LA Theater Debuts First LED Video Wall in US

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Megalith

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Pacific Theatres Winnetka in Chatsworth, LA is the first to house Samsung’s LED cinema screen, which measures 33.8 feet wide and 17.7 feet high with nearly 9 million pixels. It is unlikely that adoption will be widespread, however, as each screen costs $500,000 to $700,000. A laser projector, in comparison, costs $150,000 to $300,000.

Tech vets who’ve seen demonstrations admit that the images these LED systems can produce are impressive, including their wide dynamic range (blacker blacks and whiter whites). However, a number of key factors still need to be addressed — most notably cost, says Pete Lude, chief technology officer of engineering firm Mission Rock Digital.
 
Hopefully they can bring the cost down and replace standard theatres with this. So sick and tired of how dark and washed out non-IMAX movies are, especially when they try to shoehorn in 3D.
 
NeoNemesis said:
Hopefully they can bring the cost down and replace standard theatres with this. So sick and tired of how dark and washed out non-IMAX movies are, especially when they try to shoehorn in 3D.
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Dolby Atmos is where it's at. Not perfect, but very, very good, and not a hint of 3D ;)


As for the tiny theater screen- I don't see the cost as prohibitive so long as Samsung provides exceptional service, but man it's going to take a long time to pay off given how few seats they'll be able to house. Especially as people now expect premium seating.
 
Aaand what happens when you order this screen, it arrives, and it has a dead pixel? :)
 
Aenra said:
Aaand what happens when you order this screen, it arrives, and it has a dead pixel? :)
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Easy, you just swap out a panel, takes about 1 minute for the job, and then you color calibrate the new with the controller software. Depending on where the dead or stuck pixel is, it might take more time to setup the ladder than it does to correct the problem.
 
Given the viewing distance of our seats in a movie theater, I think we can give them a pass on the resolution / pixels. However, I would be more concerned about the fact that movie theaters don't ever clean the seats / whatever. I'd shudder to think what we would see with a UV light over time. That fact alone is my inspiration for putting together a home theater (65 OLED Dolby vision/atmos, sound bar + 5.1 setup on top). It's not super great but it's good enough for me to wait 4-6 weeks for the HDR Blu Rays to come out to watch something.
 
dvsman said:
Given the viewing distance of our seats in a movie theater, I think we can give them a pass on the resolution / pixels. However, I would be more concerned about the fact that movie theaters don't ever clean the seats / whatever. I'd shudder to think what we would see with a UV light over time. That fact alone is my inspiration for putting together a home theater (65 OLED Dolby vision/atmos, sound bar + 5.1 setup on top). It's not super great but it's good enough for me to wait 4-6 weeks for the HDR Blu Rays to come out to watch something.
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Get a couple of 18" subwoofers, you'll thank me later. One sub is suboptimal.
 
Showbiz said:
Easy, you just swap out a panel, takes about 1 minute for the job, and then you color calibrate the new with the controller software. Depending on where the dead or stuck pixel is, it might take more time to setup the ladder than it does to correct the problem.
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Oh; i was thinking our type of screens, where you're basically screwed and that's that. Thanks for the info :)
 
infinity9 said:
They aren't for people who want to enjoy the movie either. Nobody will put down their phones anymore.
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You know, I went to an Alamo Drafthouse to see A Quiet Place (recommended), and they made very strong points about cell phone use- and talking!

Like kicking you out without a refund on the second occurrence.
 
IdiotInCharge said:
You know, I went to an Alamo Drafthouse to see A Quiet Place (recommended), and they made very strong points about cell phone use- and talking!

Like kicking you out without a refund on the second occurrence.
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The same thing with my local theater. They say absolutely no cell phones are allowed not only because of disruption but also due to piracy concerns (because everyone loves a shaky, cell phone shot pirated movie).
 
exlink said:
The same thing with my local theater. They say absolutely no cell phones are allowed not only because of disruption but also due to piracy concerns (because everyone loves a shaky, cell phone shot pirated movie).
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'Not allowed' like leave it in your pocket/purse, or leave it in your car? I'm fine with the first...
 
exlink said:
Its the former, they just don't want to see it when you're in the actual theater. Its fine in the lobby and whatnot.
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Hell, I'm happy with them enforcing that they be turned off during the previews (as most chains run a clip asking you to do so). I don't really want to pay attention to their commercials...
 
I used to work in the LED video board industry - while the 33 feet size is merely OK, the sheer pixel density of the damn thing is EXTREMELY impressive. That is a hell of a lot of data to pump.
 
capt_cope said:
So it's got roughly the same number of pixels as a standard 4k tv... but it's 33.8 feet wide and I have to sit in a room with strangers. Explain to me how this is an improvement over watching movies at home?
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I can't speak for this theater, but 30k home theaters are no match for any of the theaters I go to. It's not ever a close call. That said, 40' screen seems small to me. I generally watch on a 75' screen and even the smaller screens are 50'.

I'll add that if I go to an early (11am-1pm) matinee, I can generally find a theater that's relatively empty. Hell I saw Blockers on a 75' screen and there was only 2 people in the theater (including me)...and that's common, IME across multiple states.
 
"blacker blacks"....but let me guess....no true black...like all other flat-panels in the world.
First people didn't care about sound (loudness-wars)....now they don't care about image quality (not true black)...downhill slope.
 
Factum said:
"blacker blacks"....but let me guess....no true black...like all other flat-panels in the world.
First people didn't care about sound (loudness-wars)....now they don't care about image quality (not true black)...downhill slope.
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LED boards have no backlighting - if there is no ambient lighting or reflection from the audience then you'll get as close to a true black as possible. That said, the LED die tends to have a reflector so there is always some light wash, but it's miles away from a normal panel, oled or no.

It'll be so dark, if you smeared Kyle's bloody heart over it, it'll leave neon-looking stains :)
 
38.1 foot diagonal, ~ 4096X2160 to get "nearly 9 million pixels". So, that makes this screen 10 pixels per inch, or about 2.5mm from pixel to pixel, which would make the LEDs about 1.25mm across.
 
Gottfried Leibnizzle said:
LED boards have no backlighting - if there is no ambient lighting or reflection from the audience then you'll get as close to a true black as possible. That said, the LED die tends to have a reflector so there is always some light wash, but it's miles away from a normal panel, oled or no.

It'll be so dark, if you smeared Kyle's bloody heart over it, it'll leave neon-looking stains :)
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Actually a lot of manufactures of LED video panels offer both white face and Smoked (black face matte) versions. The idea is that in a theatrical setting, the fixture will disapear when it's a dark scene.

The Samsung version comes in a smoked face as standard so when the LEDs are off, they disappear. Sure with a bright enough light there would be a reflection, but you'd basically need to have the house lights on to see them.

My question is how are they planning to cool the panels? Typically these panels are either designed for open air cooling or have a fan for the installation version. The fans themselves aren't loud, but enough of them could be heard during a quiet scene. Think Mad Max when he wakes up in the desert. I guess if they're only running them at 30% (any brighter would really hurt in a dark room) they probably won't need an active cooling solution.
 
um.. dont care if the screen is LED.. or whatever.

its the whole moving going "experience" nowadays that, for me, sucks.

the only one i have enjoyed in the past years was deadpool and that was because the place was a mix of a bar/food and theater. now that was fun.
 
Showbiz said:
My question is how are they planning to cool the panels? Typically these panels are either designed for open air cooling or have a fan for the installation version. The fans themselves aren't loud, but enough of them could be heard during a quiet scene. Think Mad Max when he wakes up in the desert. I guess if they're only running them at 30% (any brighter would really hurt in a dark room) they probably won't need an active cooling solution.
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We used to drive our LEDs at a max of 40% duty cycle for reliability reasons (my bosses liked to buy cheap ass Chinese dies), however, the intended use was outdoor advertising and it was plenty bright enough even in daylight and passive cooling was enough even with black potting soaking up sunlight. That said, the subpixel pitch was enormous compared to this screen, but then again in a dark setting I can't imagine you'd need a duty cycle of more than 10%. It's unlikely too that you'd hear any fans or airflow behind the individual bricks.
 
capt_cope said:
So it's got roughly the same number of pixels as a standard 4k tv... but it's 33.8 feet wide and I have to sit in a room with strangers. Explain to me how this is an improvement over watching movies at home?
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4k is overrated.

1080p :cool:
 
capt_cope said:
So it's got roughly the same number of pixels as a standard 4k tv... but it's 33.8 feet wide and I have to sit in a room with strangers. Explain to me how this is an improvement over watching movies at home?
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Are you trolling or just this ignorant to other peoples living situations? You ARE aware, right, that, like, most people don't even own a TV over 32-40 inches, right? Especially not 4K HDR ones. I mean, what the fuck man? The movie theater is a MAJOR improvement over most living rooms. Come on...this comment just screams of elitism and as if you've lost grip on actual reality.

infinity9 said:
They aren't for people who want to enjoy the movie either. Nobody will put down their phones anymore.
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Who is on their phones when the movies playing? I go to the theater pretty frequently-ish (get a BOGO ticket on Tuesdays) and have maybe once seen someone turn their phone on during the actual movie.

I've noticed this is a pattern on [H]ard...once a person makes some stuck up unsubstantiated claim everyone clings to it like it's a fact just because it makes them look better.
 
Mut1ny said:
Are you trolling or just this ignorant to other peoples living situations? You ARE aware, right, that, like, most people don't even own a TV over 32-40 inches, right? Especially not 4K HDR ones. I mean, what the fuck man? The movie theater is a MAJOR improvement over most living rooms. Come on...this comment just screams of elitism and as if you've lost grip on actual reality.



Who is on their phones when the movies playing? I go to the theater pretty frequently-ish (get a BOGO ticket on Tuesdays) and have maybe once seen someone turn their phone on during the actual movie.

I've noticed this is a pattern on [H]ard...once a person makes some stuck up unsubstantiated claim everyone clings to it like it's a fact just because it makes them look better.
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Have you lost touch with reality? If someone is hard up enough that a tv over 32" is just too expensive the LAST place on earth they need to be is at a theater spending damn near $50 on two tickets, two drinks, and a popcorn (or if they're going on their own nearly $30)... And that's a matinee showing too. Sure you can go during the week for their BOGO or $5 student discounts, but lots of people have to go to work. And God help you if you want to go after 2pm. Considering I can drive to best buy tomorrow and buy a 50" 4k tv for $429.99, how do you figure "most people don't even own a tv over 32 -40 inches" at this point? I mean really, of the 262 tvs for sale on their website (any resolution) only 35 come in UNDER 40"... They've got more TVs with a price less than $250 than they do with a size smaller than 40".

Come on... this comment screams of cluelessness and as if you've lost grip on actual reality.

And just to drop some knowledge on you: link (yeah that's from 2015 and the average tv size in the US was 47" back then...)
 
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Factum said:
"blacker blacks"....but let me guess....no true black...like all other flat-panels in the world.
First people didn't care about sound (loudness-wars)....now they don't care about image quality (not true black)...downhill slope.
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You can't call it true black, it's African American.
 
^ from the jokebook written by jimmy in third grade.

People go to movie theaters still?

Oh, let's pay $10 per person plus food to see a superhero/sequel/remake in a big room filled with strangers?

Seems archaic and needless now.

I think I have seen two movies in the theater in the last 6 years or so, never been something I enjoy.

Don't get me wrong movies are sweet its just paying the $10 and all the other people looking at their phone during the movie and their screen light or maybe a sound, it takes away from it.

When I watch a movie at my house I pull all the shades and have the lights off and no one talks or makes noise and I don't have to pay anything.

Seems like one of those money wasting activities guys begging to get laid are dragged to.

The led screen smh, there is an old Joe Rogan bit where he says phones are small enough and screens are big enough, lets get the scientists working on some better shit.
 
capt_cope said:
Have you lost touch with reality?
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You have. So because someone can't afford a giant TV and home theater = they're too poor to go to the movies and you get to determine how they spend their money. What the fuck are you even fucking talking about?! E-L-I-T-I-S-M. Get over yourself, goddamn. People enjoy the movie theater. I'm going today. Isle of Dogs.
 
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