VELVET 1600 brochure - Carl Zeiss Planetariums

Fulldome Projection
VELVET 1600
Fulldome Systems
Issue: 2012-06

The Ultimate Black for Brilliant Projections.
VELVET projector in the mounting frame
2
The perfect projection system for
the perfect dome theater
Most projection techniques suffer from
a background that is gray rather than
black. While this is acceptable in the
conference room, it is extremely critical
in a dome projection theater: the gray
background framing the imagery is a
visible nuisance that spoils the illusion
of an object floating in space. In a
planetarium, the gray background of a
video projection ruins the captivating
brilliance of the starry sky. That is, unless
you use VELVET.
VELVET is a video projector Carl Zeiss
has specially designed for use in domed
auditoriums. It is based on the DLP ®
technology of Texas Instruments, tried
and approved a million times over.
VELVET is the only DLP projector on
the market that delivers a contrast
ratio comparable with that of Carl
Zeiss glass-fiber star projection. With
powerdome®VELVET, Carl Zeiss offers
a first-class fulldome video system with
an absolutely black backdrop – for
convincing and exciting images.

Breathtaking video projection plus
brilliant stars – an excellent match
VELVET delivers much more than the
perfectly black backdrop. Its projections
fascinate by their outstanding
definition and brilliant colors.
For your stars to shine as beautiful
as those on the natural sky, Carl
Zeiss recommends a combination of
powerdome®VELVET with an opticalmechanical
planetarium projector. No
other projector can present the stars as
tiny and yet as bright and brilliant as
their natural counterparts.
With powerdome you can control your
digital image contents and your optical
stars in perfect synchronism. And,
thanks to the VELVET projector, nothing
can dull the velvety black of your
star-spangled night sky.
High definition and stability with
DLP chip technology
VELVET with DLP ® technology offers
decisive advantages over other video
technologies. Arguably the greatest
one is stability. Unlike other technologies,
which suffer a noticeable drop
of color saturation and homogeneity
after a few thousand operating hours,
VELVET lets you enjoy superb images
much longer. Implementing many engineering
and design solutions, Carl Zeiss
has designed this projector for a working
life of at least ten years, and with
low maintenance cost at that.
In the VELVET projector, imaging
devices with 1600 lines are at work
(WQXGA resolution). Projectors with a
single lamp provide very bright images
in smaller domes, while projectors
with a dual lamp set furnish impressive
brightness in larger domes as well.
Fulldome projection is always done
with several projectors. VELVET Duo
is designed for domes up to 12 m in
diameter. It uses two projectors (channels)
installed at the dome center or at
the periphery. VELVET Systems with five
or more channels will deliver fulldome
images with resolutions of 4k or better.
First-class projection lens
Even the most advanced chip technology
is of no use without an optical
design that is tailored to dome
projection. For VELVET, only the best is
good enough: a Carl Zeiss lens of the
DIGIGON series provides excellent imaging
quality. The wide-angle lens with
adjustable focal length permits flexible
projector configurations, so that
powerdome®VELVET can be adapted
to any dome.
Automatic projector calibration
On request, Carl Zeiss fulldome systems
come with camera-based projector calibration,
a facility for the fully automatic
adjustment of the image geometries
of all channels. For further information,
see our separate data sheet.
3

Configuration Examples
4
a)
c)
VELVET Duo fulldome projection from the
dome center
VELVET Duo is a two-channel projection system
for domes 6 to 12 m in diameter. It excellently
complements the SKYMASTER ZKP 4 planetarium
projector. Projection is from the dome center,
without shadows from equipment parts.
b)
d)
VELVET Duo, projection from the dome center, 10-m dome
(a) 3D view
(b) Arrangement of projectors (top view)
(c) Projection fields, overlapping in a blending zone
(d) Projection fields, non-overlapping

a)
c) d)
VELVET Duo fulldome projection from the
dome periphery
For dome theaters without a planetarium projector
it is advisable to position the VELVET projectors
at the dome periphery. Each of the two
projectors projects its image to the opposite half
of the dome.
b)
VELVET Duo, projection from the periphery, 10-m dome
(a) 3D view
(b) Arrangement of projectors (top view)
(c) Projection fields, overlapping in a blending zone
(d) Projection fields, non-overlapping
5

6
a)
c)
Five-channel VELVET fulldome projection
from the dome periphery
For multichannel VELVET fulldome projection, the
projectors are positioned at the periphery. Five
channels are sufficient for domes up to 18 m in
diameter with no planetarium projector installed.
Four projectors deliver the 360° panorama, while
the fifth one projects the zenith field.
b)
d)
VELVET, 5 channels, projection from the periphery, 15-m dome
(a) 3D view
(b) Arrangement of projectors (top view)
(c) Projection fields, overlapping in a blending zone
(d) Projection fields, non-overlapping

a)
c)
Eight-channel VELVET fulldome projection
from the dome periphery
If the theater features a planetarium projector
(e.g., UNIVERSARIUM M IX), VELVET projectors are
installed so that projection is from the periphery
but not to the exactly opposite direction but at
an angle past the planetarium projector. In a configuration
for a 20-m dome, six projectors do the
panorama and two do the zenith field.
b)
d)
VELVET, 8 channels, projection from the periphery, 20-m dome
(a) 3D view
(b) Arrangement of projectors (top view)
(c) Projection fields, overlapping in a blending zone
(d) Projection fields, non-overlapping
7

Technical Data
8
VELVET projector
Image format WQXGA
Resolution 2560 x 1600
Brightness 1300 lm (single lamp) 1900 lm (dual lamp)
Contrast ratio 2,500,000 : 1
Dome diameter Configuration examples 1
8 m to 12 m Dome diameter up to 10 m up to 10 m up to 12 m up to 12 m
(26 ft to 40 ft) Star projector 2 yes no yes no
Number of projectors 2 2 2 2
Projector arrangement center periphery center periphery
Projector version SL SL DL DL
Dome tilt 0° 0° - 30° 0° 0° - 30°
Resolution dome master (approx.) 2.6 k 2.6 k 2.6 k 2.6 k
Pixel size in arcmin (approx.) 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9
12 m to 18 m Dome diameter up to 15 m up to 15 m up to 18 m up to 18 m
(40 ft to 60 ft) Star projector 3 no yes no yes
Number of projectors 5 6 5 6
Projector arrangement periphery periphery periphery periphery
Projector version SL SL DL DL
Dome tilt 0° - 30° 0° - 30° 0° - 30° 0° - 30°
Resolution dome master (approx.) 4 k 4.2 k 4 k 4.2 k
Pixel size in arcmin (approx.) 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.2
18 m to 25 m Dome diameter up to 23 m up to 23 m up to 25 m up to 25 m
(60 ft to 82 ft) Star projector 3 no yes no yes
Carl Zeiss AG
Planetarium Division
07740 JENA, GERMANY
Number of projectors 7 8 9 10
Projector arrangement periphery periphery periphery periphery
Projector version DL DL DL DL
Dome tilt 0° - 30° 0° - 30° 0° - 30° 0° - 30°
Resolution dome master (approx.) 4.5 k 4.5 k 5 k 5.2 k
Pixel size in arcmin (approx.) 2.1 2.1 2.0 1.9
SL – single lamp, DL – dual lamp
1. Recommendations, other configurations in coordination with Carl Zeiss possible.
2. If VELVET Duo is intended to be combined with a planetarium projector (i.e. an optical-mechanical star projector), the VELVET projectors will be
installed at the dome center rather than at the periphery.
3. For a combination of a multichannel VELVET system with a star projector, the number of VELVET projectors needed increases (as a rule, by one
more projector).
Phone: +49 3641 642406
Fax: +49 3641 643023
E-mail: planetarium@zeiss.de
www.zeiss.de/planetariums
EN_58_010_374III Printed in Germany
The product described herein is subject to upgrading and other changes in design and/or scope of delivery.