Samsung is tying up with Inox Leisure Ltd to launch Onyx Cinema LED screen for the first time in Mumbai. Samsung had launched the first such screen in India with PVR in Delhi

Samsung expects at least two more Onyx LED screens by the end of this calender year, and plans on adding another 15-20 screens in India next year, said Puneet Sethi, Vice-President, consumer electronics enterprise business, Samsung India.

Tech advantage

The Onyx LED technology replaces the traditional projection-based system. It offers a contrast ratio of infinity to one, versus the 2,500 to one ratio offered by the projection-based system, with its screen unaffected by the ambient light.

“This enables one to watch any kind of content with the lights on. You don’t need to switch off the lights and it increases the revenue stream for the exhibitors as they can use the same auditorium, save infrastructure, as well as lease it for other purposes,” said Sethi.

Samsung was the first company globally to introduce LED screen for cinema, when the screen was put up in Korea in 2017.

Same ticket prices

“For now, Inox is planning to keep the ticket price for a movie with the Onyx screen the same as the one with a normal screen,” said Alok Tandon, CEO of Inox Leisure Ltd.

In terms of installation, the one in Mumbai marks the company’s 17th installation, with the first one launched in India with PVR in Delhi being the 12th one. In total, there are 26 installations of the Onyx LED screen across the globe. The one in Mumbai was installed around eight weeks back. Another Samsung Onyx LED screen will be coming up in Mumbai this year with PVR in Parel, Sethi added.

Cost of screen

Each Onyx screen costs around $700,000. With the launch of another 20 Onyx Cinema LED screens slated for next year, the company is set to earn a revenue of around $14 million from this, according to industry estimates.

When asked about the future of the cinema LED screens in India and Samsung’s role in it, Sethi said that the company is “very bullish” and confident. “I'm sure the cinema chains and exhibitors will invest more,” he said.

As for bringing Onyx to the homes, he said that the 5-metre version can be deployed at home, but that the pricing for that hasn’t been decided yet. As of now, only the 10-metre versions have been launched in India.

Related Topics