Movie Theaters Using DVRs To Catch Action Off-Screen

DVRs from Dedicated Micros are playing a role in helping U.S. movie theater managers and owners to effectively tackle real-world activities -- away from the larger-than-life figures appearing on the silver screen -- including anti-social behavior, employee theft and the occasional faked slip-and-fall.

A leader in the application of this CCTV technology is Muvico, which owns 13 theatres in Florida, Maryland and Tennessee. The company's Palace 20 Theatre in Boca Raton, Florida and Paradise Theater in Davie, Fla., offer a high quality movie experience with six balcony theatres where customers can opt to reserve extra-wide seats or love seats, have free popcorn and valet parking, and bring in food and wine from the theatre's restaurant and bar.

When it came time to address the issues of loss prevention, employee and customer safety, Muvico turned its attention to CCTV security systems.

"Our first systems used cumbersome videotape," said Darryl Leversuch, director of technical services for Muvico in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "We couldn't document a slip and fall well. The video was too grainy and had too much time lapse."

At that point, Muvico contracted APS 2000 of Boynton Beach, Florida, to install digital recorders and higher quality cameras. APS 2000 replaced the existing VCRs with Dedicated Micros' Digital Sprite 2 (DS2), 16-channel, DVRs.

Now, five NetVu Connected Digital Sprite 2 DVRs support nearly 80 cameras at the Paradise -- another four support 64 cameras at the Palace.

"We chose the Digital Sprite 2 model because it provides all the features Muvico was looking for," said Marco Torres, crew supervisor at APS 2000, "such as remote log in, ease of use, large storage capabilities and clear pictures."

Each theater has on-site monitoring and Muvico's Leversuch can now access any theatre remotely from his corporate office. Till theft and concession "giveaways" have dropped about 75 percent, and the theatre is catching those who still try it. Concession stand cameras also allow managers to study employee efficiency, maximizing customer flow by locating staff to best serve customers.

Due to the success of the system, Muvico has apportioned capital expenditure over the next two years to retrofit its existing sites with the DVR technology.

"More than 90 percent of the slip and falls have been determined to be unfounded since upgrading to Dedicated Micros' DVRs," Leversuch said. "It isn't unheard of to have to pay out $50,000 for one faked incident, so if you can prevent a single payout from a faked slip and fall, you're recouping a lot of your security system investment."

Featured

  • AI to Help Resolve Non-Emergency Calls Across Utah and Decrease 911 Caller Wait Times

    The Utah Communications Authority (UCA), which oversees the state’s next generation 911 technology services, recently announced that public safety answering points (PSAPs) throughout the state plan to implement Motorola Solutions’ Virtual Response technology to automate the receipt and resolution of 10-digit non-emergency line calls in Utah with the help of AI. Read Now

  • Report: 2025 Video Surveillance Market Set to Grow After Small Decline in 2024

    Novaira Insights has unveiled its latest report, “World Market for Video Surveillance Hardware and Software – 2025 Edition.” The research indicates that the global market for video surveillance hardware and software experienced a slight decline of 0.3% in 2024. This performance fell short of previous forecasts, primarily due to a significant decrease of 7.8% in the Chinese market. Conversely, the rest of the world saw a growth of 4.9%. The global market for video surveillance equipment was estimated to be worth $25.0 billion in 2024. Read Now

  • Report Reveals Local Governments Face Surge in Ransomware Attacks with Minimal Resources

    KnowBe4, the cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, recently released new research highlighting the critical cybersecurity challenges facing state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. The report details how government organizations have become prime targets for cybercriminals while simultaneously facing severe resource constraints. Read Now

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.