In partnership with industry pioneers 424 Post and Harbor, Samsung provided a 34-foot, 8K Samsung IWA LED and DCI-certified 4K Samsung Onyx LED displays to create a true cinema-style environment for theatrical color grading and immersive sound mixing. The groundbreaking studio environment not only signifies a leap into the future of cinematic production and consumption but also underscores the trust that experts place in Samsung’s technology.

Culver Post: A Beacon of Innovation in Post-Production and HDR Cinematography

▲ Samsung Electronics provided a 34-foot, 8K Samsung IWA LED and DCI-certified 4K Samsung Onyx LED displays to Culver Post in partnership with 424 Post and Harbor

Culver Post was created thanks to the visionary collaboration between renowned Los Angeles sound studio 424 Post and global post-production leader Harbor. This full-service post-production studio is expected to bring unmatched HDR and SDR mastering capabilities.

Why were Samsung’s display technologies specifically chosen by 424 Post and Harbor, both leaders in their respective fields? The answer lies in Samsung’s commitment to innovation, quality and the immersive viewing experience.

The Culver Post offers five stages for theatrical color grading and sound mixing, with the first stage outfitted with Samsung’s cutting-edge 34-foot, 8K IWA LED cinema display and the second stage with the DCI-certified 4K Onyx LED display. Each stage is complemented by Meyer Sound Ultra Reflex cinema sound systems featuring Dolby Atmos sound. Both stages can accommodate approximately 50 guests, which allows the post-production team to experience a true cinematic working environment for directors, cinematographers, editors, colorists and other professionals.

▲ Culver Post features a remarkable 34-foot 8K IWA cinema display for a true cinema-style environment for color grading and sound mixing

The 8K IWA LED cinema display is ideal for both HDR and SDR color grading, while Onyx, the world’s first DCI-certified cinema LED display, is perfect for HDR color grading and mastering. These displays outperform standard digital cinema projection systems in terms of detail, contrast and brightness, positioning Culver Post at the forefront of cinematic technology and ensuring that the studio is future-proofed for upcoming advancements in post-production technology.

“Samsung is committed to using innovative display technology to revolutionize the way that content is created and consumed,” said David Phelps, Head of the Display Division, Samsung Electronics America. “The new Culver Post post-production studio marks a tangible milestone in the future of cinema and post-production. Filmmakers and creators can now edit and experience video content as it would be seen and heard on the big screen to enable immersive storytelling that leaves a lasting impact on audiences.”

▲ Culver Post’s groundbreaking studio environment not only signifies a leap into the future of cinematic production and consumption but also underscores the trust that experts place in Samsung’s technology

Superior Cinematic Displays to Optimize Post-Production Workflow

The selection of Samsung’s technology for Culver Post reflects the displays’ superior capabilities for HDR post-production. Enhanced brightness, contrast and detail transform the color grading and mastering process, allowing creators to see their work as it will appear in realistic viewing environments. The theaters and their immersive cinema display also turn mastering into a communal creative experience, bringing the entire production team together for collaboration.

▲ Each theater offers a cinema-style viewing experience, with enough seating to host small groups for exclusive screenings and post-production sessions

The collaboration with Culver Post is a testament to Samsung’s leadership in display technology and the company’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of cinematic experiences. By meeting the high standards of industry experts like 424 Post and Harbor, Samsung continues to raise the bar for post-production studios worldwide.

For more information on Samsung’s state-of-the-art displays, please visit www.samsung.com.

About 424 Post

424 Post offers complete sound packaging for all types of content including theatrical, broadcast, streaming, commercials and audio podcasts. Packages cover design/edit/ADR/mix, technical & administrative support as well as all final deliverables. The company prides on client services, and the talented group of experienced professionals is ready to tailor projects in accordance with the customers’ needs and budget.

About HARBOR

HARBOR is a global company with operations in New York, Los Angeles and London. Relentlessly focused on talent, technical innovation and protection of artistic vision, HARBOR hones every detail throughout the moving image-making process: live-action, dailies, creative & offline editorial, design, visual effects, CG, sound & picture finishing.

Samsung Newsroom sat down with Kraus and Pohlman to discuss their initial reactions to the screen.

ARRI’s Executive Board, Franz Kraus and Dr. Joerg Pohlman, in front of the Samsung LED Screen

“I have waited for four months to see the Cinema LED screen”

The Cinema LED screen is the world’s first LED screen designed to replace conventional projectors in cinemas. The new screen, which has overcome limits in brightness and a light-to-shade ratio, supports 4K resolution and high dynamic range (HDR), thus producing clear and vivid color. In addition, directly beamed LED light sources prevent color distortions, giving fuller realization to what directors originally intended to express. The innovative screen installed with JBL sound systems of Harmon Kardon provides viewers with a whole new level of audio experience.

Film technology is constantly developing in the digital era. However, film screening is still based on projection, which has served as an obstacle in realizing true and lifelike high-quality resolution. Against this backdrop, the arrival of a Cinema LED screen was a breath of fresh air for the ARRI Executive Board.

ARRI’s Executive Board member, Franz Kraus, recalled the moment when he first heard the news about the Cinema LED screen, saying, “I read the news and I thought: I must go to see it.” At last, four months later, he arrived in Seoul to witness the effects of Cinema LED for himself.

Before the lights were turned off and the Cinema LED screen was turned on, Kraus expressed high expectations for the LED screen, saying, “I expect to see images superior to the best projection system available today in respect to contrast, color rendition, peak brightness, and reproduction of fine detail. I am curious about the local audio resolution as the LED screen doesn’t allow for the usual setup of three or five speakers behind the screen.”

Reviews of the Satisfaction with New Cinema Technology

The pair watched an ARRI show reel which had been remastered for the Cinema LED Screen. Pohlman, Executive Board member at ARRI, admired Samsung’s technology, saying: “Samsung is a pioneer with this technology. For us, it’s always about bringing technology one step further.”

“When you look at movie theaters, I think one of the challenges for them will be to keep up with the development of TV screens. With the advent of HDR, there’s a lot more that can be seen and, in the future, our visual impressions are going to be different from now. It’s about taking time to make sure that theaters in the future will be of a very high quality, so that people will want to watch movies in them.”

“I think LED is showing the right way and certainly you can see a lot more on an LED screen. There’s a lot of detail, it’s very rich in color. Of course, with the blacks there’s the contrast, so it’s a very interesting technology. It’s great that Samsung is moving technology forward.”

The Cinema LED screen boasts an advantage that viewers experience no distortion in images and sound, wherever in the theater they choose to sit. After confirming this for himself by moving from seat to seat in the theater, Kraus expressed full satisfaction with the technology.

Leading Desirable Change in the Film Industry

Since the people of ARRI are creators themselves, this new way to display has certainly piqued the Executive Board’s interest. The two also gave their opinion about the future impact of the Cinema LED screen on the film industry, and on cameras and lighting specifically.

“One of the very simple things that we were looking for was if you would be able to see the seams or any fixed pattern structure from the individual panels,” Joerg Pohlman remarked. “And you really could not see them. I thought it was extremely impressive. The interesting question is whether and how the creatives in our industry will manage to create images that utilize the full capabilities of the LED screen, delivering life-like images in the cinema.”

Franz Kraus added: “Of the images from the ARRI demo reel we watched, some of them worked very well. What I really liked was that the images looked very good, both in SDR as well as in HDR (with ten times the peak brightness). The amount of detail in the darker parts of the image was just marvelous. Even when I strained my eyes, I could not see any trace of technical evidence and the images looked very cinematic.”

Throughout their history, conventional projection systems have been faced with limitations in fully expressing clear and lifelike images. These limits have now been overcome with the emergence of the Cinema LED screen. The Cinema LED screen has become a “must see” for film makers and moviegoers who are seeking a whole new experience in image and sound.

Samsung Electronics is continuing its reign as the leading home entertainment brand by adding an HDR+ firmware update to all of its 2016 SUHD TVs with Quantum dot display. The firmware update is designed to enhance High Dynamic Range (HDR) quality to its highest picture quality capacity, even if the source isn’t in HDR format.

As part of Samsung’s 2016 SUHD TVs with Quantum dot display, HDR is an essential element in the new era of UHD TV viewing. HDR makes bright areas of the screen look even brighter, allows the TV to display new colors and significantly expands the range of the contrast ratio on-screen.

“The HDR+ function offers an exceptional HDR viewing experience to all 2016 SUHD and UHD TVs consumers,” said Jong-hee Han, Vice President, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “We’re thrilled to share this latest advancement with our consumers to access directly on their 2016 SUHD TVs. Samsung is bringing the highest form of picture quality right to their living rooms.”

One of the biggest benefits of HDR+ is its ability to upgrade Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) content to HDR-like picture quality, allowing viewers to enjoy all of their favorite content in the highest picture quality possible.

With HDR native contents, HDR+ also uncovers previously hidden images from darker content scenes, supplementing the level of brightness to express objects hidden in darker shadows. For brighter content scenes, HDR+ increases the level of contrast ratio to differentiate objects from the background, while still depicting more image details on the screen for an overall better picture.

Features designed specifically for picture quality experts have also been enhanced with HDR+. In “Expert Mode,” picture quality experts can customize HDR effects to suit individual users by calibrating brightness, contrast ratio and gradation to the finest degree. These settings can be accessed within the “Picture – Special viewing” mode options, where HDR+ is activated.

The automatic upgrade is currently available for all 2016 SUHD TVS, and will be available for all HDR-compatible 2016 UHD TVs models by September.