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"Some day in
the not too distant future
you'll be able to go to a movie and
the movie will be all around you.
The movie will be over your head,
it will be 360 degrees around you"
- Steven Spielberg,
TIME Magazine, 2006 |
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THE
AFFORDABLE
FULLDOME PROJECTION SYSTEM |
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Discovery Dome is the very latest
projection system for small to medium digital dome theatres.
Discovery
Dome mirror projection
offers both a superior and affordable alternative to
expensive
fisheye projection systems. |
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Mirror advantages |
Mirror disadvantages |
Fisheye advantages |
Fisheye disadvantages |
- Fully modular system: as
projectors improve,
you simply upgrade with a new one
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- Small area
at the back of the dome not covered
(4%)
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- Lenses
custom-made for projectors, with projector upgrades almost impossible
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- Local service on
international projector brands
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- Brief time
required to align mirrors
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- Slightly easier to set up
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- Considerably more expensive
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- Projection
equipment located at the back of the dome,
leaving the central (best) seats
for customers, plus allowing 20% more
seating space
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- Content
requires pre-warping with Windows
(but not with Macs)
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- Fisheye photos
can be
displayed immediately
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- Projection
equipment and cables can be
easily tampered
by audience
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- Mirrors
far less expensive to replace than
fisheye lenses
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- Slight
image distortion at
the back of the dome
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- Replacement lenses
are very expensive
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- Larger fraction of the
projector's pixels are used ie. over 75%
instead of 45% for an imbedded circle
(see below)
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- Fewer projected pixels
(see below)
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So Mirror
projection uses 316,512 more pixels
ie. almost a THIRD (28%)
better resolution!
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- The mirror projection
system can be used in both fixed and mobile domes of any size. The
largest fixed installations so far are 15m (50ft) domes, including the
Birla Planetarium of the Tamilnadu Science Centre in India. Bigger
domes simply require a brighter projector.
- Did you know
you can turn your 15m theatre into a digital planetarium for less than
$33,000?
All you need is a Newtonian mirror ($4,700),
MacBook Pro ($2,500)
and powerful Projection Design F30 projector ($25,000).
- In mobile
operations, the lightweight portability of the compact fold-up
Newtonian stand (see below) makes transport simple and
hassle-free.
- The projector, laptop, sound system
and blower fan can be purchased locally, simplifying warranty and service
arrangements.
- Currently projector resolution
is either 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 - whichever is more affordable. And it
is possible to upgrade at
any time, without the need for
costly manufacturer support
- Astronomy software is the free
(open source) award-winning
Stellarium,
as well as the free (open source) 3-D Space simulation application
Celestia
(in contrast to the expensive proprietary astronomy
programmes sold with most fisheye systems).
- Discovery Dome can
either warp fisheye content for the mirror in realtime (using
warpplayer for Mac), or it can play back pre-warped fisheye content (using
MediaShow for Windows). There are pros and cons to both, and your
selection will be determined by what you will be using your system for.
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Just
as mirror-based telescopes (reflectors) are more cost-effective than
lens-based telescopes (refractors), so
fulldome mirror projection systems are more
cost-effective than fisheye lens systems.
Mirror details can be found
here, and photographic examples of installations can be seen
here.
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A comprehensive collection of questions and answers
about mirror dome projection can be found
here.
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Mirror dome projection is the
inexpensive way of filling a dome with imagery.
A small shadow is
created by the mirror at the back of the theatre, which is
inconsequential as the audience is facing the other way
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Newtonian projection mirror with the new and highly recommended
Panasonic
AE3000E projector

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The basic components
of a mobile system are laptop,
projector, primary mirror,
secondary mirror and fold-up stand.
Unlike other fulldome digital projection systems, this unit is
placed at
the edge of the dome and does not occupy valuable audience space
(click on images to see a larger version) |
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Extremely portable
Below is
all
the equipment of a 5-m system, on one easy-to-transport trolley
(ie. 5-m
dome, fan, projector, 200W speakers, laptop, mirror & stand)
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Weight and dimensions of
components:
Blower fan (15kg) = 52 x 41 x 49 cm
Expandable trolley (13kg) = (89-132) x 40 x 20 cm
5-m dome in bag (31kg) = approx.
75 x 45 x
35 cm
Storm case [with speakers
+ projector + table]
(33kg) = 74 x 46 x 35 cm
Newtonian (5kg) = 64 x
33 x 23
cm when closed (when
open, the primary mirror
swings up to 46cm)
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Being small and compact, the projection
stand and mirror cast a very small shadow on the back of the dome (see
below)
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