Samsung Debuts 34-foot 4K HDR LED Display For Movie Theaters

Samsung earlier this month blitzed the home consumer market with a bevy of new 4K Ultra HD televisions with high dynamic range (HDR) support and its fancy quantum dot technology, though rather than hedge its bets on a single sector, it's bringing some of those same technologies to the big screen. We're talking movie theater screens—the new Samsung Cinema Screen is a 34-foot display with "unprecedented picture quality."

This is a shot at digital projectors. The 34-foot display "easily accommodates modern theater dimensions" and delivers LED quality visuals at a 4K (4096x2160) resolution. It is also the first movie theater display to support HDR for vibrant colors, and according to Samsung, it has a peak brightness level that is 10 times higher than standard cinema projectors (146fL versus 14fL) in use today.

"As the popularity of advanced at-home entertainment systems and streaming platforms increases, theaters must reposition themselves as a destination for an incomparable viewing experience that consumers simply cannot encounter anywhere else," said Sang Kim, Vice President of Samsung Electronics America. "Our new Cinema Screen technology brings a more powerful and high-quality picture to the big screen, creating an environment where viewers feel as if they are part of every scene."


Through the use of low tone grayscale and ultra-contrast settings, Samsung also touts a "nearly infinity:1 contrast ratio," a claim we haven't seen from a display maker before.

Beyond the visuals, Samsung is pairing its Cinema Screen with audio from Harman Professional Solutions' Cinema Group, which Samsung recently acquired, and Samsung's Audio Lab.

"Harman is excited to continue its collaboration with the Samsung Cinema Screen team and the Samsung Audio Lab. With our expertise in cinema sound systems, we look forward to helping to extend Samsung’s leadership in Visual Display solutions into the theater," said Brian Divine, Vice President of Tour and Cinema Solutions Group.

The launch of this new display is part of Samsung's effort to deliver a complete end-to-end theater experience. It wants to have a hand in all aspects of modern day movie going, everything from touchscreen self-ticketing kiosks and digital concession menu boards, to interactive posters and movie theater-size displays.

Samsung says its Cinema Screen is currently in the process of being DCI certified.