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

Contrast comparison of commercially available projectors with ZEISS VELVET LED

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.

Colour comparison of commercially available projectors with ZEISS VELVET LED

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.

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. 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.

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.

  
      Product Video ZEISS VELVET LED
      
    in English
  
    ZEISS VELVET LED product presentation in English

Additional Information

Picture Quality	DLP technology and ZEISS optics for razor-sharp pixels and excellent pixel contrast absolutely black image background, resulting in increased colour brilliance high resolution for particularly detailed images: real pixels, no pixel shift
Colours	extended colour space and more saturated colours, pure white thanks to LED lighting visibly improved colour fastness compared to previous models 30-bit colour depth for smooth colour gradients without banding colour stability and homogeneity practically over the entire operating time
Brightness	Impressive brightness for all planetarium applications higher stability of brightness compared to lamp projectors
Blending	invisible transitions between image channels (fades) aperture calculations without greyscale loss no mechanical masks for the best possible aperture quality reduced overlapping area between channels, thus higher pixel utilisation
ZEISS Lenses	specially corrected ZEISS lenses that take into account the curvature of the projection surface optimised image quality thanks to optics with extremely high and colour-pure transmission practically vignette-free projection
Light Sources	extended availability by approx. 40 % thanks to LED light source (no warm-up, can be switched on and off at any time)
Maintenance and Service	very long service life of ten years or more encapsulated lightengine for long service-free operation easy to adjust, less susceptible to servicing than projectors with a colour wheel fast and cost-effective remote maintenance service reliability for at least ten years significantly reduced total cost of ownership
Projector & Housing	no stray light in the projector and lens light-tightness, no light leakage from housing parts improved cooling for noise-reduced operation
Configuration & Calibration	coordinated projector and software configuration from a single source wide range of configuration options, also for off-centre projection stereo-capable (active 3D projection - 120 Hz) comprehensive calibration options (geometry, brightness, colours)


Number Projectors	2	5	11
Dome diameter	4,5 m bis 12 m	12 m bis 18 m	23 m bis 30 m
Resolution (approx.)	3k	4,5k	7k

VELVET LED Projector
Picture Format	WQXGA (2560 x 1600), native (up to 120 Hz)
Display Technology	LVDS DMD™ with DarkChip3™ ZEISS True Black Projection Technology
Brightness	corresponds to a visual impression of 2600 lm
Contrast (sequential)	2.500.000 : 1
Width x Height x Depth	approx. 674 mm x 729 mm x 500 mm, incl. lens and frame
Light Sources	LED-based RGB solid-state lighting
Video Inputs	2x DisplayPort digital RGB
Weight	ca. 70 kg
Projection Lens	ZEISS DIGIGON
VELVET LED Fulldome-System
Projection Surface	360° x 180° (±15°)
Dome Diameter	4.5 to 30 m (various configurations)
Dome Inclination	0° to 30°
Dome Reflectance	35% to 60% recommended
Apertures between Channels	electronic, no masks in front of the lens
Configurations	2 to 10+ channels
Remote Maintenance	optional, internet connection required

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