Unveils Big
Sky – Ultra-High Resolution Camera System Developed
In-House
That Sets a New Bar for
Image-Fidelity, Eclipsing Current Cinematic Cameras
–
First of Many Groundbreaking
Immersive Innovations to be Unveiled
BURBANK,
Calif., June 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sphere
Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) ("Sphere Entertainment"), a premier
live entertainment and media company, today announced the launch of
Sphere Studios, dedicated to developing the next generation of
original immersive entertainment exclusively for Sphere through
proprietary and cutting-edge technology, tools and production
facilities. The first of the Studios' many groundbreaking immersive
innovations includes Big Sky – an
ultra-high resolution camera system.
![Sphere Entertainment Co. Sphere Entertainment Co.](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2098473/Sphere_logo_NEW_Logo.jpg)
"Sphere Studios is not only creating content, but also
technology that is truly transformative," said David Dibble, Chief Executive Officer of MSG
Ventures, a division of Sphere Entertainment focused on developing
advanced technologies for live entertainment. "Sphere in
Las Vegas is an experiential
medium featuring an LED display, sound system and 4D technologies
that require a completely new and innovative approach to
filmmaking. We created Big Sky –
the most advanced camera system in the world – not only because we
could, but out of innovative necessity. This was the only way we
could bring to life the vision of our filmmakers, artists and
collaborators for Sphere."
Sphere Studios is home to an interdisciplinary team of creative,
production, technology and software experts who provide full
in-house creative and production services, including strategy and
concept, capture, post-production and show production. With
multi-sensory live entertainment experiences that immerse audiences
visually, as well as through sound, haptics and environmental
elements including heat, wind and scent, the Studio is redefining
the future of entertainment by bringing together the world's
leading filmmakers, directors and producers to transport Sphere's
audiences to places both real and imagined without leaving their
seats.
The studio campus in Burbank
spans 68,000-square-feet of development facilities; production,
editing and post-production suites; sound stages for mixing spatial
audio; and camera and 3D printing labs. The campus also includes
Big Dome, a 28,000-square-foot, 100-foot high custom geodesic dome
with a quarter-sized version of the screen at Sphere in
Las Vegas. Big Dome serves as a
specialized screening, production facility and lab for content at
Sphere, including Sphere Immersive Sound, haptic seats, and more
that will be featured at Sphere.
Big Sky, a groundbreaking
ultra-high-resolution camera system and custom content creation
tool, was created by Sphere Studios to capture the stunning images
and video required for the world's highest resolution LED screen at
Sphere. Developed in-house at Sphere Studios' research and
development labs, every aspect of Big
Sky represents a significant advancement on current
state-of-the-art cinema camera systems, including the largest
single sensor in commercial use capable of capturing incredibly
detailed, large-format images.
"Big Sky is a giant leap
forward for imaging and a testament to the innovative teams at
Sphere Studios who made this technology a reality," said
Deanan DaSilva, the lead architect
of Big Sky at Sphere Studios.
"Big Sky allows us to capture
cinematic content at a level of detail never before possible,
opening up extraordinary possibilities and pushing immersive
imaging technology forward in a way that will resonate throughout
the entertainment industry."
The Big Sky system boasts the
world's sharpest cinematic lenses capable of delivering the
unparalleled edge-to-edge optical requirements for Sphere's
16K x 16K immersive display plane. That allows Sphere
Studios filmmakers to capture incredibly detailed, large-format
images from a single camera, without having to stitch content
together from multiple cameras – avoiding issues common to
stitching including near distance limitations and seams between
images.
Sphere Studios began developing Big
Sky in early 2021, with the camera system's first shoot
taking place in October 2022 –
progressing from concept to reality at an unprecedented pace of
innovation. SphereLab, an internally developed image processing
software, was also created specifically for Big Sky. Prior to Big Sky, image capture for Sphere's
ultra-high-resolution screen required large camera arrays of 10 to
15 commercially available cinematic cameras. To date, the team has
filed eight patents – and counting – associated with Big Sky technology.
Postcard from Earth, the first Sphere Experience to
harness the full array of Sphere's technological capabilities, is
currently in production, with Sphere Studios film crews traveling
the world to film scenes with Big
Sky camera systems. Postcard from Earth will provide
an unparalleled storytelling journey and offer a unique perspective
on the magnificent beauty of life on our planet.
Be among the first to experience this unparalleled immersive
production and the quality of content created by Sphere Studios
when Postcard from Earth premieres at Sphere on Oct. 6, 2023. Tickets are currently on sale at
thespherevegas.com.
For visual assets, please click here.
About Sphere Entertainment Co.
Sphere Entertainment
Co. is a premier live entertainment and media company. The Company
includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium powered by
cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of entertainment.
The first Sphere venue is currently under construction in
Las Vegas. In addition, the
Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports
and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well
as a companion streaming service, MSG GO, delivering a wide range
of live sports content and other programming. More information is
available at www.sphereentertainmentco.com.
Contact:
Andy Fixmer /
spherepr@sphereentertainmentco.com
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SOURCE Sphere Entertainment Co.