Christie Managed Services' Network Operations Center troubleshoots d-cinema problems across the country.
When Disney stereo 3D "Toy Story" double feature arrived at theaters, the single Digital Cinema Package looked sleek. But it accidentally hid the fact that no one had programmed an intermission between the two pics. That left theater owners facing the prospect of cranky tots missing part of the "Toy Story 2" as they took a bathroom break -- and the concession stand missing a chance to sell a lot of popcorn.
But the exhibs did have someone to call for help: Christie Managed Services' Network Operations Center (NOC) in Cypress, Calif.
The NOC is something that could only exist in the d-cinema age: a central "command center" that makes sure digital systems at local theaters run smoothly and without interruptions, watching over them and identifying and correcting any technical problems.
For the NOC, "It was the first time we are aware of where there were two features in one playlist," senior NOC manager Ed Vitelli says. "To have a concession break in between the two shows, there had to be intervention in the playlist."
The NOC team worked out a fix, sent it directly to their clients' projectors and sent word to exhibs on how to run it.
Crisis averted.
Though such mass adjustments are unusual, the NOC was created to address just these sorts of technical problems, whether on one screen or many, as theaters convert to d-cinema.
The very existence of the NOC points up the tradeoffs that come with d-cinema. Digital projection systems offer more consistent quality and greater flexibility than film projectors, but more can go wrong -- and when it does, troubleshooting at the theater has become much, much harder.
Since its April opening, Christie's little-known "command center" has run 24/7, monitoring, maintaining and coordinating service for 32,431 devices in theaters across North America, including 3,780 digital cinema screens and 4,700 preshow systems. Clients getting NOC support include AMC, Carmike Cinemas, Rave Motion Pictures and Galaxy Theaters.
Technical support is not limited to Christie products; NOC will support any manufacturer's digital cinema projection, servers or related systems. Support packages average $2,500-$4,000 per screen, per year.
That theater owners will pay that amount points up the fact D-cinema is still young and prone to esoteric problems.
A digital theater system involves elements such as projectors, servers, automated management systems and, sometimes, satellite distribution. "With digital cinema, things are so integrated from a networking and functionality perspective," says Sean James, VP, managed services at Christie. "Without system knowledge, it is difficult to pinpoint a problem."
Rob Warnes, manager of digital services at NOC client Rave concurs "Film has been around for 100 years, and it didn't change that much. All of a sudden we made this giant leap to the digital world. It is not something that you can (easily) teach employees. We needed professionals."
Even with so many devices to monitor, a typical day at the NOC isn't full of drama. The control center itself sits in a Christie office building in an anonymous office park. It's a large room with a video wall on one side and workstations for about a dozen engineers, arranged like a stripped-down version of NASA's Mission Control.
Christie's experts work in near silence, identifying technical problems -- in some cases, before they happen -- responding, and if necessary, sending a repair crew.
Engineers also use the network to update software and collect information on how well the d-cinema systems are performing.
Behind the scenes, the Christie facility houses expanded capacity and redundancies in hardware, software, power and data management. The NOC also includes facilities for meetings and training sessions.
James notes that for exhibitors, a projection failure is particularly bad for business, since moviegoers have invested money on a babysitter, as well as gas, tickets and concessions for a night out.
"When you get an auditorium full of people like that, a pass for a cancellation isn't good enough," he says. "It doesn't make up for the loss. For a theater owner, a free pass and a concession refund is not as problematic as the potential that they may have driven a customer to a competitor's theater. If they had a bad experience, they might not come back."
The NOC concept may be new, but there's an indication that it's working, both for clients and for Christie: The company intends to expand the NOC model to overseas markets.
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