Anyone using Vista POS system?

[Justin d'Entremont]

Is there anyone on here using full blown Vista POS system? We currently use their dumbed down SAAS version "Veezi", but I was curious if any of you guys have the real deal?

[Dave Macaulay]

Personally, no (I am a tech, not a cinema employee) but the chain I work with does. I've talked to them about it and set up the integration with Vista on the TMS to have the projection system simply show whatever feature they schedule in Vista at the correct time, and I've had to fix problems with that integration. This makes daily operation really simple, the TMS has to ftp a schedule file from Vista (every few minutes) and then move the required content, playlists, and schedule to the screen servers that are scheduled to run the shows.
Most managers have a rough idea how this all works and can handle simple problems but the sites have one with more training and experience who does the DCP ingesting and SPL creation at the TMS.
I don't know what you miss in your version, but theirs is pretty impressive. As long as the CPLs have been ingested to the TMS and the show SPLs linked to Vista show names... the booth runs itself.
Vista also links to their online ticket sale website, and many rooms have reserved seating making syncing the sales data very important. Reserved seating does make changing rooms (if a small room sells out and that show gets swapped with a low sales larger room) trickier but I guess they have a way. For unreserved rooms it just works seamlessly, the changed schedule is used and any missing content on the two servers involved is transferred there. That may take a few minutes though so changes have to be done allowing enough time to get the transfers done before showtime.

The staff only need to ingest new content - usually once a week - test that new content, assemble show playlists and then link them to the Vista show names, and also delete stale CPLs to avoid full server storage (that really messes things up... there is no auto delete in these systems, maybe some TMS software does do that).

[Steve Guttag]

With a TMS system, in the projection booth, the differences between any POS, including Vista versus Veezi is essentially zero, so long as the system has a means of getting the schedule to the TMS. We have Veezi systems integrated into Hollywood Software's TCC and ACE as well as into GDC's TMS2000. With Veezi, one has to have their specific web site and the token for the specific theatre for the TMS to be able to pull the schedule in (if you want it automated). Veezi can also supply an app where the manager can "push" a schedule via FTP. We're auditioning CineDigital's TMS for a client and I see that Veezi integration is already built in too, with the usual parameters needing to be provided.

However, I think the OPs question was specific to POS operation downstairs rather than how it integrates with a TMS system. This is the "Ground Level" forum, after all. I have zero opinion of anyone's POS and can only speak to integrating some to TMSes (so far, RTS, Retriever, Veezi, Simply Cinema and one that is obsolete). Note Veezi does have security requirements...which we bumped into on the TCC which were set up on Windows Server 2003 (all of them)...later versions could be on Server 2008 and possibly 2012 but Hollywood Software kept it on 2003 for the longest time to ensure that any changes would work everywhere. Since the OS was never updated and every TMS was a clone of another, it essentially guaranteed it always worked (or worked like every other one).

[Mike Blakesley]

I wasn't aware that Veezi was a dumbed-down version of Vista.... what's missing from Veezi?

[Justin Hamaker]

I wasn't aware that Veezi was a dumbed-down version of Vista.... what's missing from Veezi?

I've never used Vista so I can't say what's missing, but Veezi is missing a lot of functionality for configuration, and their reporting leaves a lot to be desired. Veezi works well for what it is, but can be very frustrating if you're accustomed to a more robust system.

[Buck Wilson]

Regal uses Vista. I don't think they pay for all the 'options' but it is Vista nonetheless. There's things I like about it and things I don't. POS software seems glitchy and hangs up often. It likes to just randomly lock the user screen, lag like hell logging back in, and lots of issues with the rewards card system. Some back end stuff likes to lag too. No major complaints otherwise.

[Justin d'Entremont]

Regal uses Vista. I don't think they pay for all the 'options' but it is Vista nonetheless. There's things I like about it and things I don't. POS software seems glitchy and hangs up often. It likes to just randomly lock the user screen, lag like hell logging back in, and lots of issues with the rewards card system. Some back end stuff likes to lag too. No major complaints otherwise.

@Buck, Cineplex here in Canada uses Vista as well, since 2004 from what I can tell online.

I've never used Vista so I can't say what's missing, but Veezi is missing a lot of functionality for configuration, and their reporting leaves a lot to be desired. Veezi works well for what it is, but can be very frustrating if you're accustomed to a more robust system.

@Justin, we're on the same page here. We currently use Veezi, and I've never used Vista, but especially for someone from an IT background, Veezi leaves a lot of configuration freedom and options to be desired. The reason I asked the question in the first place was to see if there's anyone out there that I have an exhibitor-to-exhibitor chat with about how much work it would be for us to maintain vs Veezi, and what features/options are available that aren't available in Veezi.

Things I like about Veezi:

• It has been pretty reliable, and their cloud servers have only gone down once or twice in a span of 3.5 years.
• Their API is straightforward, and has allowed me to build my own website and digital signage system which pull data in realtime from the system.
• The features (capacity limits, and social-distancing seating) introduced rapidly last spring in response to COVID were great.

Some of the gripes I have with Veezi are:

• I don't have database level access to information, so I can't build custom analytics programs and real-time sales performance dashboards that I'd like to be able to.
• The show scheduler has some weird restrictions. For example, if no one shows up for a show, and an hour later some other show sells out, there is no way to remove/delete/modify the empty show after the show start time has gone by to be able to be able to add a 2nd show of the sold out movie on the fly. You have to open a support ticket, and they have to do this for you on their end, provided you can get ahold of support. They have usually been pretty good, but they have been pretty slow (1-2 days) since COVID.
• I can't modify my own seat maps, again, you have to open a support ticket and wait for them to mark a seat as broken for you.
• The mobile app they have (Veezi Usherpoint) is utter garbage, and hasn't been updated in like 5 years. You can't can paper tickets with it, only online tickets.
• The web UI for management is starting to look dated (whereas Vista is brand new & responsive)
• Doesn't integrate with Sage 50 accounting software (No one in our neck of the woods uses QuickBooks)
• Their online ticketing solution is hard-coded to only allow max of 10 tickets per transaction, with no way to increase it. Large families can't buy all their tickets in a single transaction.
• There is no easy way to reverse/refund a transaction made online.
• Their digital signage solution only runs on Android. There is/was a Windows version, which they just quietly stoped acknowledging exists.

Things I really wish it had, that are advertised on the Vista website:

• Kitchen video display (Like McDonalds). We have one popcorn machine but multiple people taking orders, so it would be great for us to have all the orders come up on one or more screens behind the counter
• HVAC Integration
• Customer facing mobile app (5-star quality, modern)
• Employee / manager mobile app (InTouch, 5-star quality & modern)

At the end of the day, I guess I like to be able to fix my own problems, and don't like that the same company has much better offerings that are seemingly only offered to the big boys, while development on what we use is at a snails pace. While Veezi started from the Vista codebase, it seems as if development has totally branched off and that updates to Vista don't always make it over to Veezi.

[Sean McKinnon]

Is Radiant Theatre Management System (Formerly known as PRYSM) no longer the industry standard for the big chains? When I was in the management side of things in the late 90's early 00's it seemed like Loews, AMC, Regal were all using Radiant.