Cunard Line Chooses Sky-Skan
World’s First Shipboard Planetarium on QM2

Nashua, New Hampshire, USA – 28th April, 2003

Plans for the first planetarium to sail the high seas were announced today by Sky-Skan President, Mr. Steve Savage and Cunard Line President & COO, Ms. Pamela Conover.

To be installed on Cunard’s new luxury liner, the Queen Mary 2, the theater will feature Sky-Skan’s SkyVision High-Definition video and DigitalSky planetarium systems. Real-time star shows, international guest speakers and an outstanding array of the latest SkyVision productions will be presented onboard.

“This is an incredible project,” Mr Savage said. “Passengers aboard the world’s greatest ocean liner will be able to experience the world’s best fulldome system. From Stars Over the Atlantic - a night-sky identification session using DigitalSky, to the very best in SkyVision productions, Infinity Express and Secret of the Dragon, this theater will be an amazing addition to on-board activities.”

Mr. Savage continued, “Three times each day, the grand 150-seat Illuminations auditorium will effortlessly transform into a state-of-the-art, fulldome theater - employing Sky-Skan’s new dual stream video system to seamlessly integrate the SkyVision and DigitalSky components. After an evening star identification session in the planetarium, guests will be invited to accompany their Presenter toward a top deck to view the real night sky.”

The Queen Mary 2 will make her debut in early 2004 as a Queen among Queens, a worthy successor to such great transatlantic liners as the Queens Mary, Elizabeth and Elizabeth 2. The new, magnificent ship carries this heritage into the 21st century. Stylish, grand, and representing the pinnacle of maritime achievement, she is destined to become an icon of our time.

Ms. Conover said, “In the proud tradition of Cunard’s legendary liners, the 2,620-passenger Queen Mary 2 will evoke a feeling of elegance with contemporary style and amenities. This includes the latest technological innovations. Sky-Skan’s products, services and people were a perfect fit for this exciting and ambitious addition to our passenger experience.”

Martin Lilly, Director of Entertainment for Cunard Line heralded, “I am so excited to be working with Sky-Skan. The quality and entertainment value of what is being produced is outstanding, I am sure the Planetarium will be one of the most popular features of our program on QM2.”

Travelers will be able to witness the immersive excitement of fulldome high-definition video during the traditional six-day transatlantic crossings as well as Caribbean voyages from New York, Rio de Janeiro sailings at Carnival time, and other voyages to Europe and the Americas.

The Queen Mary 2, the largest, longest, tallest and widest passenger ship ever built, is in the final stages of construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France at a cost of around $800 million. Sky-Skan will begin the theater fit-out in the Fall of 2003.

For further information, please contact:

Steve Savage, President - Sky-Skan, Inc., 51 Lake Street, Nashua, New Hampshire, USA
Email: office@skyskan.com Phone: +1 603 880 8500

Glenn Smith, Director - Sky-Skan Europe, Museumsinsel 1, D-80538, Munich, Germany
Email: smith@skyskan.com Phone: +49 89 6428 9231

Jack White, Director - Sky-Skan Australia, 441 Spencer Street, West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Email: white@skyskan.comPhone: +61 3 9329 5501

Information on SkyVision High-Definition video, DigitalSky and Sky-Skan, Inc. may be found on the Internet at www.skyskan.com

More information on Cunard Line and the QM2 may be found on the Internet at www.cunard.com

About Sky-Skan

For over 35 years, Sky-Skan has been the World’s leading provider of media technologies and facility design for domed theaters. Sky-Skan’s products and services include their trademark SPICE Automation Show Control System, dome screen oriented video and audio systems, specialized image creation software for video and still pictures on domed screens and complete turn-key facility design and construction management services. Sky-Skan has kept its lead in a highly competitive field through continuous R&D and development of industry leading products like the SkyVision High-Definition Fulldome Projection System and its latest tool, DigitalSky: a real-time digital star field and 3D graphics system.

There are over two dozen permanent SkyVision installations to date and over 250 SPICE Theater Automation systems installed in planetaria, large format film theaters, domed media theaters, museums and science centers over the entire world. Recent SkyVision installations include the Museum of Transport and Communication in Lucerne, Switzerland and the first of its kind dual SkyVision projection system at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. Sky-Skan maintains sales, production facilities and technical support on 3 continents with its offices in Nashua, NH USA; Munich, Germany; and Melbourne, Australia.