Two projectors were used to develop this workstation. The first was an Optoma  HD66, with 1280x720 resolution. It was chosen for its low cost ($600) and relatively high contrast ratio - important for achieving good black levels in the dome. At the time, most of the images we were projecting were circular dome masters from Domefest, a dome film festival organized by ArtsLab at the University of New Mexico.

These programs are available online on Vimeo at 1280x720 resolution, too low for large dome projection but useful for our analysis. The Optoma projector was suitable for early tests but it became clear as we started working on our own Unity-based scenes that a higher resolution would be desirable. That said, it is very good projector for the price in this application.

The projector we are now using is a Panasonic PT-AE3000U, with 1920X1080 resolution. It was purchased used for a low price, and has been discontinued by the manufacturer. The current model, PT-AE7000U, sells for around $3000. This projector has much better control of the direction of the lens projection, making it easier to mount the DIY fisheye lens onto it.

Due to the difficulties of dome projection, including light cross-bounce, any projector used in a mini-dome station will require some experimentation to find the best picture and color setting.