Barco projectors are giving new life to the oldest continuously operational planetarium in the world: Zeiss-Planetarium Jena

Star of the show
In operation continuously since it first opened in 1926, the Zeiss-Planetarium in Jena, Germany, has a spectacular 800m2-dome and extensive history, but it needed something more to remain a drawcard in this day and age. The planetarium wanted to present content that would educate, mesmerize and keep every one of its 261 seats filled. The decision was made to supplement the existing projector installation with six Barco F70-4K6 laser-phosphor projectors. The F70 projectors were chosen for their overall image quality, their high level of detail and brightness, and for their ability to present the existing content, with the option of presenting possible future innovative content. In other words, the Zeiss-Planetarium chose the F70 projectors not just for the high-quality presentations, but for the flexibility they needed to meet changing expectations, respond to different interests, and to innovate and experiment in their full-dome projection shows. 

A winning model
Over a series of heats, the Barco F70 proved more attractive than other contenders; the total cost, superior stability and performance were factors, as was reliability over time. This gave the Zeiss-Planetarium plenty of options in fulfilling its changing role; the planetarium is diversifying its approach to attract a growing market, now hosting conferences, corporate meetings, and events such as concerts, dinners and even meet-and-greet sessions with astronauts. The up-time of the Barco F70 projectors, as well as the user-friendly approach to operations, and the low maintenance demands for which Barco is so widely renowned, all served in convincing the Zeiss-Planetarium that they would benefit from years of high-quality performance. 

The installation was made possible through Barco partners Visio and VST. Stefan Harnisch, Procurator from the Zeiss-Planetarium Jena: “We are very impressed with the performance of the products, and the level of technical support and customer support that we have received.” 
The first presentation with the new installation took place on 13 September.