Samsung shows next-gen Onyx LED cinema screen

Samsung has announced its latest Onyx (ICD model) cinema LED screen, at CinemaCon 2025. The world’s first DCI-certified cinema LED display, Onyx is able to deliver an extraordinary cinematic experience with true black levels, infinite contrast ratio and exceptional colour accuracy. The screen is capable of supporting frame rates up to 4K 120Hz, delivering ultra-smooth motion and razor-sharp details.

As auditoriums vary in size, Onyx comes in four standard sizes, with additional flexible scaling options, allowing theaters to maximize their available space and present films in the largest possible format.

5 metres (16ft) is ideal for boutique and smaller-format theatres (and has a pixel pitch of 1.25mm); 10 metres (33ft) , which is effectively the industry standard for premium cinemas (Pixel pitch: 2.5mm); 14 metres (46ft) for large-scale cinematic experiences (Pixel pitch: 3.3mm), and 20 metres (66ft) , a large-format solution for premium auditoriums (Pixel pitch: 5.0mm)

Samsung Onyx cinema LED screens natively support both scope (2.39:1) and flat (1.85:1) aspect ratio. When scaling beyond standard sizes, Onyx maintains both aspect ratios while maximising the screen size, allowing content to expand proportionally without distortion.

Inside CI had the chance to experience Onyx at The Culver Theatre, in Culver City. Unlike traditional projectors, which can appear dim in larger theatres and struggle with washed-out colours in bright scenes, Onyx’s enhanced brightness ensures richer details in shadows, more intense highlights and superior colour accuracy across the entire spectrum.

Powered by Samsung HDR technology, Onyx reaches can reach peak brightness levels of 300 nits (87.6fL) , six times brighter than conventional cinema standards.

Onyx is built for long-term performance too, offering the industry’s first and longest 10-years warranty for cinema LED. An auto calibration solution enables theatres to easily calibrate their screens during installation and routine maintenance.

Onyx is compatible with both Dolby and GDC IMB media servers, and is fully compatible with leading cinema audio solutions, including Dolby Atmos, Meyer Sound, QSC and custom-designed sound systems. For theaters using HARMAN’s JBL surround sound technology, Onyx also offers seamless integration to ensure optimised audio performance.

One of the most recent Onyx installations is at Pathé Palace in Paris.

"At Pathé, we are committed to delivering the highest-quality cinematic experience for our customers," said Laure de Boissard, Managing Director, Pathé Cinéma France. "Samsung Onyx allows us to achieve stunning visuals with exceptional brightness and contrast, ensuring that every film is presented exactly as intended.”

Samsung Onyx is redefining how movies are experienced through its collaboration with the film industry as well. One such example was Samsung partnering with Pixar Animation Studios to master films like Elemental, Inside Out 2, and this summer’s Elio in HDR for Onyx.

"At Pixar, we believe cinema can be a grand, shared experience, a place where stories feel larger than life and memories are made with friends. That’s why we’re driven to bring something truly new to the big screen with our pioneering HDR-1 theatrical releases,” said Dominic Glynn, Senior Scientist, Pixar Animation Studios.

CinemaCon attendees were offered the chance to experience the next-generation Onyx firsthand at Samsung’s booth at Caesars Palace.