PLANETARIUMS
Soft Machine’s fulldome production Life of Trees, with 360° spatial sound, is showing at Planetarium Klagenfurt
Jason Holland, journalist, Attractions Management
RESOLUT ION RE VOLUT ION
Higher resolution displays are enabling the creation of stunning virtual journeys, while the power of visualisations is advancing. We ask what’s new in dome projection technology
SKY-SKAN
Creating crystal clear images for all budget types
A 84
fter pioneering fulldome displays using a pair of then new 4K venue projectors 10 years ago, the next logical step for Sky-Skan was to use more of them to achieve
8K resolution on a dome, according to Glenn Smith, managing director of the US-headquartered company. “Projectors are more compact today so
we can more easily integrate the technology into the dome theatre architecture. As such we can even offer smaller domes an 8K configuration for about the same price as 4K cost a few years ago,” he says. Austria’s Planetarium Klagenfurt is the
first to take advantage, with its 12.5-metre dome theatre reopening with an 8K display based on six Sony GT-100 projectors. 8K dome displays are closer than ever to reaching the visual acuity of the human eye, says Smith, resulting in a sharp, crisp image. Dome theatres are known for movie
attractionsmanagement.com Glenn Smith
content, but the real-time visualisation systems that Sky-Skan builds also generate images in the display’s native resolution. “Our heritage is planetariums and a beautiful starry sky is all the more realistic and impressive in 8K. It draws gasps from our customers when they see it the first time,” says Smith. “The resolution also finally represents a viable alternative to an opto-mechanical star projector for those projects where a realistic night sky is important but perhaps budgets don’t allow for a mix of technologies.” Very high resolution images can also be displayed, and long, slow zooms can
be performed to investigate the smallest of details. With the general public accustomed to high resolutions in devices such as televisions and computers, a dome theatre must provide an experience that exceeds what they can get at home. Another recent installation fulfilling this objective was at Prague Planetarium, Czech Republic, which has a 23-metre dome. Having installed a 4K system there about four years ago, Sky-Skan was challenged to raise the resolution to 8K by adding four more 4K projectors to the system. “Prague and Klagenfurt both place a
heavy emphasis on astronomy and science education,” he says. “Their new systems allow them to bring in the latest astronomi- cal and scientific data and visualise it on the dome in a setting not possible in a classroom or other environment.” Both planetariums offer a wide variety of programmes, and host cultural events such as lectures, book readings and concerts, so the display systems also come in handy in providing interesting backdrops and interactivity on these occasions. In an industry that never stands still, Smith says the next logical step will be a doubling of the visual resolution. “We’re already identifying the challenges and solutions and it won’t be long before we’ll be able to demonstrate a working system.”
AM 2 2015 ©CYBERTREK 2015
PHOTO : SOFT MACHINE
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