Dexter Studios and Impactrum successfully test VP/XR studio LED screen… “More competitive virtual production for overseas markets using LED panels made in Korea”

ⓒdexterstudios

Visual effects (VFX) and content company Dexter Studios did an LED screen test (using LED panels made in Korea) with Impactrum, a company specializing in LED screens with production facilities in Korea, to make its virtual production more competitive in overseas markets, and according to reports, the test returned some remarkable results.

On December 26, Dexter Studios (CEO: Kim Wook, Kang Jong-ik) said it had signed an MOU on the “VP·XR LED Wall Development Project” with Impactrum (CEO: Peter Lee) to bolster its competitiveness overseas and capacity in virtual production technology, and completed a series of product testing for VP and XR. With its latest testing, Dexter Studios is looking to secure a technological edge in line with the growing VP/XR market that can help develop Virtual Production (VP) hardware technology, including In-Camera Visual Effects (ICVFX) and Extended Reality (XR), advance into overseas markets, and distribute products/technology across the country.

The VP product uses LenzTHRU Technology and a camera-specific LED panel developed to reflect the difference between a camera lens, which has stark differences to the human eye, resulting in a brightness of over 3,000 nits. In particular, the GX product (XR level), which underwent its second test, is excellent for filming movies and dramas, and is available at an economical price point. Brompton/Novastar processes as well as ARRI and RED cameras specializing in film/drama series filming were used in the testing process. LED panels made in Korea delivered vastly better performance in terms of color expression compared to other Chinese LED products, and they were able to express LED colors regardless of the processor model from Brompton and Novastar. Moreover, due to the distinct characteristics of LED technology, it is particularly difficult to develop an accurate “blue” with LED panels. However, in the case of GX, the results matched the ideal “blue target” value.

ⓒImpactrum

When producing LEDs used in VP applications, it is important to consider 20 test categories, including the processor, modification regardless of camera model, scan line, viewing angle, and frame rate. Since all of Impactrum’s components are customizable, it was easy to optimize these specs with testing led by Dexter Studios. Thus, the compatibility of LEDs made in Korea was proven a perfect solution for filming movies, dramas, and advertisements. Dexter Studios, which tested dozens of Chinese panels when building its Paju D1 studio, highlighted that GX developed by Impactrum is the best LED panel it had ever tested.

In July, Impactrum hosted a studio meeting in Las Vegas upon receiving a request to supply LED panels from V, which has five dedicated virtual studios in the US, back in 2022. The GX product tested by Dexter Studios was supplied to the Orlando studio in the United States in early December. If testing in the US proves successful, high-end Impactrum LED panels made in Korea will be used to build ten new studios in the US with a total investment of KRW 180 billion, starting in 2023. Dexter Studios also plans to establish a structure that can help distribute panels via the overseas networks of Impactrum and Dexter Studios.

Meanwhile, Dexter Studios is an all-in-one, one-stop comprehensive content company that can plan, shoot, produce, and take care of post-production as well. Recently, the company’s virtual studio, D1 Studio, successfully finished filming Director Kim Yong-hwa’s new film “The Moon.” The company is in the process of adapting the classic cartoon original Wizard Body Meoteol and the webtoon original Daughter of the Emperor through its subsidiary, Dexter Pictures. Here, D1 the Studio is expected to use its equipment and virtual production technology to produce live-action versions of both cartoons. Moreover, Dexter Studios recently signed an MOU with The Grimm Entertainment, created by renowned webtoon artist Pak Tae-jun, and is working toward a joint production of the new K-drama series “Chetamja” (tentative title). Also, anticipation over the additional application of virtual production technology is building with Realize Pictures, which had previously worked with Dexter Studios on the movie series Along with the Gods, announcing a K-drama version of Along with the Gods.

ⓒImpactrum

Impactrum, a screen manufacturer, produces LCD and LED screens exclusively in Korea out of its 11,000 pyeong production facility in Yangju, Gyeonggi-do. The company is renowned for its high level of technical security and inspection capacity, and has been hailed not only for the quality of its products, but also their reliability. Impactrum, which opened for business in Korea in earnest in 2022, has been supplying (B2B) LEDs to companies such as J since it was established in the US in 2018, but plans to diversify its sales network from 2023. The company produces both LED and LCD products – it mass-produces and supplies LED panels (high-definition, cost-effective products, Meta G), along with systems, designs, and easily installable components. Its ability to inspect manufactured products is superior to that of Chinese competitors, which prevents issues that could occur in the field.

Using their collective capacity in operating VP studios, experience in serving various VP needs, and skills acquired from installing LEDs, Impactrum and Dexter are preparing competitive products for the future that are very much in line with the constantly evolving VP environment that uses more and more LEDs with continued R&D collaboration.