[Turning Your Living Room Into a Home Theater] ② The Design Story Behind The Premiere, a Projector That Provides Experiences Beyond ‘Cinematic’

These days, the ways people are enjoying their favorite media are becoming ever more diverse due to a wide range of different lifestyles and preferences. With the launch of their home cinema projector The Premiere, Samsung Electronics has freed users from the limitations of their domestic spaces: wherever they choose to enjoy their content, The Premiere is capable of acting as a large-screen portal to a new, fully immersive world.

The Premiere was created based on research into and an understanding of real users’ environments and spaces. Its appearance, as well as its functionality, was refined with precision so that the projector fits comfortably into a user’s space as opposed to being a cumbersome device that can only be taken out and used every now and then. In order to learn more about the innovative concept behind The Premiere, Samsung Newsroom sat down with its designers to hear about the journey they went on when creating this unique screen.

A Design That Blends In, Inspired by Users’ Environments

Sungil Bang, Designer at Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business

The Premiere’s designers first started by delving into and analyzing the projector market in order to be able to develop a differentiated product. “There are already so many projectors in the market, from affordable ones to high-end ones, all with different specifications,” noted Sungil Bang. “We knew we needed to take a new approach right from the planning stages in order to come up with a product that goes beyond simply being a projector.”

The designers honed in on the idea of the actual space where a projector is to be placed. They focused on the lifestyle and environment trends followed by real users in order to establish their direction for creating a product that provides genuinely enriching experiences. “We worked hard to design a product that presents new experiences thanks to its innovative technologies, while at the same time blending seamlessly in with the user’s furniture and other décor items,” added Bang. “We obtained a lot of inspiration from the space usages, furniture choices and trending objet d’arts we came across during this initial design process.”

(From left) Jigwang Kim, Sungil Bang and Junpyo Kim, the designers at Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business

What might be a user’s biggest reason for purchasing a projector? Perhaps so that they can enjoy media more vibrantly on a larger screen, or to add a subtle piece of interior décor flair to a space they otherwise don’t want to place a large TV in. The Premiere’s design team paid close attention to such thinking when developing The Premiere, ensuring that its exterior wouldn’t overwhelm the space it is placed in wherever that may be. “The simplistic design of The Premiere doesn’t stand out too much as an interior décor piece since it naturally blends into the space,” explained Jigwang Kim. “Users can enjoy unparalleled immersive experiences when enjoying content displayed on an entire wall.”

The designers worked diligently on The Premiere’s silhouette to ensure that the projector is able to blend harmoniously into its surroundings as opposed to standing out. The no-frills elements it is composed of, including its round outline and slim lines, complete its overall sleek and soft design. “The projector is able to match other components a user might have nearby, such as a table or a vase, so it’s perfect for those who enjoy minimalistic interior décor,” suggested Jigwang Kim.

Innovative Features Designed for User Comfort

Product design choices are always ultimately made for the user so that they can enjoy their product anytime, anywhere. Due to the common perception that typical projectors can require laborious installation as a certain amount of distance is required between the wall and the projector, as well as the space limitations this can cause, Samsung implemented ultra-short focal point triple laser beam technology. This technology allows The Premiere’s users to enjoy a 4K video up to 330.2cm in size even when the projector is placed as close as 23.8cm to the wall.

Jigwang Kim, Designer at Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business

As the world’s first HDR10+ projector, The Premiere offers a maximum brightness of 2,800 ANSI lumens. The Premiere also delivers a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, meaning that the projector is able to express all the subtle contrasts and detailing in darker images. Furthermore, “the projector comes with Acoustic Beam speakers that provide deep, 3-dimensional, room-filling sound without the need for any separate speakers,” added Jigwang Kim.

Another leading feature of The Premiere is its smart hub, which allows users to watch all kinds of content and media – requiring only an Internet connection. “The Premiere allows the user to enjoy what they want hassle-free, as there’s no need to connect separate devices to it. It is also connected to SmartThings, so users can monitor and operate their smart home appliances directly from their projector.”

A Stand-Out Design That Blends Seamlessly Thanks to Sophisticated Materials

As opposed to being a hard, cold-looking home appliance, The Premiere has been designed to provide warmth so as to seamlessly blend in to any domestic space. A stand-out feature of its design is the material choice – the design team opted to cover the product with a premium fabric in order to give the projector its warmth and sophistication. “This fabric encompasses a subtle abundance of colors and sophisticated weaving – it is in fact often used for premium brands’ sofas, chairs and other fabric items,” noted Junpyo Kim. “The projector achieves congruity with the space in which it is placed because it has been carefully designed to go well with furniture items.”

However, it wasn’t as simple as it might appear for the design team to be able to fit The Premiere with this premium fabric finish. Since such materials are traditionally used for furniture, the fabric had been designed for a different purpose. “The fabric’s weave structure is denser than other fabrics, meaning that it would affect the sound quality if it were to cover the projector’s speakers,” noted Junpyo Kim. “While this brought about challenges during the design stage, we didn’t want to give up on the uniquely warm and sturdy appearance this fabric provided. Therefore, we increased the aperture ratio of the woven fabric in order to maintain its characteristics while also maintaining optimum sound quality.”

Junpyo Kim, Designer at Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business

If you are thinking of transforming your space into a movie theater with truly immersive experiences, or a concert hall full of music – or even a stadium during a sports match, why not try out The Premiere, a projector capable of completely transforming the ambience of the room where it’s placed with ease.