Samsung Electronics today announced a partnership with the world’s largest theater operator Wanda Cinemas to bring its pioneering Cinema LED Screen technology to Wanda’s Wujiaochang theater, located in Shanghai’s Yangpu District. The theater marks the first implementation of Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen in China, and follows successful implementations in Asia last year in Seoul and Busan, Korea, and Bangkok, Thailand, and also in Europe, at the Arena Cinemas Sihlcity in Zurich, Switzerland.

“Since its introduction mid-last year, Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen has captivated the cinema industry with its potential revolutionize the theater and filmgoing experience. Through sharper colors, true-to-life audio and an ultra-wide viewing environment, our Cinema LED Screen makes viewers feel as if they are part of the picture,” said Seog-gi Kim, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Through Cinema LED, we are confident that consumers in China will embrace the opportunity to engage with their favorite films like never before, and are thrilled to partner with Wanda Cinemas to bring this advanced technology to this growing market.”

The new partnership expands Samsung’s relationship with the world’s leading cinema chain. A Fortune 500 company, Wanda Cinema Line Corp. operates nearly 14,347 screens at more than 1,352 theaters around the world, and also owns recognizable global cinema brands including AMC, Carmike, Odeon and Hoyts Group. Even as Cinema LED at Shanghai’s Wujiaochang theater launches, Samsung and Wanda Cinemas already are finalizing a second cinema conversion in Beijing, with plans to open the venue to the public in the first half of this year.

As the world’s first Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI)-compliant High Dynamic Range (HDR) LED theater display, Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen delivers excellent visual quality, technical performance and reliability that surpass that of legacy projector-based operations. Stretching nearly 10.3 m. (33.8 ft.) wide, the Cinema LED Screen fits comfortably in usual theater configurations, maintaining the same stunning picture quality at even the widest viewing angles. The display also transforms content with ultra-sharp 4K resolution (4,096 x 2,160) and peak brightness levels nearly 10 times greater than the typical cinema standard. As a result, viewers can experience more immersive content supported by bright colors, pristine whites and deep blacks.

To go with the stunning picture technology, Samsung has paired its Cinema LED Screen with state-of-the-art audio technologies from JBL by HARMAN. This integration includes powerful speakers bordering the screen, and an expanded audio “sweet spot” throughout the theater’s seating area, producing a true multi-sensory experience the way the content creators intended.

“As the world’s leading cinema company, our customers expect a differentiated and memorable theater experience both worthy of their investment and reflective of the Wanda Cinemas brand,” said Qi Wang, Vice President, Wanda Film Holding Co., Ltd. “We are honored to work with Samsung to set the new luxury theater standard, and look forward to making the Shanghai Cinema LED theater a must-see destination for both movie enthusiasts and casual consumers alike.”

With the demands for theater space evolving across the industry, Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen will enable Wanda Cinemas to expand the service offerings inside its improved Shanghai theater. The display’s consistent presentation, even against dark or ambient lighting conditions, accommodates non-movie content including gaming competitions, corporate events and presentations, and sports and concert simulcasting, among others.

For more information about Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen, as well as related articles, photos and videos, visit http://news.samsung.com.

On February 4, the launch ceremony of the first Samsung Cinema LED of China was held at Wujiaochang’s Wanda Theater in Shanghai, China. From left, Jason Kim, VP of Samsung Electronics Visual Display Business, Yontak Jin, VP of Samsung Electronics China Consumer Elecronics Division, Wang Qi, CTO of Wanda Cinemas, Zeung Guang, VP of Wanda Cinemas, Frank Xiao, VP of HARMAN China Enterprise Business and David McKinney, VP of HARMAN.

Earlier this year at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Samsung presented the world’s first Cinema LED screen for the film and cinema industry to wide anticipation. The debut was followed by installation of the world’s first commercial Cinema LED screen at Lotte Cinema World Tower in Seoul, Korea in July, and recently in October at the Paragon Cineplex Theatre in Bangkok, Thailand.

With an area of 10.24 x 5.4 meters, Samsung Cinema LED is able to depict current blockbusters in impressive full 4K resolution (4,096 x 2,160 pixels), and with High Dynamic Resolution (HDR), deliver a more captivating and vibrant viewing experience through next-generation picture quality. Samsung Cinema LED screen illuminates its vast display area through use of around 8.8 million LEDs, as well as immerses audiences in true-to-life audio utilizing technology developed in partnership between HARMAN Professional Solutions and Samsung Audio Lab.

With industry professionals and audiences around the world praising their initial experiences with Samsung Cinema LED screen, the innovative cinema technology is now making its way to Europe.

In collaboration with the Arena Cinemas and Imaculix AG, Samsung is currently building Europe’s first Cinema LED screen at the Arena Cinema Sihlcity in Zurich, Switzerland. With launch scheduled, the anticipation and vision for the new theatre concept is groundbreaking.

Edi Stöckli, owner of the Arena Cinemas explained, “Based on elimination of the projector beam and the high luminosity of Samsung Cinema LED screen, there are a host of new possibilities for interior design, and we are entirely removing the existing furnishings, and implementing an innovative seating concept to provide audiences with a totally new kind of cinematic experience.”

Samsung Cinema LED screen will allow creation of a solid black wall thanks to seamless installation and high-precision calibration. The ‘true black’ will make the movie theater pitch dark, and the 4K resolution, able to project the two usual cinema formats of flat and scope, will get rid of distracting dark gray stripes, long a pain point of traditional projectors. Thanks to LED technology, luminosity of the wall will be 10 times brighter than with conventional projectors, achieving intensity of up to 146-foot lambert or 500nit. Cinema LED’s HDR functionally also helps deliver full color brilliance and contrast even in the brightest or darkest of scenes, and the screen also provides significantly reduced energy consumption as compared to conventional projectors.

“At Samsung, our aim in advancing technological progress is to make life easier for people and enrich their lives,” said Daniel Périsset, Head of IT business at Samsung Electronics. “We have once again succeeded in doing this with the new Cinema LED screen, and are actively planning for expansion of the screens in theatres next year.”

In addition to Switzerland, Samsung continues to expand installation of its Cinema LED screen around the world including the USA during 2018.

The Samsung Cinema LED Screen was installed at the Lotte Cinema in Centum City – one of the official theaters of BIFF – in Busan this past September. At this year’s BIFF, which is Asia’s largest film festival, around 300 movies from 75 countries were showcased throughout the festival. Audiences were able to watch the film “Mother!,” featuring actress Jennifer Lawrence and directed by Darren Aronofsky, on the Samsung Cinema LED Screen. The screen received high marks from film industry professionals, in particular for its realistic screen and color depiction keeping to the original intent of directors and producers.

Darren Aronofsky, director of “Mother!,” said, “I got to see [the movie on] this new screen, which is beautiful. I’m hopeful that if I say enough nice things, Samsung will put one in my house.”

Lighting director David Brown, who is known for his work on “The Lord of the Rings” films and “Avatar,” also praised the Cinema LED Screen saying, “I’m genuinely excited to see the Samsung stuff today. I came out of there thinking ‘Yes!’ I mean, this is actually so cool!’’

Darren Aronofsky, Director of “Mother!,” talked to audiences about the Samsung Cinema LED Screen after the movie.

David Brown, chief lighting technician for “The Lord of the Rings” films, discusses the benefits of the Samsung Cinema LED Screen.

During “Link of Cine-Asia,” the Asian film forum and business showcase of BIFF, Samsung also hosted a seminar for some 150 global movie industry professionals. Included among attendees was renowned camera director Tom Stern whose works include “Million Dollar Baby,” “American Sniper” and “Sully.”

“It’s a little bit like a piano. Would you rather have a piano with 66 keys or 99 keys? Hopefully one day we’re going to have a visual piano with 108 keys, which would be fantastic as a tool for somebody like me,” Stern stated. “I think the Samsung Cinema LED Screen is going to take movies to the next level. It’s going to be a better experience for everyone in the theater.”

Tom Stern, Hollywood Camera director for “Million Dollar Baby” and “Sully”, said that the Samsung Cinema LED Screen will provide a better experience for audiences.

Dow Griffith, location manager for “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Ghost in the Shell” also had good things to say about the screen. “I think it will engage all the senses, eliciting much stronger imagination and emotions. And that’s really what people in the entertainment business always strive to do – capture the audience’s emotions.”

The Samsung Cinema LED Screen has already begun to transform the film industry. At the beginning of this month, Samsung entered into an agreement with Major Cineplex, the largest movie theater chain in Thailand to provide its Cinema LED Screen. Samsung is continuing to expand its Cinema LED Screen theaters, with plans to install Cinema LED Screens in 10 percent of cinemas across the world by 2020.

The director, who is known for his engaging, well-plotted thrillers such as “Secret Reunion” and “The Front Line,” had already seen the film in several other theaters. However, none of the screenings could compare to the one at the SUPER S theater, the home of the world’s first Cinema LED Screen, a projector-less, HDR screen that creates a captivating viewing experience through next-generation picture quality and true-to-life audio.

Director Jang said that Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen will help audiences to have the same visual experience.

“I’ve been really curious as to what this new screen might be like,” Jang said, referring to the 10.3-meter-wide display, which provides ultra-sharp resolution, bright colors and deep blacks. “Now, I can see that its picture and audio quality will enable directors like myself to more effectively achieve their intended results.”

Jang also noted that the display will help to ensure that all audiences of a film can have the same visual experience, in the way the filmmaker intended. “With conventional projector-based systems, picture quality can differ from theater to theater,” he said. “But the Cinema LED Screen will provide consistent picture quality, no matter the venue in which the film is shown.”

Jang is not the only big name in the industry to be impressed by the visually captivating display.

Director Woo-suk Yang (“The Attorney”) noted at the launching event of the Cinema LED Screen earlier this month that the unveiling of the display marked a “monumental moment” in the 120-year-long history of film, and that Samsung’s technology will create a “revolutionary change” in the way we watch movies.

Director Yang noted at the launching event, “Today marks a monumental moment in the history of movies.”

“It’s been 20 years since the industry began using the term ‘digital cinema’ and it’s only now that we can enjoy motion pictures in a theater directly from the light source, rather than from a projector,” he said. “As a result, there are about to be a lot of changes across the movie industry as a whole – from the actual filming to the editing and finishing processes.”

Unlike standard projectors, which lose color quality as brightness is increased, the Cinema LED Screen maintains perfect color accuracy at peak brightness levels, which are nearly 10 times greater than those of conventional theater projectors. This allows for a more vibrant and immersive viewing experience, as the characters and settings on the screen look exactly as they would in real life. These realistic visuals are complemented by an audio performance that’s just as lifelike, thanks to the screen’s integrated sound technologies from JBL by HARMAN.

As demands within the cinema space evolve, Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen offers the versatility to expand services to meet a wider range of needs. Having already garnered the attention of some of the biggest names in film, Samsung’s Cinema LED Screen is expected to continue to bring big changes to the industry for filmmakers and moviegoers alike.