On June 2, 1979, The Seattle Times reviews the Seattle Aquarium's OmniRama Theater, which is expected to open within the following week, and says it "eclipses" the Cinerama, which is at the time the most modern movie theater in Seattle.
The Times article states:
"The 'OmniRama Theater,' as it is called here, is to Cinerama what a modern stereo system is to the first stereo record players of the 1950s. It represents the state of the art in spectacular filmaking, eclipsing even the most refined 70-millimeter systems in fidelity of sound and image."The extra-large film that is used to project on the OmniRama's curved dome screen is, in fact, three times as high as 70mm. The soundtrack is separate from the film: a taped six-track stereo accompaniment that is synchronized with each performance."
The OmniRama was at the time one of only about half a dozen theaters, museums, or planetariums in the world with similar Imax technology. It was designed so that audiences could sit back in their steeply banked chairs to experience the intensity of the presentation. The initial film to be shown was "Genesis," a 33-minute production about the evolution of Earth's geography, with emphasis on plate tectonics and featuring a simulation of the creation of the universe.
