ZEISS FULLDOME SYSTEMS

VELVET LED & VELVET 4K

Premium Digital Projectors for Planetariums

The VELVET projector series 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, but also with its outstanding image quality.

Highest Contrast
Brilliant Colors
Ultimate Sharpness
Perfect Blending

Contrast comparison of commercially available projectors and ZEISS VELVET projectors with True Black Projection Technology

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. ZEISS VELVET projectors provide an absolutely black image background. No grey background light brightens the night sky. Stars and objects shine on deep black.

Colour comparison of commercially available projectors and ZEISS VELVET with DLP Technology

DLP Technology 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 ZEISS VELVET 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.

World-class quality with ZEISS DIGIGON

ZEISS Optics for Pin-sharp Pixels and Excellent Pixel Contrast

Not only the number of pixels determines a good picture. The entire reproduction quality of the projection device defines sharpness and image impression. Our VELVET series incorporates ZEISS optics of the highest quality, guaranteeing impressive image quality. Due to that a 6k dome images generated with ZEISS VELVET projectors look sharper and crisper than many 8k images from other systems.

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 both ZEISS VELVET LED and ZEISS VELVET 4K, the dome image is perfect.

Additional Information

	ZEISS VELVET LED	ZEISS VELVET 4K
Image format \| Resolution	WQXGA \| 2560 px x 1600 px, native (up to 120 Hz)	4K DCI \| 4096 px to 2160 px, native (up to 240 Hz)
Display technology	LVDS DMD™ with DarkChip3 ™ (ZEISS True Black Projection Technology)	0.98" 4K Digital Mirror Device (ZEISS True Black Projection Technology)
Brightness (normal mode)	corresponds to the visual impression of a projector with 2,600 lm	3,000 lm effective output after transmission trough full lens system
ZEISS Lenses	ZEISS Digigon dome lenses \| Z series (planar image field) with motorized zoom / focus	ZEISS Digigon dome lenses \| Z series (planar image field) with motorized zoom / focus
Transmission ratio (lens)	0.92 (ZEISS Digigon dome lenses)	0.92 (ZEISS Digigon dome lenses)
Cotrast ratio (on-off, static)	2,500,000 : 1	5,000,000 : 1
Color rendition	30 bit RGB (10 bit per color channel)	30 bit RGB (10 bit per color channel)
Color gamut	Rec. 709	Rec. 2020
Light source \| rated life	LED-based RGB solid-state lighting \| 20,000 h	True RGB solid-state laser \| 50,000 h
Blending	internal 10 bit full software controlled blending system, no masks in front or inside the lens	internal 10 bit full software controlled blending system, no masks in front or inside the lens
Signal input	2x DisplayPort digital RGB (no internal scaler)	4x DisplayPort v1.4
Frame rate	60 Hz - 120 Hz	60 Hz - 240 Hz, Upscaling capabilities up to native resolution
3D capability	yes	yes
Control interface	RJ45 TCP/IP 100 network	RJ45 TCP/IP 100/1000 network
Width x Height x Depth	674 mm x 729 mm x 500 mm (26 2⁄3 in x 28 7⁄10 in x 19 2⁄3 in)	500 mm x 500 mm x 680 mm (19 2⁄3 in x 19 2⁄3 in x 26 4⁄5 in)
Operating voltage	220 V - 240 V / 110 V - 127 V \| 50 Hz - 60 Hz	100 V - 240 V AC \| 50 Hz - 60 Hz
Power consumption	max. 1000 VA (normal operation)	max. 900 VA (normal operation)
Weight (without lens)	70 kg (154 lbs)	50 kg (110 lbs)

	ZEISS VELVET LED	ZEISS VELVET 4K
Dome diameters	4.5 m - 30 m (15 ft - 98 ft; diverse configuration options)	4.5 m - 30 m (15 ft - 98 ft; diverse configuration options)
Dome tilt	0 ° - 30 °	no limitation
Dome reflectivity	35 % - 65 % recommended (project specific)	35 % - 65 % recommended (project specific)
Dome configurations	2 - 10 channels	1 - 10 channels
Operating temperature	15 °C - 30 °C (59 °F - 86 °F) \| optimal 20 °C - 25 °C (68 °F - 77 °F)	15 °C - 30 °C (59 °F - 86 °F) \| optimal 20 °C - 25 °C (68 °F - 77 °F)
Temperature variation	max. 5°C / h	max. 5°C / h
Relative humidity	30 % - 70 %, no condensation	20 % - 70 % , no condensation
Remote support	optional, internal connection required	optional, internal connection required
Hybridization	perfectly compatible with all ZEISS star projectors	perfectly compatible with all ZEISS star projectors


Number projectors	2	5	11
Dome diameter	4,5 m - 12 m	12 m - 18 m	23 m - 30 m
Resolution ZEISS VELVET LED (approx.)	2,6k	4,5k	7k
Resolution ZEISS VELVET 4K (approx.)	3,5k	5,7k	8,4k