Science Museum of Virginia Dome Theater (Photo courtesy of Sean DeWitt Photography)
The Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA) is pleased to announce that Evans & Sutherland (E&S) will support the GSCA 2016 International Conference and Trade Show as a partner-level sponsor, the highest level of support. The conference will be held in Toronto on October 4–7, 2016, hosted by the Cineplex Scotiabank IMAX Theatre and Ontario Science Centre.
As part of its sponsorship, E&S will demonstrate an 8K digital fulldome system using its Digistar 5 system with Christie 4K projectors on the dome screen at the Ontario Science Centre Shoppers Drug Mart Omnitheater on October 7. E&S will install its proprietary auto-alignment and blending systems to create a seamless ultra-high resolution image across the dome. Included in the demonstration will be giant-screen film content digitally mastered for the dome in both 8K and 4K resolutions, along with original digital fulldome content also in 8K and 4K resolutions. Additionally, E&S will install a 4K DCI projector to demonstrate a sampling of Hollywood trailers and other scenes on an “insert” window in the front of the dome.
“Dome theaters are a significant portion of our theater membership and revenue for distributors and producers,” said GSCA executive director, Tammy Seldon. “We’re excited to partner with E&S to provide delegates information about the domes theaters’ transition to digital and provide the opportunity to experience this state-of-the-art system. E&S is a valued GSCA supporter, and they’re going to incredible lengths to install the temporary digital fulldome system at the Ontario Science Centre for this demo.”
Interior of Richmond Theater (Photo courtesy of Sean DeWitt Photography)
"Our Digistar system in 8K has garnered incredible success worldwide in premium theaters looking for the breathtaking clarity and brightness that 8K provides," said E&S vice president and general manager, Kirk Johnson. "To date, we have replaced large-format film systems, including 15/70, in four 23-meter-diameter theaters, including the Science Museum of Virginia, where we demonstrated our 8K system in a permanent installation for a special GSCA Digital Dome Demo in 2014, and have installed a total of eight 8K Digistar systems as the latest additions to our more than 300 theaters around the world. In June, we introduced Digistar 6, which offers a host of new features including Domecasting, giving users the power to broadcast live events to every Digistar 6 theater worldwide. We are honored to have this valuable opportunity to sponsor GSCA and present the state of the art in ultra-high resolution digital dome projection at the conference."
The GSCA International Conference and Trade Show is the largest gathering of educational giant-screen and immersive-cinema professionals. The 2016 event will be held from October 4–7 at the Cineplex Scotiabank IMAX Theatre in Toronto and will feature new films, films in production, projects in development, professional development sessions, a technical session, trade show, and the GSCA Achievement Awards. On October 6, the Ontario Science Centre will host screenings of new film presentations on the IMAX 15-perf/70mm system in the Shoppers Drug Mart Omnimax dome theater. Conference registration and other event details are available at http://www.giantscreencinema.com.
