New Omnitheater at Science Museum of Minnesota opens Oct. 17 with 'Superpower Dogs' film
Interior of the omnitheater at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The theater will open with its newly updated technology on Oct. 17. Credit: Science Museum of Minnesota
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul will debut the newly-updated William McKnight-3M Omnitheater on Oct. 17 with a screening of "Superpower Dogs."
According to the Science Museum website, the changes include improvements to the image and sound quality, as technology has advanced since the theater first opened. The new digital laser projection system will allow for "better contrast, brightness, clarity, and color," and the sound system will now be using new IMAX NXOS technology.
After a 10-week theater shutdown, the museum will unveil the new system on Oct. 17 with the premiere of "Superpower Dogs," which follows the lives of six dogs that aid in extreme situations such as avalanche rescues and more.
According to a release on the museum's website, Mike Day, the original director of the Omnitheater, said the new technology improves image stability and works with a long-lived laser light source that doesn’t degrade over time like the current film projection system’s xenon lamp. Additionally, Day noted that filmmakers no longer shoot on film, as they’ve moved to using digital technology.
“The big challenge has been there is no digital projector in the world that can match the quality of the film presentation that we have been delivering for 40 years in the Omnitheater,” Day said in the release. “That necessitated a lot of research and development and time and financial support to work with IMAX to create a new system, and now we’re ready to deliver.”
The new technology will also allow the theater to screen a wider variety of films. The theater is one of only three IMAX digital laser domes in the world.
For more information on the screenings, click here.