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Unilumin: Setting a Global Benchmark with Innovation and Craftsmanship
Interviewee: Dong Zhigang, General Manager, Cinema BU, Unilumin Group
Reporter: Wang Xiaolei
China’s LED cinema screens have advanced to the global forefront and are driving the industry worldwide with strong momentum. Behind this achievement lies the continuous innovation and deep, disciplined execution of Chinese enterprises—among which Unilumin stands out. As the first company in the LED industry to obtain DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) certification, Unilumin not only opened the door for Chinese LED cinema screens to enter international markets, but also broke the long-standing dominance of brands such as Samsung, helping Chinese companies make a collective breakthrough. Today, China’s share of the global LED cinema screen market continues to climb. With robust technological capabilities and industrial resilience, the industry is writing a new chapter—shifting from “fast follower” to “global leader.”
As a market leader, what key deployments has Unilumin made while cultivating the LED cinema screen field? Looking at the global market, how does the company believe the industry can move forward steadily and maintain a firm presence on the world stage? With these questions in mind, LED Display World interviewed Dong Zhigang, General Manager of Unilumin’s Cinema Business Unit, for an in-depth discussion of Unilumin’s strategy in LED cinema screens and his outlook on the sector’s future development.
Active Innovation, Proactively Shouldering Industry Responsibility, and Setting a Global Benchmark
It is widely known that the first hurdle to entering the LED cinema screen field is passing DCI certification. However, the required investment is substantial and the technical bar is high, which long kept Chinese enterprises outside the door. Unilumin, a company renowned for innovation, was naturally “unwilling to accept that.” After years of planning and preparation, it finally passed DCI certification in 2021, immediately causing a sensation across the industry. Since then, more and more Chinese companies have obtained DCI certification—an outcome to which Unilumin has played a proactive, leading, and guiding role.
According to Dong Zhigang, as of 2025 Unilumin has six LED cinema screen models that have passed DCI certification (including the world’s first acoustically transparent LED cinema screen, UCA40). The company has become the only LED-industry member of the China Film Standardization Technical Committee and has been deeply involved in formulating the National Film Administration’s “Technical Requirements and Measurement Methods for Digital Cinema LED Auditoriums,” advancing the construction of a localized technical system.
Unilumin’s significant achievements in LED cinema screens rest on four core advantages:
Full-chain technological self-reliance: From Micro LED mass transfer (e.g., 30-μm substrate-free packaging) to cinema-grade image-processing systems, achieving full-stack controllability across hardware, software, and content, thereby significantly reducing cost.
Full-scenario product matrix: The UCine series covers 5–20 m screen sizes, supports 2K/4K resolution, 300 nits peak brightness, ∞:1 contrast ratio, and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, meeting differentiated needs from small and medium auditoriums to flagship cinemas.
Cluster of patented technologies: For multiplex operations, proprietary multi-screen synchronous control (achieving seamless fusion between main and side screens), acoustically transparent screen structural design (A/V localization error < 3°), and adaptive ambient-light adjustment algorithms address long-standing industry pain points.
Localized service capability: Leveraging China’s complete LED supply chain, overall costs are 20%–30% lower than international brands, while providing end-to-end services from DCI certification through operations & maintenance (O&M), with response speed improved by 50%.
At present, Unilumin has deployed LED auditoriums in 20+ cities worldwide—including Shenzhen, Beijing, Chengdu, Sanya, and Los Angeles—covering innovative formats such as 4K multi-format giant-screen auditoriums (e.g., Shenzhen Prince Bay K11 Art House), 9K fully immersive auditoriums (Sanya), and acoustically transparent giant-screen auditoriums (Nanjing). As of July 2025, 13 LED cinema screens have been signed and are pending delivery in China, covering all major hub cities across North China, Central China, South China, East China, Southwest, Northeast, and Northwest, with overseas projects across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
In terms of collaborative innovation across the industry chain, Unilumin has partnered with the China Research Institute of Film Science & Technology, China Film Technology, Shanghai Film Technology, Huaxia Film, Barco, and the Ultra HD Video Industry Alliance (UWA) to further optimize the cinematic experience of direct-view LED, promoting the upgrade of LED cinema screens from a mere “projection carrier” to a “content platform,” and enabling diversified scenarios such as e-sports live broadcasts, sports broadcasts, concert live streams, and brand launches.
Leading with Innovation to Ride the Market Wave, Responding to Customer Needs with Strength
According to Dong Zhigang, mainstream LED cinema screens on the market today are primarily 8–20 meters in size (~75% share), with pixel pitches mainly between P2.5–P5, and 4K products accounting for over 60%. For example, China Film Technology’s CINITY LED series spans 3.8–20 meters, covering home to giant-screen applications, while Unilumin’s UCine series likewise covers 5–20 meters for VIP rooms through giant-screen auditoriums. In terms of price, a 10-meter screen is about RMB 1.0–1.5 million, and a 20-meter screen is about RMB 3.0–5.0 million, which is approximately 30% lower in cost than IMAX laser giant screens. To address diverse market needs, Unilumin’s LED cinema screen product matrix includes six variants:
Flagship: 16–20 m 4K LED cinema screens (the 20 m model is acoustically transparent), suited to auditoriums with 250+ seats; supports playback of LED HDR high-format films and various immersive audio formats.
Mainstream: 10–14 m LED cinema screens for the most common ~100–250-seat scenarios; supports LED HDR film playback and various immersive audio formats.
Popularization: 5–8 m LED cinema screens for approximately 30–100-seat venues; installation cycle < 3 days; overall cost ~25% lower than traditional solutions; supports LED HDR film playback and various immersive audio formats.
VIP: 3.8 m LED cinema screen using the latest LED display manufacturing processes, aimed at sub-30-seat VIP rooms; supports LED HDR high-format film playback and various immersive audio formats.
Innovation: UC-VR cinema screen with multi-screen linked playback, integrating motion capture and real-time rendering modules, purpose-built for multiplex, diversified operations.
He also revealed that domestic and overseas market demands differ, and only by making the right judgments and decisions can companies win the future. In China, there is greater emphasis on value-for-money and policy alignment; third- and fourth-tier cities tend to prefer 10–14 m screens and favor multi-format solutions that integrate with local cultural-tourism IPs. Overseas, regional differences are clear: Europe and the U.S. are more pragmatic and ROI-driven (many cinemas still use xenon projectors), Middle Eastern customers gravitate toward cutting-edge projection technologies, and Southeast Asia focuses on reliability (e.g., high-temperature/high-humidity designs). Unilumin responds with differentiated strategies:
Product stratification: In China, the focus is on the UCine mid-range series (5–14 m, < RMB 2 million); overseas, promotion centers on flagship models (20 m+) supporting the BT.2020 color gamut.
Localized services: Establish technical centers in Europe, the Middle East, and North America to provide 24/7 response; in Southeast Asia, collaborate with local engineering contractors to reduce installation costs.
Technology feedback loop: Leverage ROE Visual—a Unilumin Group brand deeply rooted in XR virtual production (with ~80% global share)—to reinforce confidence in cinema-screen technologies.
Beyond traditional cinema applications, Dong believes home theater, virtual production, and cultural-tourism immersive spaces are also promising markets for LED cinema screens, and Unilumin has already moved to capture these opportunities. He shared the following:
Home theater: Demand centers on 3.8–8 m, 4K resolution, and tens-of-thousands RMB price bands. Unilumin plans to launch a home-theater-specific LED display terminal in 2025, using COB packaging to reduce power consumption and cost, and partnering with streaming platforms to develop customized content.
Virtual production: Requires 8K resolution, 3,840 Hz refresh rate, and Genlock synchronization. Unilumin and ROE Visual have already provided XR virtual production solutions for productions such as “Blossoms Shanghai” and “The Wandering Earth 2,” using real-time rendering systems to precisely match scene lighting with actors’ movements.
Cultural-tourism immersive spaces: Emphasize multi-screen linkage and glasses-free 3D. For example, Unilumin’s 9K immersive auditorium in Sanya adopts a unified main-and-side screen control technology to achieve 360° wraparound visuals while supporting custom cultural-tourism IP content. Unilumin is co-building a content pipeline with Unity and Tencent ZhiYing to support cultural tourism, education, and other scenarios.
At present, Samsung’s new-generation Onyx Cinema LED, with its 10-year warranty, flexible sizes (5–20 m), and Hollywood content partnerships, competes strongly in the high-end market. How, then, can Chinese companies build their own strength? According to Dong, Unilumin has established a moat through three advantages:
Scale leverage and cost optimization: Backed by the Huizhou Daya Bay intelligent manufacturing base, and as China’s cinema-screen market grows year by year—and as LED product and manufacturing costs decline with scale—Unilumin’s cinema-screen costs are being steadily optimized. While maintaining a best-in-class user experience, more cinema investors will be able to choose Unilumin’s products.
Content-first, experience-driven: China’s LED HDR high-format content ecosystem already far outpaces Hollywood and other overseas markets. Hundreds of CINITY LED high-format films have been released in China, and Huaxia Film, together with the China Research Institute of Film Science & Technology, has also released dozens of LED HDR high-format versions. China’s scaled deployment of LED HDR high-format screenings leads Hollywood, enhancing differentiated audience experiences and providing a solid application-side moat for Unilumin’s cinema screens.
Ecosystem integration, end-to-end enablement: On the XR/virtual production end of filmmaking, Unilumin offers a wide range of LED VP products; in post-production (color grading, editing), Unilumin supplies professional, cinema-grade reference displays; and on the exhibition end, Unilumin provides a broad portfolio of LED cinema screens. With product coverage from shooting to exhibition—and by integrating resources across the ecosystem—Unilumin enjoys a distinct competitive edge in the film industry value chain.
He added that the entry of international brands will accelerate market education, but Chinese companies—leveraging supply-chain collaboration, cost advantages, and policy support—have already shifted from “followers” to “leaders” in technology iteration and scenario innovation.
Removing Popularization Barriers to Accelerate the Rollout of China’s LED Cinema Screens
Although China’s LED cinema screens are developing rapidly, there is still a gap to true mass adoption. Analyzing the causes, Dong Zhigang pointed to three main obstacles: technical certification barriers, market perception biases, and high installation/operations costs.
Technical certification barriers. The DCI certification cycle is long (average 6–8 months) and costly (over RMB 1 million per test). Certification is bound to size and resolution, so each product must be certified separately. The latest version, CTP 1.4.2, adds several new indicators—such as SDR/HDR Contouring and SDR/HDR Transfer Function—further increasing test complexity.
Market perception biases. Some theater owners mistakenly believe LED screens are “too bright and harmful to the eyes.” In fact, Unilumin’s products have passed TÜV SÜD Low Blue Light certification, and viewing comfort surpasses traditional projection. Awareness of LED screens’ HDR advantages and seat-expansion benefits (eliminating the projection booth can add 2–4 additional rows) also remains limited, driving up customer-education costs.
High installation and O&M costs. LED screen investments can reach the millions of RMB, whereas traditional projection typically costs hundreds of thousands; payback periods are long. LED screens require professional commissioning, so some small and midsize theaters remain cautious due to up-front investment concerns.
Unilumin’s Approach: Make Technology Inclusive and Reduce Friction
Industry-wide technological inclusion. Launch a one-stop “certification + installation + O&M” service package. Using modular design, shorten installation to 7 days and reduce O&M costs by 40%.
Scenario education. Together with cinema chains, host an “LED Cinema Week,” using HDR A/B screenings of films such as “Ne Zha 2” and “Earth Envoys” to empirically demonstrate LED advantages in dark-scene detail (e.g., deep-sea ripples) and dynamic imagery (e.g., flame light trails).
Policy coordination. Establish a graded certification system for LED auditoriums and work with local governments to bring LED auditoriums under cultural-industry subsidy programs.
He emphasized that the new DCI (CTP 1.4.2) introduces higher requirements that only capable companies can meet.
3D projection tests: Require excellent on/off performance to ensure no light leakage in 3D mode.
Ultra-low gray-level continuity: HDR Contouring requires luminance measurements over the low-gray segment, and the second derivative of luminance with respect to gray level must be greater than zero. This demands LED projection systems capable of 1×10⁻⁴ (one ten-thousandth) gray-level luminance control and user-defined gamma at specific gray levels, as well as higher-precision spectroradiometers to reduce test error.
Uniformity: Adds off-axis uniformity tests with explicit limits on luminance and chromaticity deviations when viewing LEDs from specified off-axis angles. Manufacturers must choose wide-viewing-angle, high-uniformity LED devices.
System compatibility: The IMB (Integrated Media Block) and control system must support automatic SDR/HDR switching. The IMB must identify content formats, and the control system must quickly switch parameter configurations between SDR and HDR.
Upgraded technical requirements: HDR color-temperature tolerance < 0.002, with higher demands on driver-IC channel count, loading capability, and LED device stability.
Unilumin’s Rapid Response to the New Standard
Higher-performance hardware. Upgrade to a new-generation high-performance driver IC; adopt screen-control systems, receiving cards, and LED devices that support high frame rates, greater loading, and data storage.
Deep optimization of HDR software and algorithms. As HDR display is a core cinema technology, invest additional resources to tackle the tougher CTP tests—such as HDR gray scale and HDR EOTF curve conformity—by further optimizing image processing, effective bit depth, and related algorithms.
Joint laboratories with leading institutions. Co-establish LED direct-view cinema technology labs with the China Research Institute of Film Science & Technology, Beijing Film Academy, Shanghai Film Academy, Xiamen University Film School, Central Academy of Drama, and other top research/teaching institutions, to pre-position multi-format R&D for future LED new-display technologies in cinema.
It is worth noting that the state is vigorously supporting the development of the film industry and has introduced multiple policies that may drive the development of the LED cinema screen industry. For example, standards-driven: the implementation of the national film industry standard “Technical Requirements for Digital Cinema LED Auditoriums,” and the June release of the National Film Administration’s “Notice on the Development and Regulation of Digital Cinema LED Auditoriums,” both provide a unified basis for product certification. In terms of content supply: during the 2025 Spring Festival season, films such as “Ne Zha 2” adopted LED-exclusive HDR versions, driving demand for auditorium upgrades. Green economy: LED cinema screens consume 40% less power than laser projection, aligning with the “dual-carbon” policy orientation; some provinces have already included them within energy-saving subsidy programs. Policy guidance: the “Implementation Plan for Equipment Renewal in the Culture and Tourism Sector” explicitly supports replacing cinema screens with LED; the “14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of China’s Film Industry” emphasizes breakthroughs in technologies with independent intellectual property rights. In addition, in terms of technology iteration: Mini/Micro LED display costs are declining, and 8K/VR integration is accelerating the expansion of application scenarios.
Dong Zhigang also mentioned that for China’s LED cinema screens to achieve rapid global popularization and to gain a voice abroad, multiple efforts and support are still needed. For example, in promoting the establishment of a graded certification system for cinemas: with reference to the forthcoming national standard “Classification and Evaluation Rules for Digital Cinemas,” implement grading and rating for LED cinemas to guide healthy market competition; in promoting the building of the content ecosystem: use national film special funds to provide dedicated construction subsidies for LED auditoriums, while vigorously supporting the production and distribution of LED HDR high-format film versions; in promoting discourse power in international film technology standards: within ISO/TC 36, complete as soon as possible the China-led international standard project ISO/AWI 24338 “Optical Technical Requirements and Measurement Methods for Digital Cinema LED Auditoriums,” laying a solid foundation for China to lead the drafting of more international film standards in the future.
Dong Zhigang concluded by saying that, in response to the current market situation, Unilumin’s overall plan is reflected in three aspects. In terms of technology iteration: in 2025, launch the UCine Pro series supporting 4K120Hz, reduce pixel pitch to P0.9 by adopting COB and MiP packaging technologies, and develop AI-driven picture-quality enhancement algorithms. Extension of multi-format terminal scenarios: focus on expanding home theaters in cooperation with leading forces in film, in-vehicle cinema display terminals in cooperation with new-energy automakers, and VR auditoriums that meet the National Film Administration’s “virtual” exhibition technical requirements. Global network: establish regional R&D centers in North America and Europe to increase the share of overseas markets.
In summary, Unilumin’s layout in the field of LED cinema screens combines breadth and depth, taking scientific planning as the foundation and continuous innovation as the blade, continuously expanding the boundaries and possibilities of this field. Craftsmanship and steadfast commitment are likewise the keys to steady, long-term progress—the cinema screen market is currently ushering in a period of vigorous development, and the industry needs to cherish its reputation and cultivate quality, using each benchmark project to solidify the foundation. Only in this way can it move more steadily and farther on the global stage.
