Alexander McDonnell, founder of TOOB (Think Out Of Box) confesses to a fascination with the Mugar Omni Theater in his hometown, Boston – so he decided to build a mini-version for himself. The result is much smaller plastic half-dome screen that’s big enough for a couple of people to sit in front of to watch a movie or enjoy a video game.
The TOOB screen comprises a 3ft x 6ft screen with an 18-inch reflector that projects the image (from any home theater projector) onto the screen. You can use any source that your projector allows for your entertainment i.e. gaming console, DVD or Blu-ray player, etc.
“Being a home entertainment snob that I am, I was unsatisfied with my 42-inch plasma screen mounted to my living room wall, yet didn’t want to invest the $10k+ into a full home theater,” says McDonnell. “In search for a more immersive experience that was also cost efficient, I started researching dome projection. After daydreaming over a futuristic home surround screen that I felt I wouldn’t see in my lifetime, I decided: ‘why not make one?’ The drawings on the napkins soon became a trip to various industrial suppliers looking for materials to start making my new creation. Thus began TOOB.” McDonnell has spent years refining the product and is confident movie-lovers, gamers, kids and adults everywhere will enjoy the TOOB screen. There’s even an inflatable version (8ft x 16ft) for outdoors.
The TOOB dome screen costs a miserly USD$1,400 for that scaled down IMAX experience (plus project and sound system) but if you’re still now sure or don’t have the cash, there’s an option to hire one at the website.
Via OhGizmo!
