Sensor custom created for Big Sky – the world's most advanced camera
system – and is used to capture ultra-high-resolution content for
Sphere in Las Vegas
BURBANK,
Calif. and GENEVA,
Jan. 11,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE:
SPHR) today revealed new details on its work with
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) ("ST"), a global semiconductor
leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics
applications, to create the world's largest image sensor for
Sphere's Big Sky camera system.
Big Sky is the groundbreaking,
ultra-high-resolution camera system being used to capture content
for Sphere, the next-generation entertainment medium in
Las Vegas.
Inside the venue, Sphere features the world's largest,
high-resolution LED screen which wraps up, over, and around the
audience to create a fully immersive visual environment. To capture
content for this 160,000 sq. ft., 16K
x 16K display, the Big Sky camera system was designed by the team
at Sphere Studios – the in-house content studio developing original
live entertainment experiences for Sphere. Working with Sphere
Studios, ST manufactured a first-of-its-kind, 18K sensor capable of capturing images at the
scale and fidelity necessary for Sphere's display. Big Sky's sensor – now the world's largest
cinema camera sensor in commercial use – works with the world's
sharpest cinematic lenses to capture detailed, large-format images
in a way never before possible.
"Big Sky significantly advances
cinematic camera technology, with each element representing a leap
in design and manufacturing innovation," said Deanan DaSilva, lead architect of Big Sky at Sphere Studios. "The sensor on any
camera is critical to image quality, but given the size and
resolution of Sphere's display, Big
Sky's sensor had to go beyond any existing capability. ST,
working closely with Sphere Studios, leveraged their extensive
expertise to manufacture a groundbreaking sensor that not only
expands the possibilities for immersive content at Sphere, but also
across the entertainment industry."
"ST has been on the cutting edge of imaging technology, IP, and
tools to create unique solutions with advanced features and
performance for almost 25 years," said Alexandre Balmefrezol,
Executive Vice President and Imaging Sub-Group General Manager,
STMicroelectronics. "Building a custom sensor of this size,
resolution, and speed, with low noise, high dynamic range, and
seemingly impossible yield requirements, presented a truly novel
challenge for ST – one that we successfully met from the very first
wafer out of our 12" (300mm) wafer fab in Crolles, France."
As a leader in the development and manufacturing of image
sensors, ST's imaging technologies and foundry services cater to a
wide range of markets, including professional photography and
cinematography. Big Sky's
316-megapixel sensor is almost 7x larger and 40x higher resolution
than the full-frame sensors found in high-end commercial cameras.
The die, which measures 9.92cm x 8.31cm (82.4 cm2), is
twice as large as a wallet-sized photograph, and only four full die
fit on a 300mm wafer. The system is also capable of capturing
images at 120 fps and transferring data at 60 gigabytes per
second.
Big Sky also allows filmmakers
to capture 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. Ten patents and counting have been filed by Sphere
Studios in association with Big
Sky's technology.
Darren Aronofsky's Postcard
from Earth, currently showing at Sphere as part of The Sphere
Experience, is the first cinematic production to utilize
Big Sky. Since its debut,
Postcard from Earth has transported audiences, taking them
on a journey spanning all seven continents, and featuring stunning
visuals captured with Big Sky that
make them feel like they have traveled to new worlds without
leaving their seats in Las Vegas.
More information about The Sphere Experience is available at
thesphere.com.
For visual assets, please click here.
About Sphere Entertainment Co.
Sphere Entertainment
Co. (NYSE: SPHR) 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 opened in Las Vegas in September
2023. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which
operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG
Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and
authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of
live sports content and other programming. More information is
available at sphereentertainmentco.com.
About STMicroelectronics:
At ST, we are over 50,000
creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the
semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing
facilities. An integrated device manufacturer, we work with more
than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and
build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their
challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more
sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more
efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale
deployment of cloud-connected autonomous things. We are committed
to achieving our goal to become carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 and
partially scope 3 by 2027. Further information can be found at
www.st.com.
Contact:
Sphere Entertainment
– spherepr@thesphere.com
STMicroelectronics – Alexis Breton,
alexis.breton@st.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sphere-studios-and-stmicroelectronics-reveal-new-details-on-the-worlds-largest-cinema-image-sensor-302032093.html
SOURCE Sphere Entertainment Co.