Short answer
Preventive maintenance for cinema equipment covers daily pre-show checks, weekly content and system checks, periodic cleaning, measurement and calibration of projectors and sound, and monitoring booth temperature and dust. The aim is to catch faults during planned maintenance, not during a show. Remote monitoring complements the plan.
Why preventive maintenance?
A cancelled or interrupted show means refunds, lost food and beverage sales and unhappy customers. Many faults have preventable causes: clogged filters, overheating booths, expired KDMs or checks that were skipped.
Daily (before the first show)
- Do the projector, server and sound processor start without errors; are there warnings in the log?
- Are all films for the day ingested and validated, and do KDMs cover the show times?
- A short test playback to check picture, sound and subtitles
- Is booth temperature normal and ventilation working?
Weekly
- Server storage space and removal of old content
- Next week's content and KDM calendar
- Visual cleanliness check around port glass and lens
- Review error logs and note recurring warnings
Periodic (per manufacturer schedule)
| Equipment | Check |
|---|---|
| Projector | Air filters, cooling, optical cleaning, light output measurement; lamp hours and replacement on xenon projectors |
| Screen | Brightness and colour measurement (2D reference 14 fL / 48 cd/m²), screen surface and masking |
| Sound | Speakers and amplifiers, channel levels, recalibration if needed |
| Server / IMB | Software/firmware updates, certificate validity, disk health, secure-clock accuracy check |
| Infrastructure | Power, UPS, network and booth air-conditioning maintenance |
Records and monitoring
Keep a dated record of every check and track faults per device. These records feed both spare-parts planning and replacement decisions. Remote monitoring reports alerts instantly; the maintenance calendar covers what must be done before an alert appears. For content and KDMs see the DCP and KDM guide; for central management see the TMS guide.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a cinema projector be serviced?
Why measure screen brightness regularly?
What are the most common causes of failures during a show?
Does remote monitoring replace maintenance?
AHA DCS manages the preventive maintenance calendar, fault records and spare-parts stock, and monitors your halls remotely.
Operations management