Editing IMAX (section)

===Dome and Omnimax===
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[[File:Cecut.jpg|thumb|Outside of the IMAX dome in [[Tijuana, Baja California]], Mexico]]
[[File:Vista lateral museo Alfa.jpg|thumb|[[Alfa Planetarium|Planetario Alfa]], museum, astronomical observatory and IMAX Dome system, [[Monterrey, Nuevo León]], Mexico]]
[[File:OMNIMAX frame (English).svg|thumb|The frame layout of the IMAX Dome film]]
[[File:Cosmonova 2009b.jpg|thumb|The control room of an IMAX Dome theatre at [[Cosmonova]] at the [[Swedish Museum of Natural History]] in [[Stockholm]], [[Sweden]]]]
[[File:Cosmonova 2009c.jpg|thumb|Closeup of an IMAX Dome 70 mm film reel at Cosmonova]]

In the late-1960s, the San Diego Hall of Science (later known as the San Diego Space and Science Foundation) began searching North America for a large-format film system to project on the dome of their planned {{convert|23.16|m|ft|abbr=on}} tilted [[dome]] [[planetarium]]. The standard IMAX projector was unsuitable for use inside a dome because it had a {{convert|3.65|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall lamp house on top. IMAX Corporation redesigned its system, adding an [[elevator]] to lift the projector to the center of the dome from the projection booth below. [[MKS Instruments|Spectra Physics]] designed a suitable lamphouse that took smaller, {{convert|46|cm|in|abbr=on}} lamps and placed the bulb behind the lens instead of above the projector. In 1970,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elcan.com/About_ELCAN/History/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317234532/http://www.elcan.com/About_ELCAN/History/|url-status=dead|title=Elcan.com|archive-date=March 17, 2010}}</ref> Ernst Leitz Canada, Ltd. (now [[ELCAN Optical Technologies]]) won a contract to develop and manufacture a [[fisheye lens]] projection system optimized to project an image onto a dome instead of a flat screen.

The dome system, which the San Diego Hall of Science called "Omnimax", uses films shot with a camera equipped with a [[fisheye lens]] that squeezes a highly distorted [[anamorphic]] 180° field of view onto the 65&nbsp;mm IMAX film. The lens is aligned below the center of the frame, and most of the bottom half of the circular field falls beyond the edge of the film. The part of the field that would fall below the edge of the dome is masked. When filming, the camera is aimed upward at an angle that matches the tilt of the dome. When projected through a matching fisheye lens onto a dome, the original panoramic view is recreated. Omnimax wraps 180° horizontally, 100° above the horizon and 22° below the horizon for a viewer at the center of the dome. Omnimax premiered in 1973, showing ''[[Voyage to the Outer Planets]]'' (produced by Graphic Films) and ''[[Garden Isle]]'' (by Roger Tilton Films) on a double bill. Later in the 70s a successful Omnimax center was built at [[Caesars Palace]], [[Las Vegas]], and ran strongly through the 80s and 90s,<ref>{{citation |title=Rare theater to open at Caesars Palace |date=15 June 1980 |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-rare-theater-to-op/171007098/ 85] - [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/35856822/ 86] |url= |access-date= |publisher=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=https://archive.org/details/mj-aka-michael-jackson |title=Lit 12: MJ, aka Michael Jackson|publisher=Internet Archive |date=17 January 2024 |access-date=13 May 2024}}</ref> eventually being closed and rebuilt.

IMAX has since renamed its Omnimax system "IMAX Dome", but some theaters (primarily those opened before the 2000s) continue to call it "Omnimax".

IMAX Dome theatres are used in theme parks and many North American museums, particularly those with a scientific focus, where the technical aspects of the system may be highlighted as part of the attraction. The projection room is often windowed to allow public viewing of the equipment in operation, and it is often accompanied by informational placards like other exhibits. For some theaters, before the show begins, the screen can be backlit to show the speakers and girders behind it.

The screen may be a permanent fixture, such as at the [[Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)|Museum of Science and Industry]] ([[Henry Crown Space Center]]) in Chicago, Illinois; the [[Fort Worth Museum of Science and History]]; the [[Franklin Institute]] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the [[St. Louis Science Center]]; [[Museum of Science (Boston)|Boston's Museum of Science]]; [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond's]] [[Science Museum of Virginia]]; the Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theatre at [[Discovery Place]], Charlotte, North Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama's [[McWane Science Center]]; [[US Space and Rocket Center]] in Huntsville, Alabama; the [[Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal]]; the [[Great Lakes Science Center]] in Cleveland, Ohio; the [[Ontario Science Centre]] in Toronto, Ontario; and [[Science World (Vancouver)|Science World]] in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Alternatively, the dome may be lowered and raised as needed, such as at the [[Science Museum of Minnesota]], and the former installation at the [[Canadian Museum of History]] (where it shared an auditorium with a standard IMAX screen, all replaced with a [[Barco (manufacturer)|Barco]] CINE+ digital theatre system in 2016).<ref>{{cite news |work=Ottawa Citizen |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/history-museum-theatre-upgrades-into-the-future |title=History Museum theatre upgrades into the future |last=Cox |first=Aidan |date=February 29, 2016 |access-date=April 3, 2020}}</ref> The entire dome could be raised to show flat-screen features, and repositioned for immersive features.

While the majority of museum installations focus on educational and documentary films, on special occasions entertainment films are also shown, such as ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]'' at the [[Oregon Museum of Science and Industry]]. The largest screen in North America is at the [[Science World (Vancouver)|Science World]] in Vancouver, British Columbia, which has a dome screen {{convert|27|m|ft}} in size.

Due to the age of the IMAX Dome format as well as its entirely analogue nature, some theatres may opt to replace their existing IMAX Dome systems with newer, more versatile digital systems. Examples of former IMAX Dome theatres that have had their IMAX equipment replaced with newer equipment include [[Tietomaa|Tietomaa Science Centre]] in [[Oulu]], [[Finland]] (which replaced its IMAX 8/70 equipment from 1988 with a Barco DP4K-32B [[4K resolution|4K]] projection system in 2013),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ouka.fi/fi/oulu/kulttuuri-ja-kirjastot/ajankohtaista/-/asset_publisher/2fVr/content/tietomaan-jattielokuvateatteri-digiaikaan|title=Tietomaan jättielokuvateatteri digiaikaan|date=May 27, 2014|website=Oulun kaupunki}}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> the [[Omni-Theatre, Science Centre Singapore|Omni-Theatre at]] [[Science Centre Singapore]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.es.com/news/installations/science-centre-singapore/|title=Science Centre Singapore|date=July 27, 2015}}</ref> the [[National Museum of Natural Science]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.es.com/news/installations/national-museum-of-natural-science/|title=National Museum of Natural Science|date=July 27, 2015}}</ref> in [[Taichung]], [[Taiwan]] (which both had their original IMAX Dome 1570 projection systems installed respectively in 1987 and 1985 replaced with [[Evans & Sutherland]] [[Digistar|Digistar 5]] [[8K resolution|8K]] digital systems in 2015), and the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium at [[Liberty Science Center]] in [[Jersey City]], [[New Jersey]], which replaced its IMAX Dome 1570 projection system from 1993 (when built was the largest IMAX Dome/OMNIMAX theatre in the world) with an Evans & Sutherland Digistar 6 "True8K" digital system in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.es.com/news/installations/liberty-science-center/|title=Liberty Science Center|date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>

In November 2018, the Hackworth IMAX dome in The Tech Museum (now [[The Tech Interactive]]) replaced its 70&nbsp;mm IMAX projector with a 4K IMAX Laser projector. It became the first digital IMAX Laser dome theater in the world.<ref>{{cite press release|date=2018-11-09|title=The world's first IMAX Dome Theater featuring IMAX with Laser opens in San Jose|url=https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2018/11/09/1649252/0/en/The-world-s-first-IMAX-Dome-Theater-featuring-IMAX-with-Laser-opens-in-San-Jose.html|access-date=2021-10-05|website=GlobeNewswire News Room|language=fr}}</ref>