In December 2016, the newly upgraded planetarium dome at Maloka Centro Interactivo in Bogotá, Colombia, reopened its doors after a state-of-the-art renovation project transformed the 18-year-old theatre into a Sciss Colorspace theatre, and the first 8K 3D planetarium in South America. Sciss, a leading vendor of modern fulldome and planetarium solutions and the award-winning Uniview software, had been contracted to replace the old iWERKS 870 film projector with their proprietary Colorspace solution featuring five Christie Mirage 304K projectors when they approached GBvi to design and supply high quality custom optical blends for each of the channels. The 5-channel digital fulldome experience uses GBvi Chronos glass plate blending technology to offer guests a truly seamless and visually stunning display. At 22 metres / 72-ft in diameter, the huge dome can seat up to 314 visitors each seeking a new perspective of the night sky. Rob Overy, Senior Project Manager at Sciss commented:

The use of optical masks is essential in fulldome theatres where very dark scenes are common. GBvi's Chronos offers the best optical blending solution for projected displays and their attention to detail resulted in no visible artefact, particularly within the irregular shape blend regions. It was a pleasure to collaborate with the team and to arrive at the optimum display arrangement for this dome theatre.

Optimised for use within highly immersive and dark audience venues and visitor experiences, GBvi’s projection blending technologies have met stringent requirements as demanded by military and civil aviation simulation industries where accuracy, uniformity and true-to-life experiences are of critical importance. Dan Blackham, Systems Engineer at GBvi noted

We had to align our design and supply process to very short turnaround requirements on this project. Working closely with Sciss and to the project schedule, we could ensure a right-first time glass-plate Chronos installation, supporting an on-time opening. We are used to working with complex display configurations, so welcomed this challenge from Sciss and their client.”

GBvi’s optical blending solutions are compatible with a wide range of projector configurations, brands and models. For more information visit GBvi's official website.   About Maloka Centro Interactivo Planetarium Maloka is the centre of science and technology learning in Colombia and plays an important role in inspiring future generations’ awareness of its importance for Colombia in the modern world. Maloka’s dome theater was first opened in 1998 and was the first giant format film theatre in South America. The Dome’s architecture is still today a symbol of creativity, innovation and technology in Colombia. About GBvi GBvi has a long standing heritage in the field of display systems design, specialising in optical blending solutions for multi-channel projection environments, with no limit to display size, screen shape or projector count. The company works with an extensive network of integrator partners, resellers and designers with a focus on the markets of simulation, entertainment and attractions. Their range of technologies and services supports even the most challenging displays; especially those requiring uniformity, clarity, invisible projection blend regions, true-to-life digital experiences, infinity displays, and ultra-black environments.