Samsung’s latest LED innovation could consign cinema projectors to history

Samsung has announced a new 34-foot 4K LED screen it hopes will give traditional cinema projectors a run for their money.

The Samsung Cinema Screen delivers 4K (4,096 x 2,160) images and is the world’s first High Dynamic Range LED theatre screen.

The direct-lit LED display promises true HDR images with peak brightness 10x greater than a standard cinema projector. If that’s really the case, we may need sunglasses.

Related: What is QLED?

Samsung is currently demonstrating the tech at the Cinemark Century Orleans 18 and XD Theatre in Las Vegas, as Cinema Con gets underway in Sin City.

There’ll also be a new audio solution from Harman (which Samsung now owns) and Samsung’s Audio Lab.

The 34-foot screen is a little on the small side to replace the projection screens in your local theatre, which generally start at about 45-feet. An IMAX display, on the other hand, is 72-feet wide.

“As the popularity of advanced at-home entertainment systems and streaming platforms increases, theaters must re-position 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.”

Would you embrace an LED display in your local cinema at the expense of projection technology? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.