Projector Advice for new Theatre operator (in Canada)

[Scott John]

Hello!

Brand new to the forum. I am part of a non-profit taking over the operation of a historic movie theatre (opened in 1938) in British Columbia, Canada.

One of our first tasks is to figure out the best option for repairing/replacing the existing projector. It is a 10 year old Christie 2220 with a really distracting bright green stuck pixel that has been there for months.

We are considering replacing the light engine, or replacing the entire projector. Ideally maybe we might be able to find another used Christie as a bandaid and use ours for parts while we raise the money for a new system.

We also have to decide on a POS system for the box office and the concession as there isn't a functional one right now, so any advice on some that folks like would be great. Keeping in mind that the user inferface being simple is a key requirement due to possibly having some lightly trained volunteers operating it at times.

[Carsten Kurz]

What type of server (playback server) is installed, did you check this out already? It could be an external 19" based rack server, or, it could be integrated into the 2220 (a so called IMS or IMB). If it is still the server that was installed with the Christie 10 years ago, it is probably an external 19" rack mount server - Dolby, Doremi, or GDC.

[Mike Babb]

The Cinematronix guys are great up there, you should give them a call. Definitely consider the market will have used light engines or entire projectors available with potentially cinemas closing up for good. Having the used gear inspected and installed correctly is key though, otherwise it could be a waste of money.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I have had the best luck with NEC by far. They just never seem to die with many S-2 going on 10 years old now... NOt the best light output, but if you size them correctly for your application they do stay withi9n spec.

Christie is a big PIA to deal with and has lousy tech support. And Barco is a bit idiosyncratic but has very good support. I have only needed NEC support one time out of 334 installations!! Chances are you may never need them.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Looks like quite the place, I hope you can make it work.

To be honest, instead of replacing the light engine, I'd consider replacing the projector itself, even if this is a good second hand projector with a few less years on it, of which, more or less unfortunately, there are quite a few available right now. The light engine is about the most expensive item of the entire projector and on a 10-year old machine, depending on the hours on it, there will be other items that will probably need replacing in a while.

Something that's also important in order to choose the right type of projector: What's the size of the screen and throw distance?

[Leo Enticknap]

If you're going for used equipment, the choice will largely be dictated by what is available, rather than making a conscious decision to go with a particular brand. I would suggest avoiding Sony, though, because they have now quit the digital cinema business, and so any Sony projector is now on borrowed time (until parts availability hits zero). The same applies for any model from the other manufacturers for which parts support has officially been discontinued (e.g. most of if not all Series 1 projectors), unless you're willing to get involved with stockpiling parts, keeping a donor machine in the basement, or that sort of stuff.

Christie, Barco, and NEC all have their profile of strengths and gotchas (and differences within individual models, too). The availability of support locally is also something to factor in.

[Mark Lane]

I have only used the NEC so I can not speak about any other system, I have found the NEC to be rather easy to use.
You are a 1937 theater and part of the charm is doing things the old ways.
We are a 1947 theater that still uses much the same system it did 70+ years ago. We are a cash only business. The ticket window has a 1950s ticket machine, the concession stand has a new register. We keep things simple. The employees should be able to add up the cost of the concessions in their heads but we use the register to show the customer the total.. We count the change back. Keep it simple and keep the line moving.
You might find your seats are going to be a future concern. While the old ways and the old fill is nice comfort usually is the priority, People will come to experience the old ways once, but will come back for the comfort. We are facing the same issues.

[Greg Routenburg]

You may want to consider getting the light engine repaired if you're not in a rush. It would be much cheaper then replacing the projector and the 2220 wasn't a terrible machine, assuming that it meets your light output needs. Either Cinematronix or Projectech, depending on who you deal with, can coordinate that with Christie for you. I just had a 2210 LE repaired when a formatter board failed and it was decidedly less costly than purchasing a replacement LE and getting the core credit on the defective one. Just be prepared to wait. There's no sense in replacing the projector if that's your only issue.

[Scott John]

What type of server (playback server) is installed, did you check this out already? It could be an external 19" based rack server, or, it could be integrated into the 2220 (a so called IMS or IMB). If it is still the server that was installed with the Christie 10 years ago, it is probably an external 19" rack mount server - Dolby, Doremi, or GDC.

External Doremi server.

[Scott John]

I have only used the NEC so I can not speak about any other system, I have found the NEC to be rather easy to use.
You are a 1937 theater and part of the charm is doing things the old ways.
We are a 1947 theater that still uses much the same system it did 70+ years ago. We are a cash only business. The ticket window has a 1950s ticket machine, the concession stand has a new register. We keep things simple. The employees should be able to add up the cost of the concessions in their heads but we use the register to show the customer the total.. We count the change back. Keep it simple and keep the line moving.
You might find your seats are going to be a future concern. While the old ways and the old fill is nice comfort usually is the priority, People will come to experience the old ways once, but will come back for the comfort. We are facing the same issues.

The seats are being replaced literally as I type. People loved the old ones (a mix of ones from the 40's and 80's), but they were a tight squeeze, getting uncomfortable, and obviously no parts for repairing them when they broke. The theatre owner had gotten some used (but modern) seats from another theatre that had closed down permanently, and the forced shutdown has given some time to to the changeover.

It has also shown me that I really want to make sure I am retired before it is time to reseat the theatre again. Seats that have been there 80 years (painted in repeatedly, etc) really resisted being told they had to leave.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon...seats-for-free

There is also an (apparently) functional 35mm up in the booth which would be cool to fire up and use occasionally! You are right about trying to retain the charm, and balancing with modern amenities at the same time. We have weekly arts nights which regularly draw 200-300 for a screening (pre Covid of course) and the old calculator and register method just can't handle that volume and keep the line moving. It works fine most other screenings when there isn't that crowd. A POS system with ticketing at the front seems to be something we need to prioritize, especially a system that can deal with an online ticket selling 3rd party. With the capacity restrictions we had, and no ability for online sales we had people turned away a lot at the box office and wanted an option to buy them online. Same with if we stage any live events,

[Leo Enticknap]

We are a cash only business.

Are you getting any pushback from customers who don't want to handle cash because of C19 infection concerns? When the crisis first hit, a few stores and gas stations stopped accepting cash at all, until a California Supreme Court judgment forced them to. Apparently there is something in the state's constitution that requires retail businesses to accept cash, except in a few, tightly defined circumstances (can't remember the details - sorry). My local gas station charged a higher price per gallon for credit card purchases and a 50c flat fee for debit card purchases (of gas), but suspended the latter last March, and still hasn't reinstated it. The previous arrangement incentivized customers to pay with cash, obviously, and they wanted to stop that.

[Frank Cox]

I take only cash here. I don't want to pay the service charges to the bank for using their cards, I don't want one person making three charges separate for $1.50 worth of candy, and I don't want to have people standing in line while the guy in front says, "Try this card, no try this one, well maybe this one will work..."

For my own stuff, though, I use credit cards where-ever I can. I have credit cards that give me a small percentage back as a credit on my bill, so it's like getting a 1% or 1.5% discount on everything that I buy if I can use one of my cards.

[Leo Enticknap]

The thing is that in cases when retailers are not allowed by law to charge consumers separate card usage fees (which here means almost all stores: gas stations can, and you can be charged a card fee for paying utility bills, government taxes and fees, etc. by credit card, but that's about it), they bundle those fees into the sticker price of the products and services they sell. So if you choose to pay by cash, you are in effect subsidizing those who pay by card. Of course if a business doesn't take credit or debit cards at all, this doesn't apply. I have noticed that a number of retail businesses in these parts have tried to use the C19 crisis as a pretext to drive cash out of use; presumably because the cost of handling cash - e.g. having a security company take it to and from the bank - costs them more than the card transaction fees. Although the courts have stopped them from refusing to take cash altogether, there are quite a few stores around here displaying "Exact change only if paying by cash" placards, and other not so subtle methods of discouraging cash payments (e.g. only one of the checkout aisles accepts cash, with the others being card only).

[Dave Macaulay]

It's really common around here for indies to be cash only, but have a non-bank ATM in the lobby. That way they don't pay any credit/debit fees, and get a cut of the ATM fees.

As to the CP2220 projector, your cheapest option is to repair the light engine unless you come across a really good deal on a used projector.

Do not get any series one projector, period. Even free. Pretty much the same for Sony.

For a new replacement projector, if you go that way, laser is the best option IMO. Normal lamp replacement cost goes to zero, electrical cost goes way down. Remember to budget a reserve to pay for the inevitable need to replace the laser light source eventually, though. Going a step higher than you need in light output when picking a projector model will give you considerably longer laser life. Not many cinemas have extra cash lying around for new projectors these days though!

Your Doremi external chassis server, if it dates back 10 years, is almost certainly a DCP2000 - not a ShowVault/IMB. The DCP2000 is mostly obsolete and some parts (the motherboard for sure) are no longer available. It may last many more years or fail tomorrow. Dolby still services the DCP2000 "Dolphin" media block but they may discontinue that any time - like they did with the Dolby DSS100/200 servers. Media blocks can be serviced only by the OEM... so if an OEM goes out of business or stops supporting one, a failure is fatal and you will need a new server.

Both Projectech and Cinematronics have technicians and resources in BC, not sure about close to Nelson though. Projectech is mostly a Barco house, Cinematronics mostly Christie. But either can get you any brand if you have a strong preference.

[Carsten Kurz]

External Doremi server.

When has the digital setup been operated the last time? If the equipment is shut down for too long, you might run into additional cost because of depleted security batteries.