Turn off NEC1200C and NEC2000 mid show if no one shows up

[Mike Reed]

Hello,

I purchased a theater a few months back and when I took over I was told if no one showed up for a show I would need to fast forward/skip the show to end it then power down the projector. If I go up do I need to log into the IMS2000 and DSS200 respectively and "finish the show out"? Or can I simply power down with the power button and wait for the cooldown then completely power down the projectors? Does it mess anything up if the projector powers down mid show? Thanks!

[Jim Cassedy]

I worked at a preview theater where we did mostly press & preview screenings and there
were numerous times when, for one reason or another, nobody showed up or a show was
cancelled shorty after starting. We also had an NE 2000c and THE NEC PROJECTOR
DOESN'T REALLY CARE. - - but your IMS might. (It's been a while since I worked with
one) - - but at the preview theater which used a DSS200 with CAT 862 card, I'd simply
stop the playback and jump to the end of the show, and then shut everything down.
I had a similar procedure at another private venue that had an NEC and a DoReMi DCP
24K. - I'd just stop the show and "eject" the active playlist from the server. The reason for
jumping to the end on the Dolby or ejecting on the DoReMi was that if you just "stopped"
it, and turned it off,the next time you powered it up, it would try to re-load the last used
show from wherever it stopped and start playing again. This could sometimes be a pain,
if a key was expired or some items in the playlist were deleted, and then and I've had the
system lock-up or something. But, except for making sure that the NEC projector goes through
its' shutdown cooling cycle, it really doesn't care if the playlist completes or not.
( or at least mine never did!)

[Armand Daiguillon]

Hello,

Do not power down the projector or it won't start on its own next show.
What you should do is "pause" the movie and then "forward" (this takes to end of movie) and then hit "play" again. This will allow your regular "end of show" automations to properly shut everything down and then be ready for next show.

[James Gardiner]

If a show does not have anyone arrive.
Just pause or eject the show under your player software. Turn off the lamp, turn on lights etc or run an end-session/macro automation (Which resets the cinema to a know pre-session state, Lights, Masking, curtains, etc. Probably would also turn of the lamp for a Laser projector. But otherwise, if no sessions for a while, turn off the lamp. If no sessions for the rest of the day, put the projector into standby/sleep mode.

There is no reason to fast forward or anything. That makes no sense. The projector/player logs will indicate the show stopped early, but so what? If no one was there to watch it....

Many advanced automation system are now, at a set length into the session/feature, check the POS system for ticket sales, and if non, automated this to save power. Makes a lot of sense, especially on larger screens with a lot of power for big screens, or heating.

[Steve Guttag]

One thing is for sure, regardless of server...do not simply kill power mid show. They never seem to recover very well from that. We see problems when the closing managers will, once the customers have left, immediately power down the cinemas...wherever the show may be in the credits or otherwise...the opening manager gets the results of the chaos.

You don't need to move to the end of the show, if you don't want (depending on how your cues/and automations work)...just eject the show and shutdown properly (on the DSS servers that is stop...then stop...on the IMS, that is to take it out of scheduled show and press the Eject button...then put it back into scheduled for the next day).

If this is a mid-day show...just turn the lamp off and let the show run...the nominal cost of audio amplifier power isn't worth worrying about.

We are starting to use the Eprad Nano Host with the eCNA automations. It will take the schedule provided by the POS (has to be in a BLODE format) and based on ticket sales, will never fire the lamp if no tickets are sold and if a ticket is sold, even after the show starts, will turn the lamp back on. We do have a routine whereby if it is the last show of the day and no tickets are sold, 20-minutes into the feature segment, it will eject the show and begin the shutdown sequence. Furthermore, on select days, it will keep the server up (e.g. an IMS server) to allow content to transfer via an automated TMS system. The key here is that it works with the Eprad eCNA automations so if you don't have those, then the Nano Host isn't going to help as they integrate together.

On the projector front...the projector won't care about shutting down beyond ensuring that the lamp gets a proper cool down.

[Miguel Moreno]

What you can do is use a laptop from your office that connects to the projector network and remotely open the projector interface so that you can send a CUE that turns off the xenon lamp or laser source depending on which projector you have. There are applications that you can use like VNC or if it is an IMS3000, then from the explorer. in that way you dont have to go up stairs
Even depending on the day of the week, they could create playlists that start with the light off and, if a ticket is sold, turn on the lamp with a CUE.

[Ryan Gallagher]

I assume we are talking about last show of the day here, otherwise Steve & Miguel's advice to just kill the lamp/laser and let the show play is prudent.

If it's not obvious, the "best practice" here varies quite a lot depending on your systems and how automation is handled. An old school house like mine with minimal automations and a server that does not freak out when it loses projector communication, it matters little which sequence we use as long as cool down is permitted to complete. Ejecting is nice but we also tend to power down our Doremi too, so even that is unnecessary. (Though I think it will warn you a show is playing when you go to shutdown and force you to end it).

On more fully integrated setups it warrants testing. When you aren't under pressure of an upcoming screening, or have a tech handy with you, I would try it the "wrong way(s)" on purpose (short of killing projector power without cool-down of course), to see what kind of problems it causes so you know how to recover from them if anyone does it in the future despite policy being otherwise.

But if your system is automation heavy, jumping to just before the credits offset and letting it roll from there seems like an ultra safe/conservative approach. If the projector shutdown is part of that final show automation it will get to it. If it is not you'll still have to do that manually after. Really depends on your existing automations and what state it will leave you in if a bunch of them don't get executed.

[Ryan Gallagher]

I would also add that if this is a multi-plex, it seems like this "shutdown so we can go home" approach only applies if no other screens are running with an audience. If it doesn't get you out of the building any faster I would just save the lamp/laser and let the show otherwise proceed normally.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Just kill the lamps and let the show play out assuming you let it go half way through. It's the xenon you are really trying to save. You can kill the lamp manually by holding the Lamp button on the control panel of the projector. I had several customers that had slow days that just killed the lamp after X minutes... Then it's best to always let the film itself play out. I had one customer get caught NOT STARTING a big Paramount show, and they cut him off for a year. Studios often send checkers around unannounced. Most film rental contracts actually state that they want it started and let it play for X number of minutes, or if they allow not starting a no-show at all.

[Leo Enticknap]

If this is a mid-day show...just turn the lamp off and let the show run...the nominal cost of audio amplifier power isn't worth worrying about.

+1, and to all others who made that suggestion. The lamp is the only component that incurs enough cost (power, and hours on the bulb) to be worth worrying about conserving in the event of aborted show.

[Mike Reed]

Thanks I appreciate everyones comments on the matter!

[Barry Floyd]

If we have a "no show" or everyone leaves during the show before its over, I simply log in to the server - press stop, then reach over and kill the lamp on the projector. I'll physically trigger the exhaust fan automation "delay off" relay manually then wait it out until the fan turns itself off. Once its off, I'll go through the "server shutdown" process and once the server is completely shut down, I'll kill the power to the projector. At the drive-in, we're a "turn it all off down to the breaker" kind of place. Most of you indoor guys don't have to deal with errant turkey vultures landing on your 3 phase electrical service and exploding, thus taking out a leg of your power in the process. Turkey Vultures do in fact explode with 600 amps going through them.

[Agnius Acus]

What about lamp power cycles? Isn’t it more harmful than just to leave lamp(s) running until the next show, if there is one? Or it does make sense for mid-high power projectors like these two?

[Carsten Kurz]

There is a trade-off rule of thumb for this. I think, up to 45-60 min, you should leave the bulb running, and above that, you should switch if off (I think OSRAM once published this for their XENON bulbs).
So, for a complete no-show, even if there is another one upcoming, is would usually be advised to switch off the lamp. And more so with higher wattage bulbs, 3D, etc.
I guess it would also be useful to call a lamp macro with a lower current to save power and lamp usage during some shorter no-show times (e.g. longer admission windows). I do that on our Sony UHPs, and it payed out well I think. Lamp lifetime has increased considerably. It also protects the Sony light-engine from burn-out.

[Steve Guttag]

Ushio has published that they want a 10-minute rest period between a show. On our automated TMS systems (e.g. TCC or ACE) we configure them such that if there isn't a 10-minute turnaround, to leave the lamp lit, otherwise, shut the lamp off.

I have yet to have an Ushio lamp not go the distance due to the frequency of the lamp being turned on/off. In the film days, if running on 20 minute reels, I'd leave the lamps on (also during any sort of premiere). For 40 minute and longer, I'd shut them off between reels.