LG Electronics has been named by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation (formerly the Screen Actors Guild Foundation) as the official technology partner of the new Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists in Los Angeles. LG Electronics has installed multiple screens throughout the centre, including in the showpiece Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson Screening Room, which is built around the 200in LG Miraclass DVLED cinema screen.
The Streep Center is a 15,000sqft world-class facility that will serve as an educational hub and creative home for all 160,000 SAG-AFTRA artists. Named in honour of Actors’ Council member and longtime foundation supporter Meryl Streep, the centre features voiceover recording sound booths, on-camera recording studios, tech labs, an editing bay and instructional classrooms, all equipped with commercial displays provided by LG Electronics USA.
The 200in 4K LG Miraclass display installed in the screening room is designed to combine 24-bit colour processing with LG’s latest self-emissive LED pixels to reproduce a near infinite number of colours and near-perfect blacks. LG says that because each pixel is identical and lit individually, the screens exhibit brightness uniformity all the way to the last corner pixel, solving a key drawbacks of single-source projection solutions.
Beyond the giant screening room display, other LG commercial display innovations are showcased throughout the Meryl Streep Center. The lobby and main classroom both feature LG 86in UHD “high haze” displays, while five 65in UHD displays are installed in the reception, programmes, production, voiceover and greenroom areas. With a brightness of up to 500 nits, these high-performance displays are designed to deliver clear content and attract attention, making them ideal for presentations and communications.
Other LG commercial displays – 43in ultra HD and 32in full HD models – grace the Don LaFontaine Voiceover Lab, a space that provides voice actors with the opportunity to record voiceovers and enhance their techniques. The lab’s two solo recording booths are equipped with 27in LG UltraFine monitors. In the editing bay, the 55in LG One:Quick Works All-in-One Meeting and Screenshare Solution enhances collaboration.
Courtney B. Vance, president and chairman of the board of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, said: “The centre opens new opportunities for our industry to collaborate and strengthen community bonds, and the Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson Screening Room is the star attraction. The new LG LED technology deployed here is sure to drive discussions among attendees about how the future of cinema presentation and filmmaking can enhance viewer experiences and expand creative opportunities.”
According to SAG-AFTRA Foundation executive director Cyd Wilson, the Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson Screening Room is “the crown jewel” of the centre. She said: “This intimate screening room and educational space will host over 200 film and television screenings each year with Q&A sessions featuring the greatest actors, directors, producers, show runners and influencers in the entertainment industry who will speak about their current projects and their careers to an audience of SAG-AFTRA performers.”
Wilson explained that the design of the 100-seat screening room, which has a low ceiling, made LG’s Miraclass DVLED Cinema Screen the optimal choice as it eliminated the need to mount a projector, build a projection space or sacrifice screen size. The technology also allows content management and delivery to be centralised and simplified for operators through LG’s intuitive software platform.
David Bacher, head of business solutions marketing.LG Electronics USA, added: “LG is proud to support the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s education mission as the exclusive display provider for the incredible new Meryl Streep Center. In addition to the dozen LG displays throughout the center, the screening room’s LG Miraclass screen provides a cutting-edge cinema presentation space that eliminates the need for a projection booth and creates new seating and cinema design options.”
Leading cinema value added reseller and integrator Moving iMage Technologies (MiT) streamlined the LG Miraclass installation using its patented TruSquare cinema-centric direct-view LED frame. MiT also integrated a multichannel audio system in the screening room to complement the LG display.
