Christie: There’s a new dome in town

Orlando Science Center updates its dome theater with state-of-the art digital projection

by Joe Kleiman

After thirty years as a film-based giant screen theater, the former Dr. Philips CineDome at Orlando Science Center (OSC) in Orlando, Florida, has been upgraded to house a versatile digital system, and renamed The Dome by Dr. Phillips Charities, under the aegis of JoAnn Newman, OSC’s President and CEO since 2009.

“Orlando Science Center is a home for bold experiences that inspire curiosity and wonder,” says Newman. “The Dome is a step forward in how we present storytelling that educates and inspires contemporary audiences.”

RFPs for the new system were issued in September 2024, and the contract for the winning bidder, dome visualization specialist SSIA Technologies, was finalized in August 2025. Construction took place at a rapid pace, with the grand opening taking place a year later, on June 1, 2026.

The redesigned theater is equipped to offer a broader variety of shows and presentations. It features nine Christie RGB laser projectors, and Sky-Skan DigtalSky Dark Matter™ (DSDM) proprietary visualization software. The eight primary projectors provide a combined 8K image on a 79-foot diameter dome screen, with pixel counts up to eight times the resolution of a conventional 4K digital cinema.

The new system has enabled OSC to bring back star shows for the first time in fifteen years. What had been a film theater now has complete fulldome capabilities, with The Dome able to present planetarium shows and other science visualizations in both pre-rendered and real-time formats, in addition to giant-screen features. The Dome’s versatile new systems now also allow it to offer the kinds of special programming that has enabled fulldome theaters around the world to grow their audiences, extend their hours, and bring in ancillary revenue, such as laser shows, and live musicians and DJs performing against a backdrop of real-time digital visualizations.

Creating a multi-purpose fulldome venue

OSC culled an experienced, knowledgeable team, resulting in a smooth and informed process and cutting-edge technology. The end result is a venue that is on par with some of the best digital dome theaters and planetariums in the world today.

To begin the process, OSC engaged Paul Fraser, of Blaze Cineworks, who has consulted for numerous museums and science centers planning upgrades, expansions or new builds featuring digital display systems. With decades of experience, Fraser is well versed in the nuts and bolts of both giant screen and digital fulldome operations, having been an executive with IMAX and Ogden Entertainment, where he oversaw the opening of new theaters.

Fraser worked closely with Stephen Holt, OSC’s Vice President of Facilities & Exhibits, who acted as Project Manager and Owner’s Representative.

“We started with planning and budgeting, then procuring the major systems and services needed to upgrade the dome theater,” says Fraser. “My job is to make sure that clients have the best information possible in order to choose what’s right for them.”

Understanding the nature of the original space is crucial. “When converting a giant screen theater or a planetarium to fulldome digital, a lot of factors come into play,” says Fraser. “A giant screen dome theater has a steeper incline than most planetariums. This creates specific issues, such as where to place the projectors.”

“Paul was an invaluable advisor throughout,” says Holt. “He brought deep industry expertise, thorough research, and a strong focus on long-term value. His guidance throughout procurement, vendor negotiations, technical decisions, and problem-solving helped OSC make informed decisions and achieve an exceptional project outcome.”

As the RFP went out, Fraser and the OSC team concentrated on two key factors:

• As an educational institution, OSC considers the giant screen films, planetarium shows, and science visualization presentations in The Dome on an equal footing to the physical exhibits in the museum. To make them fully accessible, these programs are included with museum admission, in keeping with a decades-long policy. Compatibility with a broad range of content would, therefore, play a key role in determining the new system.
• With The Dome getting a full $7 million top-to-bottom makeover, including new seating, new sound system, and a new screen, everything needed to remain within OSC’s allocated budget.

Software to meet the client’s needs

The AV and visualization systems were specified and installed by SSIA Technologies, a contracting partner of fulldome visualization company Sky-Skan International. The two companies share ownership of DSDM visualization and show control software, and SSIA maintains the exclusive rights to license the software in a number of global markets, including North America. Annette Sotheran-Barnett, co-CEO and Founder of SSIA explains, “While we are integrators, we understand and appreciate the needs of planetariums, as many of us at SSIA are former planetarium educators, programmers and technicians.”

Most programming at The Dome is delivered through DSDM and SSIA’s proprietary control system, SCS. “While our controls are intuitive,” Sotheran-Barnett shared, “we were fortunate that OSC’s theater director, Amy Quesinberry, is a former digital fulldome theater installer, making staff training that much easier. In fact, Amy and the education team at OSC were able to open the new theater with an original production produced in-house ready to go.”

SCS unites all of the various systems in the theater into a single show control. This not only includes the visualization servers, projectors, and the 30,000 watt 7.1 channel audio system featuring arrays of JBL speakers, but also lighting and multiple SkyLase laser projectors from Audio Visual Engineering, which are mounted behind the dome screen and employed for separately ticketed laser shows synched to music in the evenings.

To provide the best surface for visualizations, the dome screen’s panels were entirely replaced with Spitz NanoSeam panels. “The new screen delivers a remarkably seamless viewing experience. The individual panels visually disappear, creating a continuous surface that allows audiences to become fully immersed in the imagery,” says Holt.

SSIA created two three-minute preshows for The Dome that were combined into a single, six-minute experience. The first part employs lighting behind the screen to illuminate the speakers and showcase the sound system, reminiscent of an audio preshow OSC had years ago.

The second part is an animated flight rendered out of DSDM that takes viewers from the Hubble Space Telescope down to Florida, over Orlando, and into OSC, culminating inside the dome itself. With audio designed by award-winning giant screen sound mixer Brian Eimer, this original production highlights DSDM visualization software capabilities and the powerful image of the Christie Griffyn projectors, building anticipation for the main feature to follow.

The right projector for the job

Christie offers several projector models for the fulldome market [see “Ultimate contrast,” InPark Magazine Issue #82]. The model selected was the Griffyn 4K35-RGB, able to project at 36,500 lumens (OSC is maintaining the projectors at a light output of 75% and 80% to extend laser life while minimizing image degradation). “The Christie Griffyn was clearly the best projector for this dome application,” says Fraser. “Every single response we had to the RFP recommended it.”

In addition to its light output, the projector model is highly versatile, taking up a relatively small footprint, allowing for mounting in just about any configuration. Three DLP chips in each projector meet digital cinema standards for color, while modular construction improves maintenance while lowering repair costs.

“One key thing about Christie is that almost all of our models for fulldome are 3 chip DLP. We made a specific choice ten years ago to go pure RGB laser,” says Joel St-Denis, Director of Product Management at Christie. This delivers the versatility OSC was seeking to maximize both content options and image quality. RGB laser projectors generally meet rec. 709, the international standard for HDTV color gamut. The Griffyn is a DLP projector, which uses chips called DMDs (Digital Micromirror Devices), made up of millions of microscopic reflection mirrors — one for each pixel in an image. Each mirror can be individually controlled to tilt back and forth rapidly, in an on or off position. When a mirror tilts toward the light source, it reflects light onto the projection surface and creates a bright pixel. When it tilts away from the light source, it reflects light away and creates a dark pixel. With its three DMDs, the Griffyn not only surpasses rec. 709 and p3 (the international standard for digital cinema), but reaches 98% of rec. 2020, the international standard for 4K and 8K projection. At such a high color gamut, the Griffyn projectors are able to showcase more than 70% of colors visible to the human eye and in high dynamic range, resulting in brighter colors and darker blacks with ultra-high resolution detail.

The new system utilizes eight Griffyn 4K-35RGB projectors, sufficient to cover the entire screen. At 36”x25”x15” and 180 pounds, the projectors have a relatively small form factor allowing versatility in their installation. Four of the projectors are housed at the base of the dome screen, while four others are housed in a newly constructed booth at the back of the theater on the building’s fourth floor. “The four projectors housed in the fourth-floor booth cover the central and lower portions of the dome, while the four projectors positioned near the front of the theater cover the central and upper portions, including the zenith. Together, they create a unified image across the entire dome surface,” explains Holt.

Additionally, a ninth projector, a Christie CP4435-RGB, was mounted in the fourth-floor booth. Using a Dolby digital cinema server, this projector is DCI-compliant and will allow OSC to show theatrical films distributed directly by the major studios.

“Our modular projector construction allows for easy upgrades to the system,” explains Doug Boyer, Christie’s Director of Sales and Business Development, Pro AV. “It also allows for easy onsite replacement of the laser optical system, reducing the cost and downtime traditionally experienced with sending a projector to a service center.”

“We work with a lot of projectors in a lot of challenging situations,” says George Barnett, co-CEO and Founder of SSIA. “The Christie projectors were very easy to work with. They have intuitive software and user interface which makes installation, alignment and calibration simple. They are extremely well engineered.”

The transition of The Dome has impressed its toughest in-house critics – long-term OSC veterans like Newman, Holt, and Quesinberry, each with over a decade of service at the museum. “There’s a moment in one of our ocean films when an enormous whale swims across the dome, and the experience is breathtaking. You genuinely feel as though you’ve been transported beneath the ocean’s surface, watching this incredible animal pass right in front of you. It’s a powerful example of how immersive this new technology can be,” says Holt.

Respecting the past, anticipating the future For the time being, OSC is concentrating on giant screen films and planetarium presentations during the day, and laser shows in the evenings, with future fulldome offerings under consideration for the years ahead. The Dome continues OSC’s seventy-one year legacy of being an integral member of the Orlando community, an important resource for school groups and families as well as a destination for visitors.

“The Dome holds a special place in the hearts of so many Central Floridians. There’s a tremendous sense of nostalgia surrounding this theater, and it has been incredibly rewarding to see the community embrace its return. We’ve preserved what made this space so special while introducing technology that opens the door to entirely new experiences for generations to come,” says Holt.

With a state-of-the-art digital dome system in place and vast programming possibilities, the future of this venue is much broader and brighter. OSC is positioned to be more competitive as an Orlando destination attraction, while continuing to serve local audiences and fulfill its scientific and educational mission. The transition has opened new opportunities for new audiences to engage and embrace the next generation of visual wonders. •