The renovated Pathé Palace in Paris, which has housed a cinema since 1927, has replaced its projectors with large LED screens in six out of seven theaters.
For the first time, TVs have surpassed cinemas in picture quality. HDR (High Dynamic Range) poses a significant challenge for theaters, requiring them to ditch projectors that have defined the cinema experience for over 100 years.
Pathé Palace in Paris has embraced that challenge. The historic venue, previously known as Paramount Opéra (1927) and Gaumont-Capucines, has become one of the first LED cinemas in Europe following a 5-year renovation.
Only one of the theaters still features a projector. The other six have been equipped with Samsung Onyx LED screens: Four with a 10-meter 4K screen and two with a 5-meter 2K screen.
Can now present movies in HDR
After the upgrade, Pathé Palace can showcase films in HDR quality – just like OLED TVs at home. However, this does not mean that all movies will be presented in HDR, as it is up to the studios to release an HDR-grade for cinemas.
The HDR-grade differs from the HDR-grade for home viewing, as the LED cinema screens deliver up to 300 nits of brightness, per the DCI HDR certification (Digital Cinema Initiatives) – almost six times higher than a standard cinema projector.
One of the LED screens in Pathé Palace in Paris. Photo: Samsung
Unlike cinema projectors, the LED screens can display true black. According to Samsung, they support both 2D and 3D using active 3D glasses, along with Dolby Atmos sound.
Also read: Why 24fps is not enough for HDR movies
The first LED cinema screen was installed in mid-2017 at Lotte Cinema World Tower in South Korea.
Micro-LED in the lobby
Samsung was chosen because it can provide the certified LED cinema screens, where each pixel consists of three light-emitting diodes (red, green, blue) that together form the image. These are true LED screens – no LCD panel required.
- "Samsung Onyx screens allow directors to see their vision come true in a spectacular way and film lovers to enjoy the most beautiful version of a film," said Menno van den Berg, head of Samsung Electronics France. "We are proud to bring this technological excellence to a cinema as prestigious and historic as the Pathé Palace."
One of the LED screens in Pathé Palace in Paris. Photo: Samsung
A ticket costs 25 euros.
An 8K micro-LED display has also been installed in the lobby. This screen measures 5.4 meters in height and 9.6 meters in width.
