ZEISS Fulldome Systems

VELVET LED

Premium Digital Projector for Planetariums

The VELVET LED projector developed and manufactured by ZEISS is the only one in the world that has been created in every respect for astronomical displays in planetariums. It impresses not only with its enormous contrast ratio of 2,500,000 : 1, but also with its outstanding image quality.

Highest Contrast

Brilliant Colors

Ultimate Sharpness

Perfect Blending

Black night sky and bright stars thanks to top contrast

As the only DLP projector on the market, VELVET achieves a contrast ratio comparable to ZEISS' fibre-optic star projection. VELVET LED provides an absolutely black image background. No grey background light brightens the night sky. Stars and objects shine on deep black.

VELVET LED projector

standard video projector

Still picture from “Dimensions – Once upon Reality” by Rocco Helmchen

VELVET LED projector

standard video projector

DLP Technology and LED Light Sources for Brilliant and Stable Colors

DLP technology provides stability and ensures consistent colours and brightness for many years. Even after many thousands of hours of operation, a VELVET LED projector delivers excellent picture quality. The high contrast of the projector results in high color saturation. The eye perceives the high-contrast and color-intensive projection as particularly brilliant and pleasant. The new LED light sources provide an improved colour space compared to previous models.

ZEISS Optics for Pin-sharp Pixels and Excellent Pixel Contrast

Not only the number of pixels determines a good picture. Only the entire reproduction quality of the projection device defines sharpness and image impression. The VELVET LED incorporates ZEISS optics of the highest quality, guaranteeing impressive image quality. This is why a 6k dome image generated with VELVET LED looks sharper and crisper than many an 8k image from other systems.

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Best Image Quality with ZEISS DIGIGON Lenses

For the VELVET projectors, ZEISS has developed lenses that precisely take into account the spherical shape of the projection surface. These lenses thus meet the requirements of dome projection 100 percent. All pixels are sharp “right into the corners” and free of chromatic aberrations that could lead to blurring.

Segment of projected image, VELVET/DIGIGON 108 2.4/11.4 (test image) Lateral color: negliable – less than 1/4 pixel width; e xposure data: Canon EOS 5D Mk II, ZEISS Macro-Planar 2/100, ISO 800, f/2, 0.4s.

Segment of projected image, VELVET/DIGIGON 108 2.4/11.4 (test image) Defi nition: excellent – distinct pixel separation; exposure data: Canon EOS 5D Mk II, ZEISS Macro-Planar 2/100, ISO 800, f/2, 1/4s.

Segment of projected image, F35/NAVITAR HM117/11.7 – (test image) Lateral color: clearly visible – 2 to 3 pixel widths; e xposure data: Canon EOS 5D Mk II, ZEISS Macro-Planar 2/100, ISO 800, f/2, 1/13s.

Segment of projected image, F35/NAVITAR HM117/11.7 – (test image) Defi nition: mediocre – pixels blurred; exposure data: Canon EOS 5D Mk II, ZEISS Macro-Planar 2/100, ISO 800, f/2, 1/8s.

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Two-channel VELVET LED projection with invisible blend area, unedited photograph.

Perfect Blending

Thanks to the absence of any backlighting by the VELVET projectors, there is no need for mechanical masks within or in front of the projection lenses, which is necessary with other projector technologies to reduce the visibility of channel blends. The transitions between the individual image channels are invisible with VELVET LED, the dome image is perfect.

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Brochure

ZEISS VELVET LED
Brochure
Language: English
Pages: 8
File size: 4.4 MB

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Additional Information

Developed especially for planetariums
Image quality	DLP technology and ZEISS optics for pin-sharp pixels and excellent pixel contrast absolutely black image background, thus increased brilliance of the colors high resolution for particularly detailed images: real pixels, no pixel shift
Colors	extended color space and more saturated colors, pure white thanks to LED lighting visibly improved colour fastness compared to previous models 30bit color depth for smooth color gradients without banding color stability and homogeneity practically over the entire service life
Brightness	impressive brightness for all planetarium applications higher stability of brightness compared to lamp projectors
Blending	invisible transitions between image channels (blends) blend calculations without grayscale losses No mechanical masks for best possible blend quality reduced overlap area between channels, thus higher pixel utilization
ZEISS lenses	specially corrected ZEISS lenses that take the curvature of the projection surface into account optimised image quality thanks to optics with extremely high and pure color transmission virtually vignette-free projection
Light sources	extension of availability by approx. 40 % thanks to LED light source (no warm-up, can be switched on and off at any time)
Service life	very long service life of ten and more years encapsulated light engine for long service free operation easy adjustment, less service than projectors with color wheel fast and cost-effective remote maintenance service availability for at least ten years significantly reduced total cost of ownership
Projector & housing	no stray light in projector and lens light tightness, no light emission at housing parts improved cooling for noise reduced operation
Configuration & calibration	coordinated projector and software configuration from one source various configuration possibilities, also for off-center projection stereo capable (active 3D projection - 120 Hz) full calibration possibilities (geometry, brightness, colors)

The configuration examples are for your guidance. Please contact us for further configuration possibilities.

Number projectors	2
Dome diameter	4,5 m to 12 m
Resolution (approx.)	3 k

Number projectors	5
Dome diameter	12 m to 18 m
Resolution (approx.)	4.5 k

Number projectors	11
Dome diameter	23 m to 30 m
Resolution (approx.)	7 k

VELVET LED Projector
Image format	WQXGA (2560 x 1600), native (up to 120 Hz)
Display technology	LVDS DMD™ with DarkChip3™ ZEISS True Black Projection Technology
Brightness	corresponds to the visual impression of a projector with 2 600 lm
Contrast ratio (on-off, static)	2,500,000 : 1
Width x height x depth	approx. 674 mm x 729 mm x 500 mm, incl. lens and mount
Light sources	LED-based RGB solid-state lighting
Video inputs	2x DisplayPort digital RGB
Weight	approx. 70 kg
Projection lens	ZEISS DIGIGON

VELVET LED Fulldome System
Projektion area	360° x 180° (±15°)
Dome diameter	4.5 to 30 m (diverse Configurations)
Dome tilt	0° to 30°
Dome reflectivity	35% to 60% recommended
Edge blends between channels	electronic, no masks in front of or inside the lens
Configurations	2 to 10+ channels
Remote service	optional (Internet connection required)

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