As the film began, a quiet gasp of awe rippled through the audience. When the screen illuminated the dark theater, every frame came to life with an unprecedented level of clarity. The characters’ subtle expressions were vividly defined, while even the dimmest scenes unveiled striking contrasts and layers of intricate details.
Samsung Onyx is the world’s first cinema LED display, introduced by Samsung Electronics in 2017. The first theater equipped with Samsung Onyx opened that same year at Lotte Cinema World Tower in Seoul, Korea, followed by five additional Lotte Cinema locations1 around the country.
Now, in October 2025, the latest evolution of Samsung Onyx — the company’s first major update to the technology in eight years — makes its Korean debut at Lotte Cinema Sillim’s Gwang-eum LED theater, the cinema brand’s seventh LED venue.
So why is Lotte Cinema expanding its lineup of cinema LED theaters and moving away from traditional projectors? Samsung Newsroom visited the new Gwang-eum LED theater to experience the difference firsthand and hear what moviegoers and theater representatives had to say.
A Rich Interplay Between Contrast and Color
The difference was clear the moment the screen lit up. As fine beams of light gradually filled the pitch-black display, Samsung Onyx delivered breathtaking contrast and deep blacks, while the interplay of light and color revealed an exceptional range of hues that almost felt tangible.
Unlike conventional projector systems, Samsung Onyx generates its own light through LEDs, producing perfectly defined blacks and whites along with an exceptionally rich color palette. Its outstanding contrast ratio and deep blacks ensure uniform brightness across the entire screen without light bleed, allowing even the darkest scenes to maintain their texture and depth.
“Even during the brightest and darkest scenes, my eyes didn’t feel strained,” shared moviegoer Jeonghyeon Yoon after watching a popular animated film at the theater. “The frames flowed so smoothly that it made watching the movie even more enjoyable.”
The vivid color and contrast of the Samsung Onyx screen appeal not only to audiences but also to animation filmmakers. “On the Onyx, these little details were perfectly visible —details which give a lot to the atmosphere, to the peaceful tone of the scene,” said Matīss Kaža, producer of the dialogue-free animated film “Flow” — which won a Golden Globe® Award for Best Motion Picture — Animated and an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. “Cinema is all about detailing in the visual storytelling, and this comes through on Onyx very well.”
In addition, Pixar Animation Studios has collaborated with Samsung to master its animated films such as “Elemental,” “Inside Out 2” and “Elio,” making them available in 4K theatrical HDR format compatible with Samsung Onyx.
“Samsung Onyx enables sophisticated color expression and reproduces true blacks, earning highly positive feedback from audiences,” said Jinha Jeong, Senior Manager at Operations Innovation Team, Lotte Cultureworks. “Many animation fans now say that certain movies must be watched in Onyx LED theaters. With such strong audience satisfaction, LED theaters have now established themselves as one of Lotte Cinema’s signature screening formats.”
Mega-Sized Screens That Transform the Atmosphere
The evolution of Samsung Onyx goes beyond picture quality. The 2025 model (ICD) is reshaping not just the visuals but the very environment of the moviegoing experience.
A new screen nearly 11 meters wide has been installed at Lotte Cinema Sillim’s Gwang-eum LED theater — the largest size possible within the theater’s dimensions. This was made possible by Samsung Onyx’s flexible scaling options, which allow for custom sizing beyond the standard widths of 5 meters (1.25 mm pixel pitch), 10 meters (2.5 mm) and 14 meters (3.3 mm).2 In Lotte Cinema Sillim’s case, additional cabinets were added to the sides and bottom of the standard 10-meter model, enlarging the display by more than 30%.
“Due to the structural limitations of the Sillim branch, we were previously able to install only a 10.24-by-5.4-meter LED screen,” Jeong explained. “However, with Onyx’s scalability, we expanded it to 11.52 by 6.3 meters,3 creating a captivating sense of immersion that fills the viewer’s entire field of vision.”
In Samsung Onyx-equipped theaters, every seat offers a crystal-clear view without edge distortion or resolution loss, ensuring an optimal viewing experience from any angle. Unlike traditional projector-based theaters, Samsung Onyx delivers uniform brightness and color accuracy across the entire screen for every single viewer.
“Dynamic scenes such as explosions and battles appeared incredibly sharp, and the vibrant colors made the viewing experience even more immersive,” shared Eunjeong Lim, another moviegoer, after watching a film at the Gwang-eum LED theater.
“Even the outlines of the subtitles were crystal clear, and compared to other screens, the colors felt noticeably richer and more vivid,” added fellow viewer Byeongrok Kang.
In addition, Samsung Onyx delivers peak brightness levels of up to 300 nits — about six times brighter than conventional projector systems — offering crisp, lifelike visuals even in well-lit environments. This enables theaters to use the space not only for movie screenings but also for a wide range of events such as live concert broadcasts, sports match screenings and dining cinema experiences.
“When watching concert footage, the LED screen vividly captures even the darkest corners of the stage,” Jeong explained. “In the Gwang-eum LED theater, where the Onyx screen is paired with powerful sound, audiences can immerse themselves to an astonishing degree.”
“We’re expanding differentiated services like Onyx LED theaters to deliver a more vivid and immersive viewing environment that can only be experienced in cinemas,” said Yongseop Yoon, Head of Projection System Network Operation Center (NOC) at Lotte Cultureworks. “Beyond technological advancement, our goal with the Samsung Onyx screen is to convey the emotional essence of film in its purest form.”
“Personally, I highly recommend watching a visually stunning sci-fi movie at the Gwang-eum LED theater in Sillim,” he added.
Entering the Next Generation of the Cinema Experience
Samsung Onyx is more than just an LED screen — it’s a space where viewers can experience the future of cinema right before their eyes. Those who have experienced the cutting-edge technology often comment that they can’t wait to experience it again.
“The speed and intensity of the action scenes felt very real, and the vivid colors made me feel as if I were part of the movie,” Lim shared. “With this level of picture and sound quality, I definitely want to watch my next film at an Onyx theater.”
“For films by directors like Makoto Shinkai, where color and visual style are essential, watching them here would feel completely different,” added Jeonghyeon Yoon.
In an era when the boundaries between streaming and theatrical releases are becoming increasingly blurred, Samsung Onyx reminds viewers of the irreplaceable emotion that only theaters can provide. The growing popularity of special sing-along screenings and theatrical releases of animation series proves that the in-theater experience remains truly unique.
Audiences today seek theaters that offer ultimate immersion and an experience that rekindles the magic of cinema. That’s why the phrase “a movie that has to be watched in a theater” still holds true. Amid this shift, Samsung Onyx is redefining the value of theaters through technological innovation and by opening new possibilities for cinematic experiences. The future of cinema that Samsung Onyx envisions is already unfolding — right before our eyes.
