Miley
Member
Movie theaters will be able to reopen after a long period of inactivity. It will be necessary to seduce and convince the spectators to come back to enjoy the experience of the big picture. In recent years, different technologies have been developed to transform this experience with immersive sound, 3D image, 4DX, etc. It was without counting on image technology. Video projectors have reigned supreme for decades; the LED screen is about to replace them.
For once, it is not a technology from the cinema that adapts and develops in our living rooms. It's the contrary. Consumers are more and more used to contrasting images thanks to high-performance televisions, in high or even ultra high definition. The happy owners of OLED models even benefit from the best in contrast today. These qualities are difficult to find in cinemas. Even if these will always retain the advantage of the giant image.
LED technology for cinemas
Cinema projectors are lit by high power laser sources for the most advanced. They know how to reproduce a very beautiful image on large surfaces. In any case, the infinite contrast ratios will always be inaccessible to them because of the light projection technology itself and not of direct display.
LED technology has evolved a lot in recent years. Originally dedicated to digital signage in stadiums, on TV sets or on concert stages, it has become efficient enough to take place in a movie theater:
The first LG LED Cinema
Samsung first pulled out two years ago with its Onyx solution . It was installed for the first time in France last year. As in the consumer sector, LG competes with Samsung with its LG LED Cinema solution . The first room has just been equipped in Taiwan.
LG has developed a 64 x 90 cm portrait panel. It is only 12.4 cm deep. Each panel is composed of a grid of 192x270 pixels. To build a 4K resolution image wall, 8 lines of 22 panels must be assembled, making a total of 176 panels for an image area of 14 m by 7.2 m. Each panel weighs 15 kg, which gives a wall with a total weight of 2.6 tonnes.
The LG panel meets DCI specifications with a color depth of 12 bits, a brightness after calibration of 48 nits and the coverage of the DCI-P3. The announced contrast ratio is 4000: 1, the viewing angle is 120 ° in both axes.
LG highlights another advantage of the LED wall for operators. By removing the video projector, we also remove his cabin. This then makes it possible to envisage installing a few additional rows of seats in order to guarantee a quicker amortization of the investment.
There remains the problem of sound. LG's solution is accompanied by a Dolby IMS3000 server with Atmos management. It's perfect for immersivity, but what about precision? With a projection screen, the speakers are installed behind the screen, so the sound sticks perfectly to the action. With LED panels, the speakers are placed on the sides, above or below. The precision is necessarily variable depending on its place in the room. It's all about compromise!
For once, it is not a technology from the cinema that adapts and develops in our living rooms. It's the contrary. Consumers are more and more used to contrasting images thanks to high-performance televisions, in high or even ultra high definition. The happy owners of OLED models even benefit from the best in contrast today. These qualities are difficult to find in cinemas. Even if these will always retain the advantage of the giant image.
LED technology for cinemas
Cinema projectors are lit by high power laser sources for the most advanced. They know how to reproduce a very beautiful image on large surfaces. In any case, the infinite contrast ratios will always be inaccessible to them because of the light projection technology itself and not of direct display.
LED technology has evolved a lot in recent years. Originally dedicated to digital signage in stadiums, on TV sets or on concert stages, it has become efficient enough to take place in a movie theater:
- large area - LED modules can be assembled without any visible junction to form an LED wall of the desired size
- definition - the RGB LEDs are close enough to create a natural image from any row in the room
- lifetime - the LEDs work for 100,000 hours, with the possibility of changing a defective module without touching the rest of the wall.
The first LG LED Cinema
Samsung first pulled out two years ago with its Onyx solution . It was installed for the first time in France last year. As in the consumer sector, LG competes with Samsung with its LG LED Cinema solution . The first room has just been equipped in Taiwan.
LG has developed a 64 x 90 cm portrait panel. It is only 12.4 cm deep. Each panel is composed of a grid of 192x270 pixels. To build a 4K resolution image wall, 8 lines of 22 panels must be assembled, making a total of 176 panels for an image area of 14 m by 7.2 m. Each panel weighs 15 kg, which gives a wall with a total weight of 2.6 tonnes.
The LG panel meets DCI specifications with a color depth of 12 bits, a brightness after calibration of 48 nits and the coverage of the DCI-P3. The announced contrast ratio is 4000: 1, the viewing angle is 120 ° in both axes.
LG highlights another advantage of the LED wall for operators. By removing the video projector, we also remove his cabin. This then makes it possible to envisage installing a few additional rows of seats in order to guarantee a quicker amortization of the investment.
There remains the problem of sound. LG's solution is accompanied by a Dolby IMS3000 server with Atmos management. It's perfect for immersivity, but what about precision? With a projection screen, the speakers are installed behind the screen, so the sound sticks perfectly to the action. With LED panels, the speakers are placed on the sides, above or below. The precision is necessarily variable depending on its place in the room. It's all about compromise!
