Samsung Electronics’ LED cinema screen technology has been licensed outside Korea for the first time. The company has struck a deal to install the next generation screen at the upscale Siam Paragon complex in Bangkok, operated by Major Cineplex.
The Korean electronics giant’s LED Screen is the world’s first High Dynamic Range LED theater to be accorded Digital Cinema Initiatives compliance status. The first commercial installation took place in the Lotte Cinema multiplex in Jamsil, Seoul, in July. It was subsequently installed in another Lotte theater in Busan. That screen, the No. 3 screen in the Centum City complex, is being used this week by the Busan Film Festival.
Major, with 110 cinema venues and 668 screens, is Thailand’s largest cinema exhibition chain. It expects to install the Samsung kit in other theaters as it renovates several of its other prestige sites.
The new technology replaces traditional projectors and reflective screens with a TV-like array, that stretches to 10.3 meters in the case of the Paragon site. Samsung says that it offers ultra-sharp 4K resolution (4,096 x 2,160) and peak brightness levels nearly 10 times greater than projectors. It also claims a lifespan exceeding 100,000 hours.
“We are excited to partner with Samsung to shift the paradigm of entertainment content screening, and we look forward to inviting our customers and partners into a cinema more capable of bringing stories to life,” said Vicha Poolvaraluck, chairman of Major.
