SFERiX - the Next Generation of Large Spherical LED Screen Technology

	"We believe that SFERiX will not only revolutionize industries already utilizing spherical screens but also pave the way for shared immersive experiences in areas where their use once seemed impossible" says Ulakhovych.

The following is an interview with Yuri Kostenko, CEO at Front Pictures and Volodymyr Ulakhovych, product manager at EKTA:

Can you tell us what makes your spherical LED screen technology a potential game-changer in the industry?

Yuri Kostenko: Indeed, SFERiX technology has the potential to revolutionize multiple industries. It enables the creation of immersive spherical screens in various sizes and shapes, from segments to complete spheres, using a set of unified LED modules. This approach optimizes costs and production times while ensuring exceptional image quality that meets the highest industry standards. Additionally, our screens are versatile, and suitable for both stationary projects and touring applications.

Volodymyr Ulakhovych: We see our technology as the key to making shared immersive experiences more affordable and widespread, aiming to transform the viewing experience for moviegoers, amusement park and planetarium visitors, racers, pilots, and astronauts in training simulators, and directors filming new blockbusters.

Let's start from the beginning. How did your technology originate?

YK: SFERiX is the result of a partnership between Front Pictures and EKTA, each bringing over 20 years of expertise in multimedia and visual technologies. Front Pictures specializes in creating multimedia shows and developing solutions for planetariums, multimedia galleries, and museums, while EKTA develops and manufactures LED screens and their control systems.

In 2015, we joined forces to create a spherical screen based on LED technology. Our vision was to develop a system that would allow for the creation of immersive screens of various sizes using a single set of unified LED modules. After years of research, we achieved a breakthrough in 2019 when we finally found a solution! After that, we filed for a patent and moved on to producing and testing prototypes.

We can now state that we have developed a technology with the potential to revolutionize numerous industries.

Please explain how immersive screens were realized before.

YK: Our team equipped more than 150 planetariums and immersive theatres around the globe. For decades, the dominant technology has been projection.

Achieving a truly immersive effect requires enveloping viewers in seamless imagery from all sides, which commonly meant using hemispherical or spherical screens. Initially, to cover this type of screen with an image, a single projector with a fisheye lens was placed at the center of the auditorium. Later, multi-projector systems with projectors distributed along the dome's perimeter were introduced. This approach helped to enhance brightness and resolution, while recent automatic calibration solutions have greatly improved image uniformity. However, despite these innovations, achieving a fully immersive experience remains challenging due to inherent limitations in projection technology itself.

The key unsolved issue with projection-based systems is the cross-reflection of light, which compromises image quality and the immersive effect itself. Light from the projectors not only strikes specific areas of the screen but also scatters across surrounding surfaces, reflecting multiple times and illuminating the entire dome surface. This causes a "washout effect," significantly reducing the resulting contrast and image clarity, regardless of the projectors' contrast ratio. Additionally, projecting onto a spherical surface with multiple projectors can cause problems such as uneven image focus, reduced sharpness in edge-blending areas (due to overlapping pixels), chromatic aberrations, potential shadows from objects and visitors on the screen surface, and low brightness in stereoscopic mode. Moreover, projectors require regular maintenance, image alignment, and light source replacement.

While projection-driven dome screens are common in planetariums, flight simulators, and theme parks, they are 50 times less popular globally than traditional cinema screens. The limited deployment of this technology has affected the availability of high-budget immersive content due to its smaller market footprint compared to that of the traditional cinema industry.

Meanwhile, there is a solution free from the drawbacks of projection that provides significantly higher contrast and a wider color range -- LED screens. EKTA was one of the first companies in the world to harness light-emitting diodes to create full-color displays. With over twenty-five years of experience in this field, we are convinced that the future of immersive spherical screens lies in LED technology. The challenge is that standard LED screens are flat and made up of many identical modules, which are usually rectangular or square. These modules can be easily assembled into a flat surface or even curved into a cylinder. However, the question remains whether this quadrangular module approach is effective for constructing spherical displays.

So, how did you do this? What is the essence of your technology?

VU: Our initial idea was to slice the surface of the sphere from pole to pole along the meridians, as if we were peeling an orange. Each resulting segment would be composed of quadrangular modules gradually narrowing from the equator to the pole. However, we soon realized the limitations of this approach. Unlike a flat LED screen, which consists of identical modules, a spherical screen would require different types of modules, with the number of types increasing rapidly with the sphere's size. Additionally, spheres of different diameters would require unique sets of modules incompatible with each other. Moreover, in the polar zones, where meridians converge, assembling a surface from quadrangular modules would result in visible geometric distortions. This approach would undermine the manufacturing efficiency of the LED technology and limit its design versatility.

After testing a number of sphere approximation methods, it hit us -- why don't we go with triangles?

When this idea first crossed our minds, we thought, "Stop! It's simply impossible! Too many technical challenges!" But today, we can proudly announce that we have the technology to create spherical screens made of triangular LED modules. And yes, these modules are unified and optimized for mass production, paving the way for the swift rollout of high-end immersive screens in various diameters and shapes!

However, the triangular module design is not the only technological advancement of SFERiX. It represents a new generation of immersive LED screens that overcome the limitations of their quadrangular-tiled predecessors currently on the market. Compared to these first-generation LED domes, SFERiX more accurately approximates a spherical surface and is free of artifacts in the polar zones. It also delivers exceptional contrast and brightness, impressive dynamic range, and flawless stereoscopic (3D) imagery. Additionally, SFERiX maintains consistent color accuracy regardless of viewing angle and across a full range of hues, even at peak or near-peak brightness levels.

Also, we paid close attention to the audio transparency of our LED modules to enable the installation of immersive audio systems behind the screen.

SFERiX has seamless integration and full interoperability with the Screenberry media server for extreme resolution content playback. Additionally, Screenberry is integrated with Unreal Engine, TouchDesigner, Unity, and Notch to provide real-time capabilities. Of course, SFERiX is not limited to particular media technologies and real-time engines and can be used in many different configurations with a wide variety of tools.

Considering all these innovations, we believe that SFERiX will not only revolutionize industries already utilizing spherical screens but also pave the way for shared immersive experiences in areas where their use once seemed impossible.

So you think that SFERiX could revolutionize the entertainment industry?

VU: Yes, we think so! After many years of debate about the prospects of using LED technology for immersive spherical screens, the year 2023 finally brought a real breakthrough. The opening of the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas proved to even the most adamant skeptics that this technology has enormous potential. It has become apparent that with LED technology, it is possible to create screens of unprecedented scale, with stunning contrast and a breathtaking immersive effect.

Projects of MSG Sphere's magnitude (with a total project budget of $2.3 billion, a screen diameter of over 100 meters, and 18,600 seats) are one-of-a-kind ventures. However, we want the LED-powered spheres to pop up everywhere, not just in Vegas -- as city landmarks, attractions in amusement parks, virtual production studios, and next-generation cinemas.

This is where SFERiX comes into play! High contrast, DCI-P3, and HDR support are essential for cinemas and planetariums. Uncompromising color accuracy is crucial for virtual production. Stereoscopic (3D) support and the integration of various real-time engines are vital for immersive attractions and scientific simulators. Mobility is indispensable for touring exhibitions and shows.

We developed this technology to help industries worldwide create amazing immersive experiences at a more accessible scale and budget to provide revolutionary and breathtaking moments to their audiences.