Samsung has partnered with Pixar to help raise awareness and adoption of its cinema LED screen, Samsung Onyx. Pixar’s latest animated film, Elemental, has been exclusively mastered in 4K theatrical high dynamic range (HDR) for Samsung Onyx and Pixar plans to continue mastering 4K HDR content specifically for Samsung’s screens in the future. It is a little unfortunate that Elemental ended up with some disappointing box office results on its release becoming Pixar’s worst start in modern history. It might be pick up though because the film does get high marks among critics and audiences that have seen it.
Samsung’s Onyx is already in use in about 100 theaters around the world. However, these are still early days, and the tech isn’t widely adopted, especially among major US theater chains. There are significant challenges to overcome before these displays can become mainstream in theaters. The cost of installing and maintaining these LED screens is expensive, and that is always going to be a barrier. The screens would need to have their own supporting frame built as well, and are therefore, a big investment and leap of faith for movie theaters.
The digital cinema initiatives (DCI) consortium, consisting of several studios, released a technical specification for these new displays in 2022, essentially a recommended guide for using these systems, and Samsung Onyx is among the first LED cinema screens to be DCI compliant. Yet, you can see Samsung Onyx being promoted for digital signage and virtual productions so, it’s not as if the cinema is the primary channel of adoption.
