Digital Space Theatre in New Beijing Planetarium Powered by SGI and Zeiss Provides Immersive, Hands-On Window to the Universe

Digital Space Theatre in New Beijing Planetarium Powered by SGI and Zeiss Provides Immersive, Hands-On Window to the Universe BEIJING and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For an experience that's truly out of this world, visitors to the 2008 Summer Games will need to go no further than the new Beijing Planetarium. The world's first digital all-dome laser-projected real-time planetarium is powered by a Zeiss All Dome Laser Image Projection system driven by SGI(R) Onyx(R) visualization computers. In the newly opened SGI(R) Digital Space Theatre, visitors will -- for the first time -- see spectacular high-contrast color images including more than 37,000 stars, 30,000 galaxies, constellations, nebulae, planets, spacecraft, and deep space objects. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050120/SFTH021 ) Since its founding in 1957, the Beijing Planetarium has played a national role in Chinese astronomical education resulting in many textbooks, audiovisual aids and scientific works. In 2002, after intense reviews, the Beijing Planetarium contracted Silicon Graphics (NYSE:SGI) to build a digital planetarium solution that would represent a paradigm shift in how planetariums can become destination spots to educate and entertain visitors. Located behind the old planetarium, the brand-new dazzling glass building is 30 meters high, occupying 20 thousand square meters, and has three theaters and two observatories. Arriving on the second floor by escalator, visitors can see the 200-seat SGI Digital Space Theatre with its 18-meter dome, tilted 15 degrees. The dome is powered by a 24-processor SGI Onyx visualization system with 12GB RAM and six SGI(R) InfiniteReality4(TM) graphic pipes, each with 1GB of dedicated texture memory. An additional 3-pipe Onyx system with InfiniteReality3(TM) graphics is installed in the dome for show development and pre-show presentations. SGI also provided 580GB of SGI(R) InfiniteStorage TP9100 and TP900 systems, enough to run two playback and two real-time shows. The Digital Universe SGI Professional Services specially created the Digital Universe application that can be used to run real-time shows and also create new shows. This real-time database of our known Universe will keep growing as we make more discoveries. For science accuracy and expertise, SGI collaborated with Dr. Andrew Hanson, Dr. Philip Fu and a team of scientists at the Indiana University. Indiana University, Dr. Priscilla Frisch of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago and SGI produced the "Solar Journey" show, a NASA-funded production that was specially created for the Beijing Planetarium Dome. This will be the first time that visitors will be able to see visualization of the heliosphere. The heliosphere, roughly twice the size of the orbit of Pluto, is shown in the dome powering its way smoothly through interstellar medium and sheltering the solar system from much of its dust and gases. Other contributing partners for SGI were Leonard Wickberg III, Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute, NASA; Brent Tully, University of Hawaii; University of Queensland; David Malin and the American Museum of Natural History-New York provided the "Search for Life" show. The interactivity of the SGI Digital Space Theatre means visitors can have an entirely unique experience. The SGI architecture allows the entire dome display to be controlled from a wireless PDA so that even a child can visit constellations or tour the galaxies with the press of a button. Presenters are able to move seamlessly between real-time and playback mode, simulating events such as eclipses and the passage of comets to create new shows to immerse, entertain, and educate audiences. To enhance the entertainment and educational value even further, the planetarium has been equipped with a special interactive digital audience voting system built into the armrest of each of the 200 seats. With this feature audiences can make choices about where they wish to go in the Cosmos and even chose the specific routes they want the presenter to take. "The new Beijing Planetarium also includes the Beijing Ancient Observatory which has eight astronomical instruments from the Qing Dynasty and is located near the Jian Guo Gate. This new world-class planetarium preserves our past while providing a window to the future," said a Beijing Planetarium expert/specialist. "The world's first digital, all-dome-laser-projected, real-time planetarium is truly spectacular," said Bill La Rosa, senior vice president and general manager, ICON, SGI. "SGI Reality Center environments have been deployed all around the world in a vast variety of areas. This unique installation is now linked to the immense resources of the Virtual Science Network, a group of scientists and researchers, all of whom are SGI customers that exchange and contribute an amazing variety of visualization content developed on the SGI platform to museums, science centers and educational outreach institutions. Through the Virtual Science Network, Beijing Planetarium audiences will be connected to endless worlds of discovery. In addition, the Planetarium can be used for special events. The latest innovations in automotive and aerospace design, surgical procedures, modeling of biological molecules or virtual reconstructions of heritage sites can all be brought into the dome." SILICON GRAPHICS | The Source of Innovation and Discovery(TM) SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc., is a leader in high-performance computing, visualization and storage. SGI's vision is to provide technology that enables the most significant scientific and creative breakthroughs of the 21st century. Whether it's sharing images to aid in brain surgery, finding oil more efficiently, studying global climate, providing technologies for homeland security and defense, or enabling the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, SGI is dedicated to addressing the next class of challenges for scientific, engineering and creative users. With offices worldwide, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and can be found on the Web at www.sgi.com. NOTE: Silicon Graphics, SGI, Onyx, Reality Center, InfiniteReality, the SGI cube and the SGI logo are registered trademarks and InfiniteReality3, InfiniteReality4 and The Source of Innovation and Discovery are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. MEDIA CONTACTS Lisa Pistacchio SGI Corporate pistacchio@sgi.com 650-933-5683 Lingling Zhang SGI China ling@sgi.com 861065228868 SGI PR HOTLINE 650-933-7777 SGI PR FACSIMILE 650-933-0283 Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050120/SFTH021 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: SGI CONTACT: Lisa Pistacchio of SGI Corporate, +1-650-933-5683, or pistacchio@sgi.com, or SGI PR Hotline, +1-650-933-7777, or SGI PR Facsimile, +1-650-933-7777, or Lingling Zhang of SGI China, 861065228868, or ling@sgi.com Web site: http://www.sgi.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment