On 7th July, 2011, the Taipei Astronomical Museum (TAM), Taiwan, officially re-opened its renovated planetarium as the latest digital theater to undergo integration of a Fidelity Black™ fulldome system from Global Immersion. Featuring twelve Zorro® projectors from Rockwell Collins, and as one of the largest dome theaters in Asia, the 25-meter diameter immersive space also serves as an OMNIMAX® venue and attracts more than 420, 000 visitors a year.
Evolution: From Observatory to Planetarium
The history of TAM dates to 1938 when the facility stood as an observatory in the center of Taipei. After relocating outside of the capital city to the Yuanshan Scenic Area, renovations were finally completed in 1997 including the centerpiece dome theater featuring IMAX® and optical star projectors which remain in place today.
High Contrast Theater Offers True Flexibility & Performance
Global Immersion collaborated with their Taiwanese audio-visual integration partner, Dacoms Technology Co. Ltd, during the initial stages of the project.
Maintaining the two existing display systems, the theater’s new digital fulldome solution increases the flexibility of the theater as a multi-purpose venue and now permits three separate media programs to immerse and engage audiences.
Inside the planetarium, the 30-degree tilted dome sits above 304 seats and is filled with a 4K resolution display powered by twelve Zorro® 2015HC projectors from Rockwell Collins. This display technology is a core feature of Global Immersion’s Fidelity Black™ digital theater solution which also includes a high performance Media Server cluster.
Senior Project Manager at Global Immersion leading the project, Tony Scott, spoke about the new planetarium; “Taipei Astronomical Museum is another prime example of a client of ours who is seeking to transition their immersive space into the next generation of astronomy and science education. While the new hardware configuration produces unrivaled performance, what matters most is the truly incredible experience this digital theater system will offer audiences – there’s honestly nothing else like it.”
The Zorro® 2015HC projector offers superior contrast, resolution and black levels and was originally developed for military simulation applications. The Zorro® 2015HC is exclusively available from Global Immersion in digital planetarium and immersive theater markets.
The new TAM planetarium show program features two fulldome productions from Clark Planetarium, which feature in the schedule alongside continuing OMNIMAX® movies and live astronomy presentations.
About Taipei Astronomical Museum
The Taipei Astronomical Museum’s primary mission is to serve as a bridge between the study of astronomy and society to make it possible for the public to learn more about astronomy. The museum’s ultimate goal is to strengthen astronomical education and establish a scientific basis in Taiwan. Taipei Astronomical Museum Website
About Global Immersion
Global Immersion is an award-winning organization, dedicated to the unique and innovative medium of immersive theater and specializing in the design and integration of world-class planetarium, giant screen, 3D and 4D environments.
With over thirteen years experience in the world of fulldome displays and scientific data visualization, Global Immersion combines a wide range of proven technologies to create enthralling and exciting immersive theater. As a full-service team, they pull together consultancy, design, technology, engineering, system integration, content and creativity – for world-class experiences that are built for the future. www.globalimmersion.com
