Evans & Sutherland (E&S), provider of Digistar, a leading digital planetarium system, has acquired 10 of the new Christie D4K40-RGB RealLaser projectors for its Dome Demonstration Center and for installation in the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) planetarium in Huntsville, Alabama.
The upgraded planetarium at USSRC will use the first E&S “ESX” cinema system installed in the world, which includes five Christie D4K40-RGB RealLaser projectors. The system will produce 8K images on the 67-foot, 30-degree tilt dome. Scheduled to re-open in spring 2019, the new system will replace the planetarium’s original IMAX equipment. The remaining five Christie D4K40-RGB projectors will be installed in E&S’ Demonstration Center, located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“We are proud to integrate Christie D4K40-RGB pure laser projectors in demanding Evans & Sutherland venues worldwide. We purchased 10 of Christie’s first production units: five will be used for our facility to demonstrate the capabilities of our Digistar Planetarium and ESX Giant Dome Cinema products. The other five projectors will be installed in the reconditioned dome at USSRC in Huntsville, Alabama. Together with our world-class alignment and blending system, the image looks stunning. We are excited to be the first to offer this powerful new Christie RGB laser technology to the market,” says Kirk Johnson, president and COO, Evans & Sutherland.
The Christie D4K40-RGB projectors produce greater than 90 percent of the Rec. 2020 color space for rich, vibrant true-to-life visuals – all built into a projector weighing less than half that of its closest competitor, according to Christie. Delivering illumination performance of 20,000 hours to 60% brightness, 5000:1 contrast ratio, and up to 120 frames per second, the Christie D4K40-RGB also features a new, patented, sealed optical path. For typical installations, this translates into 8-plus years of stable, virtually maintenance-free operation.
“We’re pleased that E&S has selected the Christie D4K40-RGB projector for these installations,” says Mike Garrido, senior product manager, Christie. “Thanks to Christie’s engineering expertise, this 40,000 lumen RGB pure laser projector raises the bar for design, image quality, built-in processing, and connectivity. The all-in-one design makes it easier to bring a bright, vibrant, immersive, RGB laser experience to large venues, planetariums and domes.”
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!
Leave a Reply