METASPACE Upgrades Muju Firefly Astronomical Observatory with FP Fulldome Solution
Photo credit: METASPACE
METASPACE, a leading provider of astronomy and space science solutions in South Korea, successfully deployed Front Pictures' Screenberry media server software at the Muju Firefly Astronomical Observatory.
Located in one of South Korea's most pristine natural environments, the observatory is renowned for its exceptionally dark skies and thriving firefly population. As part of the country's largest insect museum, the site attracts thousands of visitors each year, particularly during the popular Muju Firefly Festival, where guests experience the unique spectacle of glowing fireflies against a stunning nighttime backdrop.
The observatory sought to improve the quality and reliability of its fulldome presentations by replacing its existing projection and calibration system. According to METASPACE, the previous solution suffered from poor video playback quality, visible image inconsistencies, limited black-level performance, and operational complexity.
By installing and configuring Screenberry on the observatory's existing hardware infrastructure, METASPACE was able to achieve a significant improvement in both image quality and system performance without replacing the projectors or computers.
“In 2023, METASPACE achieved perfect dome video quality by using the best software, Screenberry. The projector and computer were in a sufficient state to be used, so the software was installed and configured to produce perfect dome video quality,” said Jeongha Gwak, METASPACE Manager.
Screenberry runs 8 x BenQ projectors and ensures a fully automatic camera based projection alignment for an impeccable 4K (3D-ready) video playback on the 13m dome screen. In particular, METASPACE relied on Screenbery’s black level compensation feature to ensure uniform black levels across the entire projection surface.
The observatory team quickly saw significant improvements in image quality, color accuracy, and playback performance.
We didn't have high expectations just because we changed the software, but we're so satisfied with the results. The picture quality improved as if we installed new projectors and computer systems, the color also improved, and the video playback became very smooth. All our employees are very satisfied. It's great that we can show better videos to the young people who visit here.
Jehoon Park, Manager, Muju Firefly Astronomical Observatory
Photo credit: METASPACE
