Samsung rebrands Cinema LED screen as Onyx
Samsung Electronics has premiered its branded Samsung Onyx Cinema LED display at CinemaCon 2018, giving a new identity to a technology that already has generated significant interest and praise among theatre operators and attendees. All venues already featuring Samsung’s enhanced screen will operate under the “Samsung Onyx Theatre” name from now on.
Inspired by the gemstone of the same name, the Samsung Onyx brand alludes to the display’s ability to showcase cinema content with true, deep and realistic black colours. When combined with an infinite contrast ratio and specialised low-tone grayscale settings, this pinpoint representation produces brighter and more detail-rich content that further makes viewers feel a part of every scene.
Available in variations extending between 16.4ft in height and 33.8ft in width, the Samsung Onyx display accommodates any venue configuration while delivering visual quality, technical performance and reliability beyond that of traditional projector-based operations. With the 4K model earning validation as the world’s first Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI)-certified theatre display, the Samsung Onyx translates the combination of advanced LED and High Dynamic Range (HDR) picture quality to lifelike big screen content.
“By aligning brilliant, uniform colour presentation with LED picture quality and crystal-clear audio, the Samsung Onyx screen invites movie enthusiasts into the most immersive and memorable viewing arena available and repositions the theatre as an entertainment haven,” said Seog-gi Kim,executive vice president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics. “We are thrilled to deliver a new and exciting theatre experience to operators, managers and consumers around the world, and we look forward to working further with leading movie industry decision-makers to usher in the next generation of cinema.”
CinemaCon 2018 attendees were among the first to experience the Samsung Onyx’s powerful multi-sensory viewing environment. Each Samsung Onyx screen features state-of-the-art JBL Sculpted Surround sound from Harman’s JBL Professional brand, bringing scenes to life through clear and consistent audio. This integration enhances the listener experience while expanding the audio “sweet spot” within Onyx theatres, and ensures that all attendees can enjoy the same exceptional audio presentation regardless of seat location.
“JBL Professional’s legacy dates back to the infancy of talking motion pictures and it has been at the forefront of the industry’s sound recording and amplification innovation for the past nine decades, twice earning scientific and technical awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, making it the preferred brand for cinemas all over the world,” said Mohit Parasher, executive vice president of Harman and president of Harman Professional Solutions. “Bringing the ground-breaking technology of the Samsung Onyx Cinema LED screen together with Harman’s innovation of the JBL Sculpted Surround system delivers the ultimate and unmatched audio visual audience experience.”
Samsung also previewed the Onyx’s 3D screen capability at CinemaCon 2018. The 3D Onyx Cinema LED screen makes 3D movie content even more realistic through enhanced brightness and consistent colour amplification. Glass-wearing viewers now can enjoy subtitle text, images and even minor visual details with unprecedented clarity and without the dark, blurry shadowing and potential dizziness that can occur in traditional 3D movie theatres.
The Onyx’s debut at CinemaCon 2018 comes as Samsung continues to expand its presence among global cinema operators and audiences. Last week, Samsung and partner Moving Image Tech (MIT) opened the doors to America’s first US Onyx Theatre in Los Angeles.
“As the heart of the American film industry, Los Angeles is an appropriate and symbolic location to introduce a game-changing technology for movie producers and consumers in the Samsung Onyx,” said Ron Gazzola, SVP of sales and marketing in the IT B2B Division at Samsung Electronics America. “We are excited to revolutionise the cinema experience and look forward to sharing the Samsung Onyx with wider audiences both in the US and throughout the world.”
“As a technology integrator for the cinema industry, we are proud and excited to be a part of the first installation of the Samsung Onyx Theatre in America. To have it located in the heart of the movie business makes it that much more special,” said Joe Delgado, EVP of sales and marketing for Moving Image Technologies.
As more theatres upgrade to the Onyx screen, Samsung is working with cinema content developers to ensure that the display can optimise upcoming films. Notably, Samsung will collaborate with leading cinema technology services provider Ymagis Group and its Eclair content development business unit to deliver EclairColor HDR-compliant pictures that shine on the Onyx screen. CinemaCon 2018 attendees got a sneak peek at the benefits of this alliance, as Samsung unveiled EclairColor-enhanced visuals on its next-generation display.
“Today’s movies feature the most sophisticated production and advanced graphics ever, and producers and directors need powerful theatre technology to showcase their works as intended and at optimal quality,” said Jean Mizrahi, president and cofounder of Ymagis Group. “We anticipate dynamic and powerful cinema displays like the Onyx becoming the accepted industry standard in the coming years. We are honoured to partner with Samsung to drive change throughout the industry and ultimately improve the content experience for cinema-goers everywhere.”
Samsung has forged a partnership with Hollywood-based post-production company Roundabout to develop specialised Onyx-ready HDR content. “We’re passionate about helping our clients create extraordinary images at Roundabout and we believe this emissive display technology will help redefine the cinema experience,” said Jerome Dewhurst, senior colour scientist at Roundabout. “Our colour-grading service for the Samsung Onyx screen allows DPs, directors and colourists to craft images with incredible tonal detail that has previously been practically impossible using projection. For example, it will be possible to create scenes with extremely dark, yet still very detailed shadows, unpolluted by a theatre’s exit lights. It will also be possible to create shots with a luminance range that can look much more lifelike, allowing for a more immersive effect in the theatre. Ultimately, we have a much larger gamut in which we can work, and it will be entirely down to the creatives as to how much of that they wish to utilise when they master their film with us.”
The evolution of the Samsung Onyx screen has also inspired production equipment businesses to refine their equipment to welcome a more advanced picture for filmmakers. Samsung highlighted its partnerships with production equipment businesses, such as a new research and development initiative performed in conjunction with Arnold & Richter Cine Technik (ARRI), a Munich-based designer and manufacturer of specialised motion picture camera and lighting systems, to create Onyx-optimised content. Samsung also is collaborating with GDC Technology, a leading global provider of end-to-end digital cinema solutions, to develop Onyx-compatible cinema servers.
Samsung arecently announced partnerships with Golden Screen Cinemas – the largest cinema company in Malaysia, with 35 venues and 328 screens throughout the nation – and Cineplexx Cinemas – the largest cinema company in Austria, with 171 screens nationwide – to bring the Onyx screen to movie-goers in each country. The first locally revamped Samsung Onyx theaters are expected to open in Kuala Lumpur and Vienna, respectively, later this year.
Post a Comment