Samsung’s The Wall Set Up As Virtual Production Set For Korean Film & TV Projects

May 27, 2022 by Dave Haynes

Samsung has announced what would have to be one of the largest footprint installations to date of its microLED-ish premium display product, The Wall – a massive virtual production stage in South Korea.

The set-up was done “in collaboration” with the Korean entertainment company CJ ENM. The use of collaboration and partnership pretty loudly suggests this was not a straight purchase, but that Samsung has some “skin in the game” and sees this as an effective, real-world way to demo the use of premium video walls as backgrounds for film and TV production.

Says the PR:

The CJ ENM virtual production stage will present Samsung’s innovative Micro LED technology with The Wall’s impressive screen measuring over 1,000 inches in a custom oval display of 20 meters in diameter and 7 meters in height. The IWA model display supports a resolution of 30,720 (32K) x 4,320 (4K). This real-time, virtual set powered by Samsung’s Micro LED displays and connected cameras will reduce the image compositing needs and save time and production costs. In addition, an IFR2.5 ceiling display has been installed, with the IFR 2.5 Plug Wall displayed on the other side of the IWA. 360-degree video shooting is also possible thanks to the main screen, ceiling and Plug Wall.

The studio is in Paju, outside of Seoul and near the North Korean border.

The Wall’s specifications are customizable to fit the unique requirements of the content creators and space, including ceiling installation in convex or concave design. The screen enhances visual expression with vivid colors, HDR10, HDR10+ and cinema LED picture quality and details. The features enabling reimagined content production include dedicated studio frame rates, including 23.976, 29.97 and 59.94Hz, for seamless video sync.

These kinds of projects may turn out to be a bigger opportunity for premium video walls than digital signage jobs, because of the visual quality demands of cinematographers and an easily-defined ROI model (it’s JUST a bit cheaper for a small crew to shoot high-rez scenics of a European plaza and put that on a virtual background, versus taking dozens of people to the real location for a shoot).