Samsung has installed the world’s first 3D Cinema LED screen at the Arena Sihlcity cinema complex in Zurich, Switzerland. Samsung has already installed 2D versions of the Cinema LED screen in movie theatres in Seoul, Shanghai and South Korea, but the screen in Zurich is the first example of a 3D version.
The screen, which measures 10.2 metres wide x 5.4 metres high, replaces the traditional projector, bringing with it several perks. Firstly, it’s backlit, which means it can achieve higher brightness levels – Samsung claims 10 times the peak brightness of projectors – but it also delivers a consistent 4096 x 2160 full 4K HDR 3D image for every seat in the house.
The screen is also modular, being made up of 96 different sections, each of which can be replaced individually were they to incur a fault and because there’s no projector beam running the length of the theatre, it makes the whole room darker.
Samsung has called upon JBL – a subsidiary of parent company Harman, which itself is owned by Samsung – to refit the Zurich theatre with a new ‘Sculpted Surround’ sound system to deliver clear, detailed sound around the room. Because the whole movie theatre needed to be gutted and refitted, it can now seat more people, as it no longer needs a projection closet at the back, so the extra space means extra seats.
t may be a little while before we see a full global roll-out of Samsung’s Cinema LED screen, as there is competition in the form of laser projectors, which are already finding their way into cinema screens.