On 27th August movie aficionados strode to PVR Promenade inDelhi’s Vasant Kunj and plop down on their respective spaces to watch the show.Till this spell, everything was normal as it used to be. Alas! Then came thebombshell that left them pondering – the projector was missing! Inforward-facing was a colossal LED screen – telling them that their movieexperience is going to be peculiar this time. As the colours popped when thetrailer of the movie, Stree was screened, spectators along with the movie’slead pair – Rajkummar Rao & Shraddha Kapoor shouted out loud ‘wow’.
The credit for creating such an enduring & awe-inspiringatmosphere in the theatre and endowing India with its first LED cinema screengoes to Samsung, hosting a paradigm shift in the way Indian theatres work. Thisis one of the biggest technological revolutions in the picture industry’s120-plus year history. Samsung is planning to roll out such screens in otherIndian cities in association with two leading multiplex chains, PVR & INOX.
What’s The Difference?
Inspired by the gemstone of the same name, the Onyx screendelivers unrivalled picture quality with its true black colour bringing contentto life with higher vibrancy & accuracy. Outclassing the traditionalprojectors, this HDR & DCI Certified 4K LED technology magnifies viewers’experience with its futuristic features – Onyx View, Onyx 3D & Onyx Sound.The screen empowers audiences to see much more detail in moody scenes — thedeepest blacks and brightest whites, instead of progressive shades of grey (inprojectors). This makes 3D movies watching experience more realistic throughenhanced brightness and consistent colour amplification, and one can see evenminor visual details with unprecedented clarity, making it easier to readsubtitles even without 3D glasses, unlike the projection system.
A cinema projector tends to lose colour quality when itsbrightness is cranked up, but the LED screen can maintain perfect colouraccuracy, even at peak brightness and deliver on-screen content at a higherbrightness (ten times more than projectors – 146 fL versus 14 fL) with minimumdistortion & no interference. To delivery silver-toned sound, the LEDscreen comes with contemporary Onyx surround sound experience from JBL byHarman International and Samsung’s Audio Lab. As the sound comes from allcorners of the screen and different speakers in an auditorium, the ‘sweet spot’in the centre of a hall is equally distributed all over the auditorium,ensuring everyone will get the same experience regardless of their seat’slocation.
There’s no need to worry about possible obstructionsblocking the entire image from reaching the screen with LED panels, so thoseimpish people in the back row of the cinema will no longer intrude a movie withshadow puppets and crude gestures. Moreover, the LED screen has a lifespan ofclose to 17 years with 1 lakh hours of screen life, compared to five years ofthe replacement cycle of the projector lamp.
Hey Projector Lovers Don’t Be Startled
Well, you might have been mesmerized with the features ofthe LED screen from the above discussion, but one can’t rule out thesignificance of projectors. The choice between a projector and an LED screencomes down to the application’s specific prerequisites. As Mark Wadsworth,international marketing manager, Digital Projection, mentions out: “If theapplication requires content displayed on a curved or irregular surface, flatpanels and video walls do not provide a suitable solution, while projectorsequipped with warping capabilities can be ‘mapped’ to nearly any surfacegeometry. It is fair to say that while projectors and LED walls do compete insome applications, they happily co-exist and complement each other, eachoffering their own unique benefits.” (Source: proavl-asia.com).
Apart from technology, the aesthetic part does also play apivotal role in engaging the audience in the theatres. LED screens are brightenough to deliver a full visual experience without needing to dim screeningroom lights, whereas projectors look their best in a darkened room. Theprojectors create utmost darkness in the theatres and craft a clandestineatmosphere for the people who want seclusion from watchdogs! Moreover, the highcosts for installing LED screens that will eventually raise the ticket’s price(expected to be Rs.150 more) poses questions on the use of LED screens.
With LED or A Projector, Keep on Relishing
Whether the use of LED screens in cinemas will beefficacious or customers will eventually plea the overhead glow and beam ofnostalgia that comes from a projector, only future will articulate. Any incase, Amitabh Bachchan’s inspiring dialogues with his vehement voice can stirus in any sound format and his chef-d’oeuvre action & dance will lookstupendous in any picture format. So, keep on enjoying your movie whileembodying your mouth with crunchy popcorn as his alternative is yet to come inthe market!