Virtual production was one of the main topics at IBC 2023, second only to artificial intelligence. Getting in on the AI act was Samsung Electronics, launching what it calls The Wall for Virtual Production, an impressive, curved LED display that supports the company’s commitment to virtual production.
What do we think? Large displays have become a fundamental component of virtual production at film studios worldwide. The LED video wall technology has replaced greenscreens and made film production more accessible, especially during the pandemic lockdowns. The increased adoption of LED video wall technology is driving adoption of virtual production across the media and entertainment sectors.
Samsung Electronics introduces The Wall for Virtual Production
Samsung Electronics showcased a dedicated display for virtual production during IBC 2023, held earlier this month, and rolled it out in Europe. This comes three months after Samsung Electronics debuted the LED wall, along with other digital signage and display offerings, at InfoComm 2023. The Wall for Virtual Production was released in North America following its announcement at InfoComm.
The Wall (model name: IVC) is based on modular technology that allows for a variety of installation options, ranging from a flat screen to up to 6,000R curvature. It can also be hung or stacked with other screens and is designed to be resilient to the dust and particles that are common in production environments.
Virtual production—discussed in detail in JPR’s 2023 Digital Content Creation Market report—is a filmmaking technique that combines physical sets and props with digital environments to create immersive and visually stunning scenes. Wall LEDs are commonly used to create dynamic and realistic backgrounds, enhance lighting, and improve the overall production process. Virtual production enables workflows/decisions to move into earlier phases of production and makes feedback loops much tighter.
JPR’s DCC report estimates that by 2030, 80% of M&E studios will have some form of an LED screen, a vital element when it comes to virtual production. LED video walls display computer-generated graphics in the background and enable filmmakers to capture visual effects in real time. The key to creating content using virtual production methods is picture quality. The imagery has to be photorealistic in order to immerse audiences in the story.
Samsung’s visual display technology delivers impressive production capabilities that extend reality for filmmakers using virtual environments. The Wall for Virtual Production can amplify projects by adding lifelike levels of detail, texture, volume, and shades to virtual content creation environments. The two new IVC model options, with a pixel pitch of P1.68 and P2.1, include a wide curvature range, which creates a more realistic field of view. The display also has an updated genlock feature that keeps The Wall in line with the system’s signals, so there aren’t any dropped or doubled frames. This capability—along with the enhanced phase offset feature that adjusts the time delay between camera and screen—ensures a perfect image.
To display colors as accurately and consistently as possible, The Wall for Virtual Production features 3D lookup tables (LUTs) for color correction, wide-gamut HDR color processing, and color adjustment between individual cabinets or modules. Meanwhile, the integrated virtual production management (VPM) software and its intuitive interface make it easy and more efficient to manage the screen and facilitate the highest possible picture quality in a virtual production environment. The VPM is also capable of detecting and resolving any potential LED-related issues.
The Wall for Virtual Production features capabilities such as:
- An improved 4:9 ratio that provides a variety of installation options, including the ability to be hung or stacked with other screens to maximize results in different production environments.
- A 12,288Hz refresh rate that minimizes flicker lines and ensures a clear outcome, regardless of the camera used during filming.
- Black Seal Technology+ that delivers the purest black levels for new depth. Users will experience unparalleled contrast that is specifically designed to be resilient to the dust and particles common in production environments.
- 20-bit processing to present exact color mapping with faultless accuracy and a precise linear grayscale that shows the intricacies of every scene. Users will be able to see realistic textures, volume, and continuous shadow details.
The Wall for Virtual Production’s P1.68 and P2.1 models are now available globally.