Samsung Newsroom met with developers Jaeyoung Park, Seonbin Jang and Jonguk Shin from the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics to discuss The Premiere’s new features and next steps for the projector.

▲ (From left) Jaeyoung Park, Seonbin Jang and Jonguk Shin

Ultra-Short Throw: Embracing a New Era of Home Cinema

Within a year of its launch in 2020, The Premiere ascended to the top of the premium projector market in North America — achieving this feat by delivering an unparalleled home cinema experience to users.

The true value of The Premiere’s home cinema features became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. As more people stayed at home, the online streaming industry expanded and brought projectors into the spotlight. The ultra-short throw projector segment, a category that includes The Premiere, represented just 7.2%¹ of the premium home cinema projector market in 2019. However, following the pandemic, this share grew to 22.5% by 2023.

▲ The Premiere 9

The Premiere’s biggest advantage lies in its convenience. Utilizing ultra-short throw technology with an aspherical mirror, the projector eliminates the need for ceiling mounts or a separate shelf to achieve an optimal projection distance. Users can simply place The Premiere directly in front of the desired wall, much like a TV, and screen adjustments can be made effortlessly via a remote control or mobile device. The Premiere 9 and The Premiere 7 are ideal for creating a personal movie theater, offering immersive screen sizes of up to 130 and 120 inches, respectively.

▲ A simplified conceptualization of two major Digital Light Processing (DLP) beam projector types

“The remarkable thing about ultra-short throw projectors is their ability to create a large screen with minimal space between the device and wall,” said Shin, who led development for The Premiere. “The Premiere 9, for instance, creates a 100-inch screen with just 9.4 inches of space between the wall and device.”

▲ The Premiere 9 can project screens up to 130 inches. (Note: Screen sizes in column A measured diagonally, not vertically)

“Home cinema projectors are all about delivering the best possible screen experience within a given space.”

– Jonguk Shin, Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics

Upgrading With a Focus on Lifestyle

Following a successful debut, the team wanted more. They were resolute in transforming The Premiere into a comprehensive lifestyle product with value extending beyond home cinema.

“Our goal was to offer a wider range of use for The Premiere users,” explained Jang, who led product planning for The Premiere.

▲ Customize your space and set the right mood by projecting photos, color effects, background scenes and themes on your wall with The Premiere.

Custom Ambient, one of the newly added features, allows users to freely edit photos and videos through the SmartThings app on their smartphone and project them onto the wall. Users can even place widgets like a real-time clock onto the wall for everyday décor or use an animated effect like waves to make a splash during a party.

“Custom Ambient draws inspiration from The Freestyle’s Ambient Mode which is frequently used to upload social media posts,” he continued. “With The Premiere, users can create their own personalized space, even when they’re not watching videos.”

▲ Jaeyoung Park discusses The Premiere’s new lifestyle features of The Premiere.

Now with Samsung Gaming Hub installed, the projector’s entertainment capabilities have been significantly enhanced. Users can enjoy games from the cloud on the big screen without connecting a PC or gaming console. Of course, there are also plenty of HDMI slots (three) for those who want to connect PCs or gaming consoles, too.

“I often play racing games with my kids at home, and The Premiere’s 100-inch screen is perfect for the four of us to play on via split-screen without feeling cramped,” said Park.

▲ There are notable aesthetic differences between the first (left in each picture) and new (right) versions of The Premiere. The 2024 version features a more compact front with a warmer shade of Kvadrat fabric to better match home décor.

When turned off, The Premiere can also function as a smart speaker.

“The Premiere 9 features a built-in 40W 2.2.2 channel up-firing speaker that delivers powerful sound,” he added. “The Premiere 9 features front-firing units like a soundbar along with ample space for audio to resonate for deeper, richer acoustics compared to other form factors. Bixby can help users to enjoy immersive audio without turning on the screen with voice commands to stream music or launch podcast apps.”

Brighter With Advanced Laser Technology

Unlike TVs in which users view light directly from the panel, projectors reflect light off the projection surface. As a result, the right components and software technology are necessary to achieving high image quality. Advanced laser technology also contributes to The Premiere’s large crystal-clear screen. The Premiere 9 utilizes triple laser technology, leveraging laser light sources from the three primary colors red, green and blue. In contrast, The Premiere 7 employs single laser technology with a blue light source, supporting a wider color gamut and higher color accuracy compared to lamp-based or LED projectors.

The Premiere 9 and The Premiere 7 deliver up to 154% and 100% of the DCI-P3² color gamut, respectively, and both models support HDR10+ to ensure crisp, vibrant images even in bright environments.

▲ The Premiere 9 features triple laser technology for brighter, sharper images.

Another key strength of The Premiere lineup is the abundant brightness offered.

“The Premiere 9 delivers a peak brightness of up to 3,450 ISO lumens³ with triple laser technology, while The Premiere 7 offers up to 2,500 ISO lumens with single laser technology,” said Shin. “The higher maximum brightness provides clearer picture quality and a more comfortable viewing experience compared to previous models. The laser light source also boasts a long lifespan and consumes less power than traditional lamp-based projectors. In other words, maintenance costs may actually be lower.”

Smarter, AI-Powered Home Cinema

Despite its numerous usability features, the essence of The Premiere remains centered on watching videos.

“In an internal survey of The Premiere users, 90% of respondents indicated that they purchased the device to watch movies,” said Jang.

“Samsung’s robust hardware and AI technology, long recognized as No. 1 in TVs, have enhanced the picture and sound quality of The Premiere.”

– Jaeyoung Park, Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics

To deliver a premium home cinema experience, the developers focused on elevating picture and sound quality. Automation through AI technology was key. With 4K AI Upscaling, The Premiere delivers vibrant 4K resolution and significant improvements in picture quality. The Vision Booster leverages a light sensor to automatically detect and adjust ambient brightness in real time and calibrate color and contrast using an algorithm for optimal picture quality.

“The Premiere is smarter than ever before,” said Park. “Samsung’s robust hardware and AI technology, long recognized as No. 1 in TVs, have enhanced the picture and sound quality of The Premiere.”

▲ Jonguk Shin explains the advantages of ultra-short throw technology.

While Samsung has retained the acclaimed built-in speakers from The Premiere’s predecessor, the 2024 lineup has introduced a variety of new AI features for audio as well. In addition to Dolby Atmos technology, an essential for immersive movie-watching, several AI-driven sound technologies have been incorporated including:

• Active Voice Amplifier (AVA) Pro, a feature that distinguishes voices from ambient noise and adjusts the voice volume accordingly.
• Object Tracking Sound (OTS), a feature that synchronizes sound with movements on screen.
• Adaptive Sound, a feature that automatically optimizes audio based on the surrounding environment.

Additionally, Q-Symphony allows users to connect wireless speakers for a more holistic listening experience.

▲ The Premiere projectors feature a minimalist, warm white design with rounded edges and a premium fabric finish from Kvadrat, a Danish textile design company that seamlessly blends in with any home decor. In the back, there is a Digital Audio Out (Optical) port and three HDMI ports, a LAN port as well as ex-Link and IR ports for better remote control

Transcending the Limits of Space for Immersion

What started as a movie projector for theaters, the modern projector has thrived due to its unique ability to transcend space — overcoming the physical constraints of screen size and location. Now, the advent of ultra-short throw technology has significantly mitigated the issues of space and passer-by shadows traditionally associated with beam projectors.

▲ Seonbin Jang describes the appeal of projectors.

As The Premiere continues to lead the way in the premium home projector market, what is next for this innovative device?

“Our goal is to seamlessly integrate projector screens to more spaces, such as walls and ceilings in homes,” said Park.

“The unique beauty of projectors is their ability to project beyond the physical confines of frame,” Jang reiterated. “In the future, we hope to evolve this into a spatial display that transcends the limitations of projection space — ultimately achieving a truly immersive screen experience, everywhere and anywhere.”

“Home cinema projectors are all about delivering the best possible screen experience within a given space,” concluded Shin. “We are committed to overcoming physical constraints to maximize the consumer experience.”

¹ Mainstream & High-end Home Cinema category, excluding China, based on revenue. by PMA Research, March 2023
² The Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) standard color gamut
³ Brightness level based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

Driven by a desire to keep our planet clean for generations to come, Samsung Electronics regularly engages in eco-conscious efforts that are helping to establish a circular economy. The company is constantly exploring ways to reduce its products’ impact on the environment, including increasing products’ lifespans and spearheading efforts to recycle their resources.

In celebration of Earth Day 2021 (April 22), this special series will shine a light on Samsung initiatives that are paving the way for a circular economy. Let’s kick things off by taking a closer look at how the company’s recycling campaigns are giving old phones new life.

¹ According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2020 by Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), the amount of electronic waste in 2019 was 53.6 million metric tons (Mt).

The latest line of cases developed in collaboration with Kvadrat for the Galaxy S21+ is no exception; not only has the exterior of this special line been produced with upcycled materials and sustainable production methods, but so, too, has the case’s interior and its accessory hook. With these versatile hooks, you can level up your style by attaching your favorite trinkets or accessories to your phone case’s strap. In addition, the new cases come in packaging made entirely from paper, unlike conventional case packaging that often contains plastic products.

Despite the challenges encountered when working with recycled resin due to the material’s tendency to become thick and hard to shape, relentless hard work eventually paid off, resulting in a case frame that includes a minimum 20 percent post-consumer recycled content.¹

Take a look at the infographic below to learn more about Samsung’s latest refined, eco-conscious phone cases, available in two Samsung-exclusive shades: Violet and Mint Gray.

¹ Interior parts of Galaxy S21+ Kvadrat cover contain plastic with a minimum of 20% post-consumer recycled material from Lotte Chemical Corporation, which has been validated by UL.

Sustainability has always been a central theme for us designers; we understand the crucial role design plays when it comes to creating a sustainable future. So at a time when caring for our environment has become ever more important, let us take the opportunity to commemorate World Environment Day by sharing our vision for a better tomorrow through design.

Don-tae Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the Corporate Design Center at Samsung Electronics

It will certainly take time to fully achieve environmental sustainability in a way that everyone can benefit from. For many, environmental issues may have been difficult to relate to until they’ve started to experience tangible changes in their daily lives, such as using air purifiers due to fine dust problems or wearing masks to prevent the spread of viral diseases. From a design perspective, even if initiatives such as waste minimization, upcycling and energy efficiency maximization are put into place, there is still always more to be done. On top of this, designers always need to consider the aesthetics of their design in addition to its environmental footprint.

There are three main principles behind the concept of sustainable design. The first is the Eco-design Process. This is where eco-friendly initiatives, such as low energy consumption and high energy efficiency, are implemented throughout the entirety of a concept’s design process, from planning through to development. An example of this would be the upcycling approach Samsung harnessed when producing special edition Galaxy S20+ cases. In order to develop cases that utilized end-of-life PET water bottles, Samsung partnered with premium Danish textile brand Kvadrat. The collaboration saw over two years of sustainable development and planning to ensure that the end products would be both aesthetically relevant and eco-friendly. The resulting manufacture process differed from that of conventional cases in that it harnessed recycled yarns to create a substantial material to work with; from sourcing these recycled materials to ensuring the products passed Samsung’s stringent reliability standards, the entire design process had sustainability built into it.

Samsung’s sustainable Galaxy S20+ cases, created in collaboration with Kvadrat

The second key principle of sustainable design is to create resonance with those who use the products by involving consumers’ considerations in the eco-design process. Samsung’s recently introduced ‘eco-packaging’ for its global lifestyle TV products is one such example. The innovative cardboard packaging, which serves both as protection for the TV product and can also be used in numerous ways as a piece of sustainable furniture, was developed out of the understanding that, when consumers purchased TVs, they were also often purchasing other furniture items for their homes at the same time. In order to give these consumers more eco-friendly furnishing options, the TV’s packaging comes with easy-to-follow DIY instructions on how to transform the versatile cardboard into a standalone shelf, a TV table or even a cat house. The end goal of this was to give consumers more options when looking to take part in environmental protection – and to help them avoid being wasteful.

Samsung’s lifestyle TV packaging can be repurposed to serve as a cat house

The final principle is to give consumers the tools they need to make real changes to their lifestyles towards living sustainably and protecting the environment. Samsung’s SmartThings Energy¹, part of Samsung’s IoT platform SmartThings, is a service that allows users to easily and comprehensively monitor their home’s electricity consumption. The service is designed to provide users with a more grounded understanding of their energy consumption and the effects their energy reduction efforts can have, as it provides this information in the form of visualizations. Such a service is capable of raising its users’ awareness of sustainable living and encouraging them to take steps towards more eco-friendly behavior.

In 1996, Samsung elevated design to being one of the company’s core competencies, and since then the company has consistently placed users at the center of its design philosophy. This is in line with Samsung’s mission of contributing to a better global society; if a sustainable society is not the end goal, then what use does any such action have? This is why the company opened design studios all over the world, including in Seoul, San Francisco, London, New Delhi, Beijing, Tokyo and São Paulo to research and study emerging sustainable design and lifestyle trends. Today, over 1,500 of our designers are studying sustainable development and design and collaborating to find solutions that are able to meet the company’s high sustainability expectations.

Samsung Electronics will continue to develop products and solutions that reflect the concerns of consumers who value ethical consumption and environmentally-friendly initiatives. We will also keep working towards creating a sustainable future for all with eco-friendly designs that have the consumer at their core.

¹ Currently only available in South Korea

Thanks to a partnership with premium Danish textile brand Kvadrat, the latest Samsung accessories for the Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy Watch Active2 are no exception.

Accessories for Good

When developing accessories for the Galaxy S20 series and other of the company’s latest products, Samsung made the decision to partner with Kvadrat, a company rooted in Scandinavian design tradition that has acquired the European Union’s Ecolabel certification – a certification known for its strict judgment criteria.

Following the sustainable practice of upcycling, the special Galaxy S20+ phone case is made up of re-purposed 500ml plastic bottles that are melted and reformulated into textile yarns. Upcycling, also known as ‘creative reuse’, is the process of transforming end-of-life products into new materials that not only are of better quality than the original, but also benefit the environment. In the case of Kvadrat’s yarn-making process, one plastic bottle can be repurposed to produce 2 Galaxy S20+ phone cases.

These recycled yarns help to reduce the number of plastic bottles found in landfills and are produced in a way that reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during manufacturing as compared with traditional material processes. The plastic bottle-sourced yarn is formed in an eco-friendly process that preserves non-renewable energy resources. Samsung is the first company among major brands in the mobile industry to have produced a phone case for its flagship device using recycled materials.

The Galaxy S20+ phone case made with textiles by Kvadrat follows the sustainable practice of upcycling by transforming end-of-life plastic bottles into recycled polyester yarns, from which cases can then be fashioned.

These recycled yarns are eco-friendly because they reduce the amount of PET bottles in landfills; in the U.S. alone, it is estimated that over 60 million of these bottles end up in landfills every single day. Each recycled 500ml plastic bottle can create 2 phone cases, allowing users the peace of mind that with the purchase of this special phone case, they are actively contributing to the reduction of plastic pollution.

The recycled yarns are also manufactured in a way that reduces carbon dioxide emissions as compared to traditional processes. Compared to conventional polyester production methods, Kvadrat’s recycled yarns are formed in a process that consumes less energy and preserves precious oil resources.

Galaxy S20+ case made with Kvadrat textiles product images

Last year, Samsung announced a partnership with the UN Development Programme to support the Sustainable Development Goals (also known as the Global Goals) which address some of the biggest challenges faced around the world, including the fight for climate action. In line with this, a portion of revenue from sales of the Samsung Global Goals edition of the Galaxy S20+ case made with Kvadrat textiles will be donated to UNDP in support of the 17 Global Goals¹.

Samsung Global Goals edition Galaxy S20+ case made with Kvadrat textiles product images

As well as purchasing the Samsung Global Goals edition case, Galaxy users can also download the Samsung Global Goals app in order to discover more ways to get involved with the Samsung Global Goals initiative. With the app, users can learn more about each of the Global Goals and the issues they seek to tackle with detailed information, facts and figures on each Goal available. The app also helps raise money for the Global Goals, firstly by allowing users to donate directly to the Global Goals on the UNDP website and secondly by collecting ad revenue for the UNDP whenever users interact with ads on the app.

Galaxy Watch Active2 strap made with Kvadrat textiles product images

In addition to producing a line of cases for the Galaxy S20+, Samsung will also be releasing straps for the Galaxy Watch Active2 made out of Kvadrat textiles and other sustainable materials for those eco-minded Watch users.

Samsung is looking to not only promote sustainable product cycles but also to provide users with more options than ever when looking to make eco-friendly choices for the future.

¹ The Samsung Global Goals edition of the Galaxy S20+ phone case made with Kvadrat textiles will be available in select markets only.