)
Many Hollywood groups are already working to make LED displays a viable option in cinemas. In the year By the end of 2022, the consortium of studios has presented its technical specifications for the digital cinema initiative for direct viewing – an effective technical blueprint for showing the films on these new systems.
Several such displays have confirmed DCI compliance, including technologies from Samsung and LG. Among the work that DCI can still do is create a list that can be used in LED-based theaters without having to create a special version of the film for a standard digital cinema package (the digital equivalent of a film print).
Looking ahead, Pixar’s Glynn says there are creative opportunities to use the technology, but filmmakers need to control their use. “if so [direct view displays] To get enough excitement among the audience, you want to invite the audience to the big screen to see something they probably didn’t see at first, or revisit it in this new format. As long as he doesn’t use the technology for his own benefit,” he said. It should always serve the story or complement the narrative.
This will be among the topics raised on Saturday when the NAB Show opens in Las Vegas. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers will present a series of panels exploring the future of cinema.
A version of this story originally appeared in the April 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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