How does a Digitarium system compare to a spherical mirror projection system?
Spherical mirror dome projection systems, such as MirrorDome developed at Swinburne University in Australia, consist of a portion of a spherical mirror, a data projector aimed at the mirror, and a computer running specialized software. The software has to “warp” each video frame before sending it to the projector in order to counteract the severe distortion from the mirror. After reflecting off the mirror images are projected onto a dome. Spherical mirror systems: • are placed at the edge of the dome. • can project more pixels for a given projection resolution due to the mirror geometry. • do not cover the entire dome in the most common (brightest, highest resolution) configuration. • produces pixels which vary widely in size and focus across the dome. • have optics which are more prone to damage (a first surface mirror). • use off-the-shelf projectors to allow local warranty and future upgrades. • have a varying black level across the dome (varying black sky brightness, for example).
Spherical mirror dome projection systems, such as MirrorDome developed at Swinburne University in Australia, consist of a portion of a spherical mirror, a data projector aimed at the mirror, and a computer running specialized software. The software has to “warp” each video frame before sending it to the projector in order to counteract the severe distortion from the mirror. After reflecting off the mirror images are projected onto a dome. Spherical mirror systems: • are placed at the edge of the dome. • can project more pixels for a given projection resolution due to the mirror geometry. • do not cover the entire dome in the most common (brightest, highest resolution) configuration. • produce pixels which vary widely in size and focus across the dome. • have optics which are more prone to damage (a first surface mirror). • use off-the-shelf projectors to allow local warranty and future upgrades. • have a varying black level across the dome (varying black sky brightness, for example). S
