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THE cinema of the future is here and it looks pretty incredible.

StarTech packed our popcorn and flew to Zurich this week to get an exclusive glimpse of the ultimate new cinema screen technology.

Dubbed Samsung ONYX, the new system replaces the good old fashioned silver screen with a pixelpacked LED display.

There’s no projector at the back of the movie theatre. Instead Samsung ONYX uses the same technology that powers top-of-the-line smartphones like the iPhone X and Galaxy S9. And it looks phenomenal. Imagine the best-looking television that’s been supersized to stretch across an entire wall in the movie theatre.

Samsung ONYX is not a single LED screen, but in fact 96 individual panels seamlessly slotted together to make-up the 10.2m wide and 5.4m high display.

We watched upcoming blockbuster Pacific Rim Uprising to put the new screen through its paces, and it didn’t disappoint. The 4K HDR ONYX screen, made up of 24 million LEDs, bursts with vibrant colour and sharp images.

However, throwing out centuryold projection technology did bring some serious challenges.

In traditional cinemas the sound system is kept directly behind the screen so it’s at the correct level to fire towards the audience.

This isn’t possible from behind a solid wall of 96 LED panels.

To solve the problem, Samsung worked with audio brand Harman Kardon to create an algorithm that adjusts the sound beamed out by the speakers so it still sounds like it originates from behind the centre of the screen.

There are just three of these LED-powered cinema experiences in the world.

But Samsung boss Daniel Périsset told us the company is “already looking forward to the use of the screens in other movie theatres”.

So this ultimate technology could be coming to a cinema near you very soon. Debit my Visa Card no Iss no Exp date Mr Mrs Surname Address MasterCard (if Maestro) Ms Postcode Email Address Signature Valid fr Security code First name