Components
D-Cinema Summit discusses investment, content and technology
SINGAPORE: The second session at the Asian D-Cinema Summit, at the Broadcast Asia summit 2006, was all about taking stock of the Asian scenario in the digital age. In some ways, the conference did touch upon interactive possibilities, along with new ways of storytelling in the digital age.
However, the main focus was to critically take stock of Digital Cinema, in terms of investment, content and technology; apart from offering a brief update on the regional scenario.
Starting of the discussion on the Asian scenario, Mediacorp Technologies CEO Mock Pak said, “It looks like a rather positive scenario in the Asian region, with most of the countries racing ahead in the digital race. Korea, China and India, with its vibrant Bollywood industry, will definitely lead the way further. In percentage terms, more than 44 per cent of the digital films are from Asia.”
Quoting from her presentation on the Thailand Update, Golden Duck International Thailand’s Yupayong Liewluck said, “Thailand has moved from 29 digital screens to more than 500 screens. In the future, the audience will have to pay more to enjoy the hi-end movie watching experience and from the exhibitors point of view it’s going to be a more high investment proposition.”
Liewluck was of the opinion that though going digital is a high investment proposition, it’s still not known what the business model will be like in the days to come. Also, what’s the reliability of the final product and what will justify the cost of the digital cinema.
So, the moot question is how digital cinema will justify the high investment though in terms of distribution it provides an excellent platform to keep the films running.
Moving on to the Japan update, the presentation took off from the example of Narnia which featured 2k digital cinema projectors. Media Networking Laboratory executive manager Tetsuro Fujii said, “In Japan, more than 50 screens have gone digital and more than 30 screens are DCI complaint with 2K digital cinema.
The country is going at a very high speed to comply with Digital Cinema Initiative, while maintaining the highest standards of 4k digital cinema which has been a rule in the country. Now, the second phase has seen the likes of 4k cinema as the country is almost ready with its broadband network technologies.”
The Chinese film industry, on its part, continues to grow by leaps and bounds but steps are yet to be taken for a speedier development of digital cinema. Offering a slightly different perspective to the entire scenario, China Film Group chief engineer Chen Fei said the effort is really to maintain a cultural identity in the race to go digital. “After all, technology can sometimes destroy what culture has brought in.”
Shaw Organisation Singapore senior manager Mark Shaw said, “More than 26 screens here have digital screens.” What came across from the discussion was that Singapore is soon emerging as a hub in providing the support system for many Asian countries in going digital.” Said Shaw, “The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) are collaborating to develop the digital cinema industry in Singapore, riding on the combined strengths of both agencies. The IDA’s efforts are also in the direction of helping out other countries to comply with the digital norms.”
SEOUL: In the eternal battle between gamers demanding lightning-fast refresh rates and professionals craving pixel-perfect clarity, LG Display reckons it has found détente. The South Korean display titan is unveiling the world’s first 27-inch 4K OLED monitor panel that marries an RGB stripe structure with a blistering 240Hz refresh rate—a combination previously thought incompatible, like oil and water or fashion and function.
The breakthrough lies in how the pixels are arranged. RGB stripe structure lines up red, green and blue subpixels in neat rows, banishing the colour bleeding and fringing that plague lesser screens when you park your nose close to the display. It is the difference between reading crisp text and squinting at a rainbow-tinged mess. OLED panels using this method existed before, but they topped out at a sluggish 60Hz—fine for spreadsheets, useless for fragging opponents in first-person shooters.
LG Display’s engineering wizardry changes the game. By cranking the refresh rate to 240Hz whilst maintaining that pristine RGB stripe layout, the company has produced a panel that works equally well for colour-critical design work and twitchy gaming sessions. Better still, the panel incorporates Dynamic Frequency & Resolution technology, letting users toggle between ultra-high-definition at 240Hz and full-HD at a frankly ludicrous 480Hz. That is fast enough to make your eyeballs sweat.
The specs are suitably impressive: 160 pixels per inch for exceptional detail, optimised performance for Windows and font-rendering engines, and colour accuracy that should please the Photoshop brigade. LG Display achieved this by boosting the aperture ratio—the percentage of each pixel that actually emits light—and applying what it coyly describes as “various new technologies.” Translation: years of R&D and probably some sleepless nights.
Existing high-end gaming OLED monitors have relied on RGWB structures (which add a white subpixel) or triangular RGB arrangements. Both work, but neither delivers the sharpness that professionals demand. LG Display’s new stripe pattern is tailored specifically for monitor use, a recognition that staring at a screen from two feet away demands different engineering than watching telly from across the room.
The company is betting big on this technology, targeting the high-end monitor market where it already commands roughly 30 per cent of global OLED panel production. Among gaming OLED panels in mass production, LG Display claims world-leading specs across refresh rate, response time and resolution—a trifecta that sounds like marketing bluster until you check the numbers.
“Technology is the foundation of leadership in the rapidly growing OLED monitor market,” says LG Display head of the large display business unit Lee Hyun-woo. He promises to keep pushing “differentiated technologies compared to competitors”—corporate-speak for staying ahead of Chinese rivals snapping at LG’s heels.
The new panel will debut at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, where LG Display plans to woo customers and expand its lineup. Initial rollout targets high-end gaming and professional monitors, the sweet spot where people actually pay premiums for superior screens rather than settling for whatever came with their laptop.
Whether this technology reshapes the monitor market or remains a niche luxury depends on two things: pricing and production scale. But for now, LG Display has pulled off something rare—a genuine technical leap that solves a real problem. Gamers get their speed, designers get their clarity, and LG gets bragging rights. In the cutthroat world of display tech, that counts as a win.
