At CinemaCon 2018, Samsung Electronics will premiere its branded
Samsung Onyx Cinema LED display, giving a new identity to a technology that already has generated
significant interest and praise among theater operators and attendees. Additionally, all venues featuring
Samsung’s enhanced screen will operate under the “Samsung Onyx Theater” name moving forward.
Inspired by the gemstone of the same name, the Samsung Onyx brand alludes to the display’s ability to
showcase cinema content with true, deep and realistic black colors. When combined with an infinite
contrast ratio and specialized low-tone grayscale settings, this pinpoint representation produces brighter
and more detail-rich content that further makes viewers feel a part of every scene.
The Next Generation of Cinema
Available in variations extending between 16.4ft in height and 33.8ft in width, the Samsung Onyx display
accommodates any venue configuration while delivering visual quality, technical performance and
reliability beyond that of traditional projector-based operations. With the 4K model earning validation as
the world’s first Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI)-certified theater display, the Samsung Onyx translates the
combination of advanced LED and High Dynamic Range (HDR) picture quality to lifelike big screen
content.
“By aligning brilliant, uniform color presentation with LED picture quality and crystal-clear audio, the
Samsung Onyx screen invites movie enthusiasts into the most immersive and memorable viewing arena
available and repositions the theater as an entertainment haven,” said Seog-gi Kim, Executive Vice
President of Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics. “We are thrilled to deliver a new and exciting
theater experience to operators, managers and consumers around the world, and we look forward to
working further with leading movie industry decision-makers to usher in the next generation of cinema.”
CinemaCon 2018 attendees also will be among the first to experience the Samsung Onyx’s powerful
multi-sensory viewing environment. Each Samsung Onyx screen features state-of-the-art JBL Sculpted
Surround ™ sound from HARMAN’s JBL Professional brand, bringing scenes to life through clear and
consistent audio. This integration enhances the listener experience while expanding the audio “sweet
spot” within Onyx theaters, and ensures that all attendees can enjoy the same exceptional audio
presentation regardless of seat location.
“JBL Professional’s legacy dates back to the infancy of talking motion pictures and has been at the
forefront of the industry’s sound recording and amplification innovation for the past nine decades, twice
earning Scientific and Technical Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, making it
the preferred brand for cinemas all over the world,” said Mohit Parasher, Executive Vice President of
HARMAN and President of HARMAN Professional Solutions.
“Bringing the ground-breaking technology
of the Samsung Onyx Cinema LED screen together with HARMAN’s innovation of the JBL Sculpted
Surround system delivers the ultimate and unmatched audio visual audience experience.”
Samsung also will preview the Onyx’s 3D screen capability at CinemaCon 2018. The 3D Onyx Cinema
LED screen accomplishes the uncanny feat of making 3D movie content even more realistic through
enhanced brightness and consistent color amplification. Glass-wearing viewers now can enjoy subtitle
text, images and even minor visual details with unprecedented clarity and without the dark, blurry
shadowing and potential dizziness that can occur in traditional 3D movie theaters.
A Worldwide Blockbuster
The Onyx’s debut at CinemaCon 2018 comes as Samsung continues to expand its presence among
global cinema operators and audiences. Last week, Samsung and partner Moving Image Tech (MIT)
opened the doors to America’s first U.S. Onyx Theater in Los Angeles at Pacific Theatres Winnetka w/XD.
“As the heart of the American film industry, Los Angeles is an appropriate and symbolic location to
introduce a game-changing technology for movie producers and consumers in the Samsung Onyx,” said
Ron Gazzola, SVP, Sales and Marketing, IT B2B Division at Samsung Electronics America. “We are
excited to revolutionize the cinema experience and look forward to sharing the Samsung Onyx with wider
audiences both in the U.S. and throughout the world.”
“As a technology integrator for the cinema industry, we are proud and excited to be a part of the first
installation of the Samsung Onyx Theater in America. To have it located in the heart of the movie
business makes it that much more special,” said Joe Delgado, EVP Sales and Marketing for Moving
Image Technologies. He goes on to state, “Working and learning with the HARMAN and Samsung teams
has been a pleasure! To finally see this incredible image and hear the corresponding sound in Pacific’s
amazing theater is a benchmark moment for all of us at MIT.”
As more theaters upgrade to the Onyx screen, Samsung is working with cinema content developers to
ensure that the display can optimize upcoming films. Notably, Samsung will collaborate with leading
cinema technology services provider Ymagis Group and its Eclair content development business unit to
deliver EclairColor® HDR-compliant pictures that shine on the Onyx screen.
CinemaCon 2018 attendees
will get a sneak peek at the benefits of this alliance, as Samsung will unveil EclairColor-enhanced visuals
on its next-generation display.
“Today’s movies feature the most sophisticated production and advanced graphics ever, and producers
and directors need powerful theater technology to showcase their works as intended and at optimal
quality,” said Jean Mizrahi, President and Co-founder of Ymagis Group. “We anticipate dynamic and
powerful cinema displays like the Onyx becoming the accepted industry standard in the coming years.
We are honored to partner with Samsung to drive change throughout the industry and ultimately improve
the content experience for cinema-goers everywhere.”
World’s First 2K Screen for Post Production
Samsung additionally has forged a partnership with Hollywood-based post-production company
Roundabout to develop specialized Onyx-ready HDR content. “We’re passionate about helping our clients
create extraordinary images at Roundabout and we believe this emissive display technology will help
redefine the cinema experience,” said Jerome Dewhurst, Senior Color Scientist at Roundabout. “Our
color-grading service for the Samsung Onyx screen allows DPs, Directors and colorists to craft images
with incredible tonal detail that has previously been practically impossible using projection. For example, it
will be possible to create scenes with extremely dark, yet still very detailed shadows, un-polluted by a
theater’s exit lights. It will also be possible to create shots with a luminance range that can look much
more life-like, allowing for a more immersive effect in the theater. Ultimately, we have a much larger
gamut in which we can work, and it will be entirely down to the creatives as to how much of that they wish
to utilize when they master their film with us.”
The evolution of the Samsung Onyx screen has also inspired production equipment businesses to refine
their equipment to welcome a more advanced picture for filmmakers. At CinemaCon, Samsung
additionally will highlight its partnerships with production equipment businesses, such as the new
research and development initiative performed in conjunction with Arnold & Richter Cine Technik (ARRI),
a Munich-based designer and manufacturer of specialized motion picture camera and lighting systems, to
create Onyx-optimized content. Samsung also is collaborating with GDC Technology, a leading global
provider of end-to-end digital cinema solutions, to develop Onyx-compatible cinema servers.
Samsung also recently announced partnerships with Golden Screen Cinemas – the largest cinema
company in Malaysia, with 35 venues and 328 screens throughout the nation – and Cineplexx Cinemas –
the largest cinema company in Austria, with 171 screens nationwide - to bring the Onyx screen to moviegoers
in each country. The first locally revamped Samsung Onyx theaters are expected to open in Kuala
Lumpur and Vienna, respectively, later this year.
Taking place April 23-26, 2018 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, CinemaCon is the official convention of
the National Association of Theater Owners. The annual event gathers theater operators and leaders
from across the worldwide motion picture industry to discuss significant trends and share innovative
ideas, with participants from more than 80 countries expected to attend.
To learn more about CinemaCon 2018, visit cinemacon.com. For more information about Samsung’s
latest visual display innovations, as well as related Samsung Newsroom articles, photos and videos, visit
news.samsung.com.
