LG to challenge Samsung in LED Cinema screen market

LG looks set to take on Samsung in the LED Cinema space. The company is reported to be developing an LG LED Cinema business strategy, chasing Samsung into the direct view display market. The idea is that theatres would turn to LED signage rather than use screen and projection systems.

A direct view display would offer twice the brightness of a conventional theatre; this might also lead to some cinemas move from an all dark environment to using some level of ambient light.

The announcement was originally going to be made at the Cinemacon trade show in Las Vegas, which has now been cancelled. The LED Cinema display would be part of the brand’s existing B2B digital signage portfolio. Samsung first introduced direct view digital cinema screens in 2017, although the number of installations worldwide is small.

It remains to be seen if the theatre business will be in any financial state to adopt new technologies once the Coronavirus pandemic passes. In the US, AMC Theatres are on the brink of bankruptcy, with all cash reserves expected to be exhausted by July.