27 May - The Cinema Online team had the privilege to visit a fairly new cinema chain in town, the 12-screen Premium-X Cinemas at One City Shopping Mall, USJ Subang. First opened on 12 December in 2013 for the public, the cinema aims to be the country's first ever fully kiosk operated cinema by mid this year when it is fully ready. Similar to the operations of an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) the newly introduced system will allow moviegoers to select their movies, showtimes, seats, as well their concession items via its touch screen menu. Currently moviegoers are able to purchase movie tickets via the box office counters up until the kiosk system is implemented. Graciously brought behind-the-scenes of Premium-X Cinemas by Marketing Manager Ranjeetha, Cinema Online had the exclusive opportunity to explore the inner-workings of the cinema's projector room. Known also as the 'heart of the cinema', the projector room houses special cinematic projectors that screen the movie via a Digital Cinema Package (DCP), a packaging of digital files that houses a movie and is able to convey Digital Cinema (DC) audio, image, and data streams.
The projectors are needed to decode the highly encrypted DCP (an effort by the distributor to avoid piracy) in order for the movie to be projected on the screen. Hence due to the nature of its operation, every cinema projector room has to be strictly forbidden to the public. With each hall housing exactly 89 seats, the Cinema Online team had the opportunity to also test out the plush seats ourselves as we were treated to watch "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" on the big-screen, prepped with popcorn and drinks in hand from the cinema's concession counter. Developed by MCT Consortium Berhad, two more kiosk operated Premium-X Cinemas are targeted to open within the next 2 years. They will be located at Cyberjaya by end of 2014 and the MCT Mall, at One City by end 2015. Check out photos of Cinema Online's trip at Premium-X Cinemas at One City Shopping Mall, USJ Subang below!