D3D Cinema, in partnership with Christie, announced that the newly branded Cleveland Clinic Dome Theater at Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) is about to receive a serious projection upgrade – the world’s first giant dome cinema laser system. The theatre re-launch, complete with new seats and carpet, is set to open to the public in October.
The new three-projector, laser-illuminated projection system will replace the IMAX 15/70mm film projector that has been in place since the Science Center opened in 1996. The sophisticated digital laser system will feature ultra-high 6K resolution, high frame rate capability (up to 120 fps), and supreme contrast ratios. The state-of-the-art lasers are capable of delivering up to 150,000 lumens on the dome with a brilliant expanded dynamic range and colour gamut far beyond the capabilities of film-based and xenon-illuminated projection systems.
“We are proud to be the first to market with this groundbreaking technology and I invite my museum colleagues to see this extraordinary dome laser system in action,” said GLSC CEO Dr Kirsten Ellenbogen. “D3D and Christie are committed to quality. They’ve undertaken extensive R&D to arrive at a design that raises the excellence of our theatre to a whole new level. The new projection system broadens our access to content, improves our guest experience, and significantly lowers our theatre operating costs.”
“In a very short time period, D3D has made important and lasting improvements to the museum-based giant screen exhibition market,” said Don Kempf, President and Founder of D3D Cinema. “Domes in our industry have been very patient, watching their flat screen colleagues upgrade and re-brand to realize huge financial benefits. Beginning next month, the large-format dome community can now take advantage of the same quality and remarkable operational and branding-fee savings. Thanks to our partnership with Christie and their laser technology, D3D is proud to stand with Great Lakes Science Center at the forefront of a new era in our industry.”
“With no fewer than four former dome operators on the D3D team, myself included, it was critical for D3D that we devise a laser dome platform that preserves, and even surpasses, the dome experience that viewers have loved for decades,” added Andy Wood, Senior Vice President at D3D. “We made that promise to our dome clients from the start. While it’s taken years of testing, the platform we’re installing at GLSC absolutely delivers on this pledge. D3D now offers a premium laser solution designed for larger dome venues and we continue to work diligently with our partners at Christie to introduce two new laser dome products over the coming year aimed at small and medium size dome screens. We are tremendously excited about what is on the horizon.”
“We are sincerely grateful to the GLSC leadership for trusting D3D through this process as well as to our partners at Christie for their diligence and technical wizardry,” said Derek Threinen, VP of Business Development at D3D. “I encourage every dome theatre to join the D3D community – now approaching 20 per cent of the North American museum giant screen cinema market and rapidly growing. We at D3D are truly committed to a more vibrant, versatile and profitable museum cinema business.”
“Christie and D3D are committed to delivering the best solutions and our partnership with D3D on the Cleveland Clinic and other projects is a testament to that commitment,” said Bryan Boehme, Director, Location Based Entertainment, Christie. “The Cleveland Clinic Dome Theater is a powerful example of what is possible in display technology and we’re confident audiences will be delighted when they begin to experience it in October.”