Evans & Sutherland

What Evans & Sutherland does

Evans & Sutherland, founded in 1968 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a computer graphics and visual systems company that develops planetarium software and immersive dome display technology. Its core product, Digistar, is a planetarium software platform that supports real-time rendering, live and collaborative presentations, and integration with external tools including Unreal Engine. The company complements Digistar with two hardware product lines: the CX System, an LED-based immersive display engineered for 8K+ dome installations, and the Digistar Projection System, a projection-based alternative for traditional planetariums. Representative installations include the world's highest-resolution planetarium at Shanghai Astronomy Museum (14K+ resolution), the Western Hemisphere's largest dome at Liberty Science Center (~90 feet), and 8K+ LED retrofits at Arizona Science Center, Fort Worth Museum of Science & History, Prague Planetarium, and the U.S. Naval Academy's Akerson Theater.

Evans & Sutherland generates revenue through one-time and licensed sales of Digistar software, CX Systems, and projection hardware to planetariums, science centers, and museums globally, supported by installation, training, and ongoing software updates. Recurring revenue is derived from the Premium Media Program, a subscription-style distribution of 50+ fulldome films from content partners including the American Museum of Natural History and Cosmic Pictures. Professional services, including dedicated Customer Success Managers, training webinars, and technical support, layer onto each engagement. Since 2020 Evans & Sutherland has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cosm (branded "Evans & Sutherland - A Cosm Company"), which integrates the technology into Cosm Venues—large-format 87-foot domed entertainment venues opened in Los Angeles and Dallas in 2024 for live sports, concerts, and theatrical screenings, with planned expansion to Atlanta, Detroit, Cleveland, and international markets. The company employs 51-100 people and trades on otcpink under the symbol ESCC.

Name

Evans & Sutherland

Legal name

Evans & Sutherland

Website

https://es.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Evans & Sutherland develops Digistar planetarium software, CX System LED dome displays, and projection systems for science centers, museums, and (via parent Cosm) immersive entertainment venues worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Planetarium Visual Display Systems

NAICS

Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513)

SIC

Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861), Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Production Stages & LED Volume Operators (MPAHADAA)

Keywords

• Planetarium software
• Immersive dome displays
• LED projection systems
• Fulldome visualization
• Astronomy visualization technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Technology Systems & Software: Sale and licensing of Digistar software, CX Systems, and projection technology to planetariums and science centers. Includes installation, support, and ongoing software updates.
2. Premium Media Content: Distribution of fulldome films and immersive content through the Premium Media Program, featuring rotating content from partners including American Museum of Natural History and Cosmic Pictures.
3. Immersive Venue Operations: Operation of Cosm Venues featuring live sports, entertainment, and movie screenings in locations like Los Angeles and Dallas with 87-foot domed LED screens.
4. Professional Services & Training: Training programs, customer success management, technical support services, and consulting for planetarium operations and events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Evans & Sutherland develops and sells Digistar planetarium software, CX System LED dome displays, and Digistar Projection Systems for planetariums, science centers, and museums worldwide. The company also provides installation, training, customer support, and distributes immersive fulldome films through the Premium Media Program to enable educational and entertainment experiences under dome environments.

Product overview

Evans & Sutherland, a Cosm company, delivers a comprehensive planetarium and immersive dome ecosystem. The flagship Digistar software serves as the central platform, while the CX System and Digistar Projection System provide complementary hardware solutions for different display technologies (LED and projection). The company pairs its products with content offerings including the Premium Media Program with 50+ immersive films, customer support services, training programs, and a global community network connecting thousands of Digistar users worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digistar Flagship planetarium software platform that enables immersive visual experiences, supports live and collaborative interactions, and powers dome-based displays worldwide for planetariums, science centers, and museums.
• CX System LED-based immersive display system designed for dome environments, delivering high-resolution visuals for planetariums and entertainment venues.
• Digistar Projection System Full dome projection technology for planetarium installations featuring advanced visualization capabilities for astronomical and educational content.
• Premium Media Program Subscription-based rotating content library delivering 50+ immersive fulldome films, classroom guides, educator tools, and programming kits to planetarium customers.
• Digistar Training & Professional Development Training programs including onboarding sessions, advanced feature workshops (Unreal Engine integration, domecasting, VR), monthly webinars on software updates, and access to Digistar Cloud community with 2,000+ shared models and scripts.
• Customer Success & Support Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 8K+ resolution for planetarium displays
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NBAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to film and simultaneously broadcast NBA games in Cosm's immersive 87-foot domed LED venues, allowing fans to watch live games from courtside-quality vantage points.
• NFLcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to film and broadcast NFL games in Cosm's immersive viewing venues featuring domed LED screens for enhanced live sports viewing experiences.
• WWEcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to broadcast WWE events in Cosm's immersive entertainment venues with 87-foot domed LED screens.
• NBC SportscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to broadcast NBC Sports content including live sporting events in Cosm's immersive viewing venues.
• Warner Bros. DiscoverycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Recent partnership to add movie screenings to Cosm's immersive venues, expanding content beyond live sports to include theatrical releases.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Dolby Laboratories: Broad incumbent in cinema audio-visual technology, premium theater experiences (Dolby Cinema), and immersive content workflows. Adjacent competitor in premium immersive entertainment with significantly larger scale and brand recognition.
• Sony (Crystal LED / Digital Cinema): Major LED display (Crystal LED) and cinema projection manufacturer with solutions for large-format immersive venues and broadcast. Broad incumbent whose technology stack overlaps with E&S LED dome hardware and immersive entertainment venues.
• Cosm: Parent company and operator of the immersive 87-foot domed LED consumer venues that embed E&S technology. Useful as a peer for the venue-operator economics that ultimately fund E&S's tech roadmap, even though it is also the parent.

Direct peers

• IMAX Corporation: Operates large-format immersive cinema networks and develops projection/screen technology. Directly comparable to E&S's dome/LED immersive entertainment strategy, with overlap on science-museum theater installations (Omni IMAX theaters — e.g., Fort Worth Museum — that E&S is now converting to LED CX domes).
• Spitz, Inc. US-based planetarium and dome display provider (dome screens, projection systems, software). Direct competitor in the North American science-museum dome market; historically related to E&S (acquired by E&S in 2006) and a useful reference point for legacy planetarium systems.
• Sphere Entertainment: Operates the Las Vegas Sphere, a massive LED-domed immersive venue for live entertainment and cinema. Closest direct competitor to Cosm's 87-foot domed LED venues in the consumer immersive-venue category, with overlapping technology (large-format curved LED displays, real-time content pipelines).
• RSA Cosmos: European planetarium system manufacturer offering software, projection, and dome installations (SkyExplorer). Most direct head-to-head competitor to Digistar in the global planetarium software and integrated dome system market.
• Carl Zeiss (Planetarium / SBE Division): Manufactures planetarium projectors (Universarium, Skymaster ZKP systems) and dome solutions for science museums worldwide. Direct competitor in the premium tier of planetarium projection technology.
• Christie Digital Systems: Major projection and LED display manufacturer serving cinemas, museums, planetariums, and large-venue immersive experiences. Provides competing projection technology for dome installations and large-format LED walls overlapping with the CX System.
• Konica Minolta (Planetarium Division): Operates one of the world's leading planetarium projector and dome system businesses (Gemini/Super Gemini series). Direct competitor in planetarium projection hardware and end-to-end dome installations serving science centers and museums globally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/es_digistar
• Facebookfacebook.com/evans.and.sutherland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Evans & Sutherland