The Evolution of In-Home Entertainment Through The Premiere – Samsung Global News Headquarters
The Premiere by Samsung Electronics has made an impressive return, packing even more power and innovation than its initial launch in 2020. Beyond its renowned capabilities as a home theater projector, The Premiere series now boasts a range of new lifestyle functions, expanding its utility beyond just traditional video viewing.
During a conversation with Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business developers Jaeyoung Park, Seonbin Jang, and Jonguk Shin, insights were shared regarding the latest features of The Premiere and the upcoming directions for these projectors.
▲ (From left) Jaeyoung Park, Seonbin Jang and Jonguk Shin
Revolutionizing Home Theater with Ultra-Short Throw Technology
Within just one year of its introduction in 2020, The Premiere quickly soared to the peak of the premium projector market in North America by providing an unparalleled cinematic experience to users.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the true value of The Premiere’s home cinema features became apparent. As more individuals spent time at home, the online streaming industry flourished, bringing projectors like The Premiere into the limelight. In 2019, the ultra-short throw projector category, which includes The Premiere, constituted only 7.2%1 of the high-end home cinema projector market. By 2023, this share had risen to 22.5%.
▲ The Premiere 9
The major advantage of The Premiere lies in its convenience. By utilizing ultra-short throw technology with an aspherical mirror, the need for overhead mounts or separate shelves to achieve an optimal projection distance is eliminated. Users can easily position The Premiere directly in front of their desired wall, much like a conventional TV, and make screen adjustments effortlessly using a remote or mobile device. Offering captivating screen sizes of up to 130 inches for The Premiere 9 and 120 inches for The Premiere 7, these projectors are ideal for creating a personalized home cinema experience.
Color Wheel: Rotates swiftly in synchronization with the video signal to ensure accurate color display, commonly featuring 3 to 8 color segments.
Digital Micromirror Device (DMD): Accurately adjusts millions of minuscule mirrors installed on a microchip according to the video signal, playing a crucial role in achieving high image quality and resolution on projectors.
Triple Laser Technology: Emits lasers of the three primary light colors – red, green, and blue – to produce vivid, sharp images, contributing to brighter projections by diminishing light loss through the color wheel.
Aspherical Mirror: Enables ultra-short throw projection, achieved after numerous simulations by Samsung engineers to determine the optimal curvature, which was then applied to the new The Premiere projector.
▲ A simplified illustration of two main types of Digital Light Processing (DLP) beam projectors
“One remarkable aspect of ultra-short throw projectors is their ability to create a large screen with minimal space between the device and the wall,” remarked Shin, the lead developer for The Premiere. “For instance, The Premiere 9 generates a 100-inch screen with just 9.4 inches of space between the wall and the device.”
▲ The Premiere 9 can project screens up to 130 inches. (Note: Screen sizes in column A measured diagonally, not vertically)
“Home cinema projectors are all about providing the utmost screen experience within a specified area.”
– Jonguk Shin, Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics
Enhancing With Lifestyle-Centric Innovations
After a successful launch, the team sought to go further. Their objective was to transform The Premiere into a comprehensive lifestyle device with benefits that extended beyond traditional home cinema.
“We aspired to provide a broader range of applications for The Premiere users,” described Jang, who led the product planning for The Premiere.
▲ Customize your space and set the right mood by projecting photos, color effects, background scenes, and themes on your wall with The Premiere.
Custom Ambient, one of the newly integrated features, empowers users to edit photos and videos through the SmartThings app on their mobile device and display them on the wall. Widgets like a real-time clock can be placed on the wall for daily décor, or animated effects like the waves can be used for vibrant parties.
“Custom Ambient draws inspiration from The Freestyle’s Ambient Mode, often used for sharing social media content,” noted Jang. “With The Premiere, users have the freedom to create their unique space, even when not watching videos.”
▲ Jaeyoung Park discusses The Premiere’s new lifestyle features of The Premiere.
With the inclusion of Samsung Gaming Hub, the projector’s entertainment capabilities have been notably enriched. Users can enjoy cloud-based games on the large screen without the need for a PC or gaming console. Additionally, three HDMI ports are available for connecting PCs or gaming consoles for added flexibility.
“I frequently engage in racing games with my children at home, and the 100-inch screen of The Premiere offers ample space for all of us to play simultaneously via split-screen without feeling congested,” mentioned Park.
▲ There are discernible aesthetic disparities between the original (left in each image) and new (right) versions of The Premiere. The 2024 model features a more compact front with a warmer Kvadrat fabric hue to better harmonize with home decor.
Even when switched off, The Premiere can operate as a smart speaker.
Brighter Projection Quality with Advanced Laser Innovation
Unlike televisions where light is directly viewed from the panel, projectors reflect light off the projection surface. Consequently, the appropriate components and software technology are imperative for achieving superior image quality. Advanced laser technology is integral to The Premiere’s large, crystal-clear screen. The Premiere 9 implements triple laser technology, harnessing laser light sources from the three primary colors: red, green, and blue. In contrast, The Premiere 7 employs single laser technology with a blue light source, supporting a broader color spectrum and enhanced color precision compared to lamp-based or LED projectors.
The Premiere 9 and The Premiere 7 deliver up to 154% and 100% of the DCI-P32 color gamut, respectively, and both models support HDR10+ to ensure vivid, lifelike images even in brightly lit environments.
▲ The Premiere 9 employs triple laser technology for brighter, sharper images.
Another significant asset of The Premiere lineup is the abundant brightness provided.
