April 19, 2018—The China Science and Technology Museum (CSTM) has partnered with Evans & Sutherland (E&S) to provide visitors the opportunity to experience China’s first permanent True8K™ laser giant screen digital dome, which replaces a 1570 film system. Beijing’s CSTM has the largest planetarium and digital giant screen dome system in China.
The True8K Digistar 6 system is extremely versatile and can present digitized giant screen films, fulldome films, and live science programming that can take audiences on immersive tours through the universe. The projection system features 10 NEC Laser Phosphor projectors that produce 35,000 lumens each, for a total brightness of 350,000 lumens. The 8K digital image displays over 50 million pixels over the entire dome, providing more resolution than the human eye can see from nearly every seat in the dome. This is the world’s highest resolution currently available for giant screen domes. The 10 laser phosphor projectors are seamlessly aligned and blended with E&S auto alignment and auto blending systems for a bright, colorful image that surpasses the quality of 1570 film. Colors are more vivid. The images are brighter. The clarity of the imagery is astonishingly lifelike. The museum has seen a big bump in business for the theater since the upgrade, and tickets for the shows have been selling out.
China newspapers reported that, “This is the first True8K dome theater in a 30-meter dome in China. We learned that the True8K digital dome theater projects 88 million pixels on the dome screen, 25 times in resolution than HD TV and 6 times that of a 4K TV, and image quality exceeding that of 1570 film projector. It is terrifically astounding!”
Another newspaper reported something similar: “True8K resolution represents the highest image quality on a dome screen in the world…this will expedite the replacement of 1570 film projectors in theaters everywhere.”
Digitized giant screen films presented on the system achieve new vibrancy and impact never before possible with a 1570 film system. There is a stability, evenness, and consistency to the image across the dome, providing the sensation that the audience is seeing the real world through this gigantic “view screen.”
The Digistar 6 system has an extensive suite of real time astronomy features with a repository of the latest scientific discoveries that are automatically updated on nearly a daily basis. Journeys through the cosmos immerse audiences in dazzling real scientific imagery collected from past and current space missions. In addition, E&S integrated the True8K digital system into an existing optical mechanical star projector from Goto, Inc. Both systems operate in tandem with one another allowing optical stars to combine seamlessly and accurately with digital backgrounds and constellation lines or artwork, to name just a few examples.
“This Digistar True8K dome system with laser projection functions as a best-of-its-class giant screen cinema system and as a complete digital planetarium system, which adds an incredible number of presentation options for a very compelling audience experience,” said Kirk Johnson, President and COO of Evans & Sutherland. “We are delighted that CSTM selected E&S and Digistar 6 to upgrade their dome theater. The astronomy capabilities in Digistar will be able to take CSTM guests to the edge of the universe and beyond in compelling and unforgettable ways.”
About Evans & Sutherland
Evans & Sutherland provides Digistar 6, the world’s most advanced digital fulldome planetarium and digital dome cinema system, ideal for replacing 1570 film systems. Digistar 6 combines fulldome video playback in 2D and 3D with the most comprehensive real time 3D digital astronomy package ever assembled, all within a powerful easy-to-use graphical user interface that makes creating shows more intuitive than ever. The unique capabilities of the system, the Digistar Cloud Library (a resource for community content sharing), Domecasting (live broadcasting to planetariums), Show Builder (a powerful and intuitive way to build shows), the Digistar STEAM library (included content for science, technology, engineering, art, and math), and Ease of Use, combine to provide unequalled capabilities for immersive dome experiences. Evans & Sutherland is also the world’s leading producer and distributor of digital fulldome shows including show converted from giant screen film. As a full-service system provider, E&S also offers Spitz domes, SciDome, hybrid planetarium systems and a full range of theater systems. E&S markets include planetariums, science centers, themed attraction venues, and premium large-format theaters. E&S products have been installed in over 1,300 theaters worldwide. Visit the E&S website at http://www.es.com.
Source: Evans & Sutherland
