CEDIA Expo is a trade show, primarily for the Custom Install (CI) market. These are the folks who install home theaters, media rooms and smart home integration systems for individuals and for businesses. Budgets for these systems can range from a few thousand to a few million dollars. Those at the higher end of the wealth spectrum have many great choices when installing audio and video systems in their mansion, summer palace or yacht.
As an A/V journalist, I enjoy covering CEDIA Expo as it gives me access to equipment and systems that I wouldn’t normally come across living in a little place I like to call the “real world.” When it comes to large screen systems – with screens over 100 inches diagonally – the usual choice is a projector, similar to the ones you’d find in a movie theater,vonly smaller (usually). While direct view displays like OLED and LED/LCD TVs are typically superior to projectors in brightness and contrast, the size of these displays typically maxes out around 100 to 120 inches.
There is a flat panel TV alternative which overcomes the size limits of a standard flat panels: MicroLED. MicroLED TV is similar to OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TVs in that each and every pixel can be turned on, off or anywhere in between. This enables perfect black levels, excellent peak brightness and outstanding contrast. What allows MicroLED TVs to be bigger than OLED or LED/LCD TVs is that it’s modular. Instead of relying on a single piece of “mother glass” for the whole TV, MicroLED TVs are comprised of multiple cabinets or modules attached together.
There are two drawbacks of using multiple cabinets assembled into one big display. The first is that sample to sample variations in the MicroLED modules can lead to inconsistencies in image uniformity. If one module is a bit brighter then the one next to it, you can get uneven colors or brightness that can be annoying. This issue can be (and usually is) handled by finely calibrating each display to match each other before or after assembly. The other (bigger) drawback is that the seams between the individual MicroLED modules are usually visible. They may not be visible from the average viewing distance, but once you see them, it’s hard to unsee them.
When I wandered into the Quantum Media Systems room at CEDIA Expo 2025 to see their 20-foot wide MicroLED wall, I wasn’t expecting much. To say it blew me away would be an understatement. Excellent colors, perfect black levels, outstanding detail and massive moving images. And, even from a couple of feet away, I couldn’t spot the seams.
To put this in some perspective, a 20 feet wide 16:9 TV is roughly 23 feet measured diagonally (276 inches) and 11.3 feet tall. Think about that. That’s the equivalent of nine (!) 92 inch TVs all stacked in a three by three array. Big enough for ya? Large enough for even the largest home theater? Probably. Heck, it’s bigger than the screen in many professional theaters I’ve been in.
According to company reps I spoke with at CEDIA Expo, the pricing for this size display starts at about $350,000, but can get north of $550,000 depending on options. Because it is modular, the company can make the TV in other sizes and aspect ratios as well, with 16:9 and 21:9 (2.37:1) being the most popular for home theater installations.
As to how the company manages to make the seams virtually disappear, a rep at the show said it’s a combination of proprietary, precision construction of each individual cabinet, precise assembly and installation and painstaking calibration of each individual cabinet. The assembly and installation can take several days to ensure the customer gets outstanding performance and optimal image quality out of each unit. This calibration process includes a chroma alignment and color and grayscale calibration to ensure a consistent and uniform image across the entire screen.
As we’ve seen on most MicroLED systems, the modules use magnetic attachments for easy installation and service as well as precise alignment. If one module goes bad or gets physically damaged, it is possible to replace the individual module, rather than having to replace the entire display.
Quantum Media Systems builds its own specific types of diodes and cabinets which can be tiled together without losing the consistent pixel pitch (or pixel density), even across the seams. Also, their displays feature a uniform matte finish on both the screens and the super-narrow bezels around each screen (as opposed to the glossy surface of a typical OLED TV). This prevents light from reflecting differently off the gaps between the modules, compared to the surface of each screen module.
The Bottom Line
Admittedly, $350,000 (or more) is a lot to pay for a TV. But when it’s the centerpiece of a luxury million dollar plus 48-seat home theater, the price difference between the Quantum Cinematic XDR Micro LED Display and a $250,000 projector and screen combination is practically a rounding error. And with the superior brightness and contrast compared to even the best projection systems, you can clearly see the appeal here. Sometimes you do indeed get what you pay for.
For more information: quantummediasystems.com