Your universe.
Never before has a means of entertainment been provided that is so instructive as this,
never one so fascinating, never one with so wide an
appeal. It is a school, a theatre, a cinema in one; a
schoolroom under the vault of heaven,
a drama with celestial bodies as actors.
Content
The Colorspace Theater
Professor Strömgren, Director of the Copenhagen Observatory
5
The Colorspace Package
7
Colorspace Express
8
Colorspace Light
8
Colorspace Matter
9
Colorspace Energy 10
Colorspace 3D
11
Colorspace Cinema
11
The Uniview Software
13
Advanced Visualization Capabilities14
Astronomy14
Planetary Exploration & Earth Sciences15
Neuroscience16
Presentation & Production
17
Media & Playback
18
… and more 18
Science for everyone.
For over a decade Sciss has realized astronomy tools and systems to planetariums,
science centers, museums, and educational institutions all over the world. Introducing the
groundbreaking Uniview fulldome software in the early 2000s, we have since observed,
developed and led the progress of turnkey solutions within the realm of dome theaters.
We acknowledge that the scientific endeavor is an adventure
that binds mankind together across cultures and ages. We
believe that the awe and wonder with which we observe
and explore our vast universe is a powerful driving force for
innovation and scientific achievements. These values drive us
towards our stated goal: To open the doors of understanding
our universe, through accurate and stunning visualizations
of real data.
This has led us down the path to create a chain of product
and delivery mechanisms to commission dome theaters
and visualization venues in every corner of the world – on
time and on budget. Our scope of offer ranges from every
product and service needed by the institution, fashioned
towards delivering truly unique visitor experiences.
We have assembled a team of specialists that develop,
design and build robust visualization systems manifested in
the leading-edge Colorspace theaters. Together we make
technology choices that meet long-term objectives, while also
taking into account educational, technical and architectural
objectives and weigh these against the actual costs of owning
and running a theater.
For the operator and educator, we remove unnecessary
technology barriers, allowing the presenter to give full
attention to the audience and the content. The automated
camera movements are meticulously crafted to be smooth
and cinematic
On these pages we present to you our vision of a new
generation of dome theaters. A vision where your dome
theater becomes the communal focal point where people
go not only to learn science, but to experience it.
3
Shaping the future of
immersive theaters, together.
The Colorspace Theater
The Colorspace theater is a carefully designed package
of display systems, servers, theater control system, and
the award-winning Uniview fulldome software. Designed,
delivered, and built by our experienced fulldome theater
specialist team. Down to the smallest detail, it is the result
of our passion for quality and immersive beauty.
All our solutions ensure high-quality systems with minimal
maintenance and optimal ease of use – vital requirements for
delivering the ultimate end-experience. With professional
grade hardware components across the entire solution, we
have developed our systems to optimize fidelity for your
vision and budget, from day one and the years to come.
Display Solution
Dome Arc
Pixels
Dome
Diameter
Display
Configuration
Projector
Resolution
Projector
Features
Projector
Brightness
(Lumens)
Active/
Passive
3D Stereo
Colorspace Express
<1.6K
<6m
1 channel
2,560 x 1,600
brightness/contrast
balanced
7,500
n/a
Colorspace Light
3K
<12m
2 channels
2,560 x 1,600
brightness/contrast
balanced
7,500
n/a
4K
8-16m
5-6 channels
2,560 x 1,600
brightness/contrast
balanced
7,500
n/a
4K
8-30m
2 channels
4,096 x 2,400
extra high
contrast
5,000
n/a
4K
8-30m
2 channels
4,096 x 2,160
extra high
brightness
<33,000
n/a
4-5K
16-30m
6-7 channels
2,560 x 1,600
brightness/contrast
balanced
7,500
n/a
7-8K
8-30m
5 channels
4,096 x 2,400
extra high
contrast
5,000
n/a
7-8K
8-30m
5 channels
4,096 x 2,160
extra high
brightness
<33,000
n/a
3-4K
6-16m
5-7 channels
1,920 x 1,200
brightness/contrast
balanced
11,000
Active
4K
8-16 m
4 channels
4,096 x 2,400
extra high
contrast
5,000
Passive
4K
16-30m
2 channels
4,096 x 2,160
extra high
brightness
<33,000
Active
7-8K
8-30m
10 channels
4,096 x 2,400
extra high
contrast
5,000
Passive
7-8K
8-30m
5 channels
4,096 x 2,160
extra high
brightness
<33,000
Active
4K flat
screen
<23m
1-2 channels
4096 x 2160
extra high
brightness, DCI
<25,000
Active or
Passive
Colorspace Matter
Colorspace Energy
Colorspace 3D
Colorspace Cinema
5
The Colorspace
Package
1. Projectors
As partner to all major projector manufacturers, we have
lens and optical blend solutions for a wide range of projector
configurations. We help you select the right option based
on your performance targets, including high contrast, high
brightness and resolutions up to 8K. With robust mechanics
we ensure superb image uniformity over time, and our
automated alignment system makes recalibration easy.
2. Servers
Our servers are designed by us for optimal performance, and
assembled and serviced by DELL for worldwide, next day
and on-site support. We design for redundancy with drop-in
spare servers, minimizing any downtime from hardware
failure. All servers in our Colorspace solutions are open
and allow you to install any third party software systems,
including competing vendors’ software.
3. Software
The Uniview fulldome software is widely recognized as
the most beautiful and intuitive platform for astronomy and
science visualization, with easy-to-use presentation and
production tools, integrated video and media player, and
much more.
4. Theater control
All our Colorspace solutions come with integrated theater
control, the operator’s main interface for managing the theater
equipment and run shows. Through simple buttons on a touch
panel, the operator can control the projectors, lighting, audio,
show operation and presenter-led live interfaces.
5. Dome screen
We provide screens from the world’s leading manufacturers,
including several well-known options for minimum visibility
seams between panels. Our theater design team help you
ensure sufficient technical areas for new-builds, and help you
select the right balance between projector performance
characteristics and dome screen gain, aperture and tilt.
6. Lighting and audio
We work with professional grade systems, tightly integrating
the audio control into the theater control. A variety of standard
audio configurations are available. Reliable, easy and fit to
the scale of your theater; through active or passive speakers.
According to respondents of a study made in 2014, 100% of our Colorspace customers think their Colorspace
theater has been a good investment, 100% estimate that their attendance increased after their Colorspace
upgrade, and 100% would recommend working with Sciss to an industry colleague.
Design
Business
analysis
Theater
design
System
design
6
Build
Factory
installation
On-site
installation
Customization
7. Seating, carpets and finishes
We work with the best Scandinavian and international
designers for seats, control desks, lecterns and all interior
finishes in your theater. We can offer a varied scope of supply,
from complete designs to supporting your architects with
best practices.
Develop
Content
Training
Support
User
End experience
community
Upgrades
7
Which Colorspace
Theater Is For You?
Colorspace Express™
Great value in
a small package.
Key features:
High-end Uniview education and visualization software
High value, low cost
No blend zone, simple maintenance
Center mounted, easy installation, fits into any existing dome theater
Low cost UHP lamps
Intuitive theater control for lights, audio and peripherals
Worldwide next day on-site support
Extensive catalog for pre-rendered fulldome films and live presenter-led shows
Profile: an affordable, low maintenance display system for smaller
facilities and schools with a focus
on education Designed for: domes
up to 6m in diameter Resolution:
high-quality 1.6K display.
Dome Arc
Pixels
Dome Diameter
Display
Configuration
Projector
Resolution
Projector Features
Projector Brightness
(Lumens)
<1.6K
<6m
1 channel
2,560 x 1,600
brightness/contrast balanced
7,500
Colorspace Light™
Profile: a high-end display
system with a low-end budget,
for small to medium facilities
with a combined focus on
education and entertainment
Designed for: domes up to 12m
in diameter Resolution: highquality 3K display.
8
Go for the best,
keep it affordable.
Key features:
High-end Uniview education and visualization software
High value, low cost
Single blend zone, simple
maintenance
Cove mounted, hidden technology
Optical blending
Automatic calibration
Low cost UHP lamps
Intuitive theater control for lights, audio and peripherals
Worldwide next day on-site support
Extensive catalog for pre-rendered fulldome films and live presenter-led shows
Upgrade paths to 4K and 3D.
Dome Arc
Pixels
Dome Diameter
Display
Configuration
Projector
Resolution
Projector Features
Projector Brightness
(Lumens)
3K
<12m
2 channels
2,560 x 1,600
brightness/contrast balanced
7,500
Colorspace Matter™
Profile: top-class display systems for most types of facilities and dome sizes who wish
to modernize and meet and
exceed the industry benchmark
Designed for: domes 8-30m
in diameter Resolution: highquality 4-5K display.
Ensure a high fidelity
planetarium experience.
Key features:
Our most commonly chosen solution – robust and proven technology
Two channels with a single blend zone, or multichannel configuration
Options for high contrast and high brightness
Optical blending
Automatic calibration
Low cost UHP lamps
Cove mounted, hidden technology
Range of projector sizes to fit inside technical area behind the dome
Intuitive theater control for lights, audio and peripherals
Worldwide next day on-site support
High-end Uniview education and visualization software
Extensive catalog for pre-rendered fulldome films and live presenter-led shows
Upgrade paths to 3D and 8K.
Dome Arc
Pixels
Dome Diameter
Display
Configuration
Projector
Resolution
Projector Features
Projector Brightness
(Lumens)
4K
8-16m
5-6 channels
2,560 x 1,600
brightness/contrast balanced
7,500
4K
8-30m
2 channels
4,096 x 2,400
extra high contrast
5,000
4K
8-30m
2 channels
4,096 x 2,160
extra high brightness
<33000
4-5K
16-30m
6-7 channels
2,560 x 1,600
brightness/contrast balanced
7,500
9
Colorspace 3D™
Profile: high brightness display
systems for all types of facilities
and dome sizes who wish to
offer high-profile visitor attractions and maximize the experiences with 3D Designed for:
all domes up to 30m in diameter
Resolution: extremely bright
3K, 4K or 8K display.
Colorspace Energy™
Profile: unique display systems
for most types of facilities and
dome sizes who wish to offer
high-profile visitor attractions
and visual experiences
Designed for: domes 8-30m in
diameter Resolution: state-ofthe-art 8K display.
Dome Arc
Pixels
7-8K
10
Powerful
and stunning.
Key features:
Extremely sharp image that matches the star quality of analog starballs
4K multichannel configurations
Options for high contrast and high brightness
Optical blending
Automatic calibration
Low cost UHP lamps
Cove mounted, hidden technology
Range of projector sizes to fit inside technical area behind the dome
Intuitive theater control for lights, audio and peripherals
Worldwide next day on-site support
High-end Uniview education and visualization software
Extensive catalog for pre-rendered fulldome films and live presenter-led shows
Upgrade path to 3D.
Display
Configuration
Projector
Resolution
Projector Features
8-30m
5 channels
4,096 x 2,400
extra high contrast
7,500
8-30m
5 channels
4,096 x 2,160
extra high brightness
<33,000
Dome Diameter
Projector Brightness
(Lumens)
Key features:
Unique visual 3D experience on a bright and colorful display
2 to 10 channels configurations
Comfortable Infitec or Xpand glasses
Optical blending
Automatic calibration
Low cost UHP lamps
Cove mounted, hidden technology
Range of projector sizes to fit inside technical area behind the dome
Expand to high
intensity 3D.
Intuitive theater control for lights, audio and peripherals
Worldwide next day on-site support
High-end Uniview education and visualization software
Extensive catalog for pre-rendered fulldome films and live presenter-led shows
2D capable
Upgrade path to 8K 3D.
Dome Arc
Pixels
Dome
Diameter
Display
Configuration
Projector
Resolution
Projector Features
Projector
Brightness
(Lumens)
Active/Passive
3D Stereo
3-4K
6-16m
5-7 channels
1,920 x 1,200
brightness/contrast balanced
11,000
Active
4K
8-16m
4 channels
4,096 x 2,400
extra high contrast
5,000
Passive
4K
16-30m
2 channels
4,096 x 2,160
extra high brightness
<33,000
Active
7-8K
8-30m
10 channels
4,096 x 2,400
extra high contrast
5,000
Passive
7-8K
8-30m
5 channels
4,096 x 2,160
extra high brightness
<33,000
Active
Colorspace Cinema™
Profile: a flat screen display
system for all types of modern
lecture or presentation facilities
who wish to hybridize between
an auditorium and a large
format cinema Designed for:
screens up to 23m wide Resolution: bright 4K cinema display.
Key features:
Beautiful display for interactive science presentations and
Hollywood blockbusters
DCI compatible in 2D or 3D, 60Hz
or 120Hz
Active or passive 3D
Wide selection of glasses
Auditorium and movie
theater in one.
Integrated media server for all types of film titles
Integrated high-end Uniview
education and visualization software
Intuitive theater control for lights, audio and peripherals
2D capable.
Resolution
Dome
Diameter
Display
Configuration
Projector
Resolution
Projector Features
Projector
Brightness
(Lumens)
Active/Passive
3D Stereo
4K
<23m
1-2 channels
4,096 x 2,160
extra high brightness, DCI
<25,000
Active or Passive
11
The Uniview Software
Uniview, the beating heart of the Colorspace theater, is widely recognized as the most
accurate data visualization platform in the industry. Since its inception over a decade
ago, Sciss has introduced a range of world-firsts, feature sets that fundamentally
changed the capabilities of digital planetariums and how visitors experience science.
Uniview sits in the daily programs of leading planetariums
like Hayden Planetarium, California Academy of Sciences and
Moscow Planetarium, and are also used by organizations
like NASA, ESA and NOAA. With a team of highly talented
graphics programmers, we spare no effort to ensure the
Think inside the universe.
representation of any given dataset is as true to realism as
possible, and for abstract elements carefully designed for a
pleasing appearance to enhance understanding. Camera
transitions between objects are fully automatic with majestic
and smooth camera movements.
Advanced Visualization Capabilites
Astronomy
Planetary Exploration & Earth Sciences
Neuroscience
Presentation & Production
Media & Playback
Panels
Timeline and flightpath production
Wireless timeline and flightpath presentations
Video & Media Player
Slicing & encoding
Playback technology
Producer
Advanced video editing and production
Live Show Packages
Real-time datasets
Comprehensive storylines
Custom made GUI
Drag and Drop
Drag and drop images onto the dome view
Media Content
Live-show catalog
Fulldome film catalog
User Community
Domecasting
Share presenter-led
sessions across theaters
Annual Uniview User Groups
Content sharing
platform
… and more
Star Projector Integration
Perfect sync with
digital image
Seamless and
automated control
Integrated Theater Control
Touch panel interface for managing theater equip-
ment and run shows
Ucare
Training
Support
Upgrades
13
Advanced Visualization Capabilities
At its very core, the Uniview fulldome software is an interactive computer platform designed
for live presentation. Powered by scientific databases and physically accurate visualizations,
Uniview produces visually striking journeys through databases of any scale.
Live Realtime Navigation
With Uniview Scalegraph, the core engine of Uniview, you travel seamlessly through all datasets, without stuttering or
freezing, and from the smallest conceivable scales to the largest. The live navigation function, Uniview Flight Assist, is
designed to allow a cinematic feel to interactive flights. The speed is adjusted to the scale of the scene, and objects and
grids are automatically enabled based on the current camera position.
Astronomy
Tour of the universe
With a proud legacy in the fulldome theater world, Uniview
supports over 200 datasets. This includes datasets from the
entire Digital Universe, a 3D atlas of the universe allowing you
to explore over 50 categories of scientific models, including
all known objects in the solar system, Kepler candidates, star
forming regions, star clusters, the local group, deep space
objects, Sloan galaxies, and quasars to name a few. Uniview
allows users to virtually tour the universe, seamlessly, from
small objects such as satellites, to the edge of the observable
universe.
Planetary Exploration
& Earth Sciences
Uniview has access to a network of daily updated satellite
imagery that can be integrated in a show at a minutes notice,
directly to your dome. Through streaming of cloud-based data,
you get access to daily updated satellite imagery, weather
events, planetary and lunar exploration, and extrasolar planets.
Uniview also supports the KML file format from the Google
Earth community.
Planetary Exploration
Uniview enables high resolution textures and terrain maps
from a variety of NASA’s WMS servers. This allows you to
follow the exploration of Mars and the Moon through high
resolution texture maps from HiRISE and LRO, and engage
your audience in the search for habitable planets.
Geological events and climate data
The advanced visualization capabilities include direct access
satellite imagery of the Earth. This way, you can stream and
show your audience geological events as they happen, as
well as climate data. Follow volcanic eruptions or nature
disasters such as Deepwater Horizon, and monitor them
evolving over several weeks.
Classic astronomy observation
Uniview simulates orbital motion with the same precision
as NASA simulations for space missions. Day and night sky,
celestial and galactic coordinate systems, meridian and
ecliptic are just some features of our complete classical
planetarium system.
Uniview can automatically calculate and transition to events
such as sunrise, sunset, solar noon and midnight. It can
also automatically transition to and from any geographical
location on the surface of the Earth or any other planet, to
observe the sky from different locations. Data features
include all the essential planetarium features, such as 88
constellations with lines and artwork, planets rendered as
properly colored and lit points when seen from afar, the
Hipparcos star catalog with proper motion, the Milky Way
in various wavelengths, and much more.
14
15
Presentation
& Production
Panels – the new generation
presentation tool
The presenter can now access the full power of Uniview from
anywhere in the dome through the revolutionary Panels
interface. With this tool you build slides, where each slide
corresponds to a particular stop, or topic, during the
presentation – much like a PowerPoint presentation.
With simplicity at the core, simply drag and drop datasets,
bookmarks, images, events, and talking points onto sequential
slides. Save your presentation, and immediately access the
same panels from a portable tablet. Panels come with support
for multiple languages and is fully integrated with the
theater control.
Producer – advanced show production
In production mode, the user has access to Uniview
Producer, modeled on the industry standard for production
software. In addition to the Panels feature, Producer allows
you to manage the more advanced production capabilities.
Neuroscience
Neurotours
We are the only fulldome company in the world to offer
Neurotours, a live presentation featuring actual threedimensional neuroscientific data from leading scientists.
Neurotours gives your visitors the mind-blowing experience
of wandering through neurons, climbing the surface facets
of the cerebral cortex, and flying down into biological scales
that span millions of times of magnification. The tour gives
the audience an unprecedented view of our place in the
universe, and in turn, where the universe is represented in
our brain.
Neurotours is a product of the Neurodome project, led by
Dr. Jonathan Fisher, a neuroscientist at New York Medical
College. Working with Neurodome, Sciss introduces a realtime presentation within a complete new realm of science.
16
Domecasting – sharing presentations
Uniview allows remote collaboration and shared experiences
between display venues, giving you a fantastic tool for
collaborations with your local or global community. Presenterled sessions can be shared across theaters and the same
presenter can simultaneously address audiences in up to
8 interconnected theaters.
Live show packages
Our live show packages is a complete presentation kit
combining unique real-time datasets with a comprehensive
storyline and a custom made interface. Through simple
bundles you get access to presentations on a variety of
topics: from the life of stars, to the wonders of the human
brain. Simply import the bundle to Uniview with a few clicks,
and you are good to go.
Drag and drop images
To add images to your presentation, simply drag and drop
them directly from a web browser, or already stored images
on your hard drive. Release the images onto the dome view or
move them to a panel to store them for a presentation.
17
Media &
Playback
Video & media player
The integrated video player is a full video solution, with
slicing and encoding tools and playback technology. With
an easy user interface, the player supports 24-60 frames
per second and up to lossless compression.
… and more
Star projector integration
Hybridization between digital and optical projectors is
now fully automated in Uniview. By the press of a button
you synchronize the star projector with the digital star field.
Transitions between the two are fully automatic depending
on the camera vantage point, and there are no delays in the
movements between the systems.
Fulldome film catalog
All our users have access to an extensive catalog of fulldome
shows in various languages. We distribute shows from the
leading production houses around the world, providing the
top end shows that are available on the market today. With
access to the video preparation tool there is no extra cost
associated for slicing and encoding.
Live show catalog
While fulldome shows have been distributed between digital
theaters for a decade, live shows have not. Sciss is proud to
change that dynamic by introducing a live show catalog – a
catalog with a selection of our live show packages.
18
Integrated theater control
As a dome theater operator, the Colorspace theater control
is the main interface for managing the theater equipment
and run shows. Through a simple button on the touch panel,
you start the system, turn shutters on and off, start any of
the available films or start and stop pre-programmed theater
lighting sequences.
User community
The Uniview user community is the fastest growing community in the industry. Ideas and content is exchanged on
our web portals, and our support forum is fully transparent
and open to all. At our annual user groups we host presenters
from the world’s very finest institutions, such as ESO, NASA
and NOAA, and we connect users from all over the world to
share experiences and content.
This is our story
Sciss is a Swedish company founded in 2004 by engineers
Staffan Klashed and Per Hemmingsson. The year before, the
two friends had just returned to Sweden after thesis projects
with the American Museum of Natural History. They had
built an interactive visualization engine for the Hayden
Planetarium dome, a project that would live on as Uniview.
For the first years, Sciss equipped the Uniview data
visualization platform with as much value as possible for
fulldome theater users. As the product took shape, the
theaters welcomed the Uniview software with open arms;
Denver Museum of Nature and Science merged their Cosmic
Atlas, while California Academy of Sciences built their new
opening show around the software, and the portable
domes of the Minnesota Planetarium network started
travelling to remote schools on a daily basis, sharing live
presentations with the unique domecasting capabilities.
In the summer of 2011, Sciss began product development
on the complete Colorspace fulldome system, which was
released to the market in the fall of 2012. We have established
partnerships with leading experts in the field of projection,
computers, graphics and support. We also provide extensive
maintenance and service programs, in order to make the
most out of your investment over a longer time period.
Today, we design, build and develop complete fulldome
theater solutions. We are the fastest growing community of
planetariums and science centers, with over 140 installations,
including NASA, ESA, NOAA and the leading planetariums
all over the world, from New York to Moscow, from Tokyo
to Berlin. We offer you the Colorspace theater – a carefully
designed package of display systems, servers, theater control
system, and the award-winning Uniview fulldome software.
www.sciss.se Sciss International (HQ) +46 (0) 855 119 100
[email protected] Sciss Middle East +971 4 256 6695
Sciss North America +1 720 985 5540
© 2015 : Sciss AB. All rights reserved. All brands and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Graphic design by: www.arketyp.se