D-BOX: A New Dimension in Home Theater D-BOX Motion Simulation Chair In an industrial park just outside Montreal, a company called D-BOX is adding an entirely new dimension to the home-theater experience. D-BOX has invented a technology that translates onscreen movement to motion in your viewing chair, adding a visceral thrill to movie watching. All you have to do is pop a DVD into any player, sit in a special D-BOX motion-simulation chair or in a conventional chair atop a D-BOX platform, and hang on for the ride. The D-BOX system is composed of two elements. The first is the motion-simulation chairs containing the electro-mechanical actuators that make them move. You can install conventional home-theater seating on DBOX’s motion platform (what the company calls the Odyssee system), or choose stand-alone Quest chairs that require no special installation. The actuators are driven by an outboard box about the size of a large DVD player called the Kinetron Controller.
The second element of D-BOX, and where the real magic lies, is the “motion codes” that tell the motionsimulation systems how to move. Creating the motion codes is a highly sophisticated process—one that distinguishes D-BOX from “shaker” chairs that merely vibrate when fed by a subwoofer signal. D-BOX employs six full-time “kinetic artists” who painstakingly program every motion down to the smallest detail. It takes two to four weeks of full-time work to program one film. While sitting on a motion platform, the programmer watches the film and selects the combination of motion-simulation movements that best conveys what’s happening on the screen. He may watch a particular three-second segment dozens of times to find just the right movements and vibrations to create the impression that the viewer is experiencing the onscreen action. The frequency and amplitude of the movement and vibration are then tweaked and perfectly synchronized with the film. A film may have as many as 5500 individual motion cues.
The motion codes for the more than 400 films D-BOX has encoded thus far are stored on a hard drive inside the Kinetron Controller. Codes for newly released films are sent to DBOX owners in monthly CD updates, and are also available for download on the Internet. The D-BOX controller automatically recognizes the DVD that is playing and loads the appropriate motion codes. ), D-BOX creates motion codes for about twelve new films per month. I’ve had two short (five minute) demos of D-BOX at trade shows, and about an hour of seat time at the company’s factory during a recent visit. The two experiences were radically different. In the short demos, I was consciously aware of the novelty of a moving chair and paid attention to how onscreen action was being translated into seat movement. The experience was interesting, but not compelling. Once I sat in the chair for more than a few minutes, however, and watched an extended scene, I no longer focused on the seat motion; instead, I became involved in the film in a completely new way.
The motion seemed a natural extension of the movie. In action scenes such as the Mini chase toward the end of The Italian Job, D-BOX amped up the thrill factor to the point where I felt my heart beating harder and my palms getting sweaty. D-BOX created a more immersive and compelling experience, and was loads of fun. On the factory tour, I had the opportunity to examine the actuators and support mechanisms that make the chairs move. I was greatly impressed by the massive construction and fine machining of the parts. This is serious hardware. I learned that the most powerful of these actuators can each lift 600 pounds as much as 1.5" 200 times per second. Each actuator contains an optical encoder that tells the Kinetron Controller the actuator’s precise position at any given moment. The actuators can move slowly up and down while simultaneously moving quickly up and down—representing, for example, a car going over a hill while the engine is vibrating. You’re probably wondering how much a D-BOX system costs.
The Quest chair sells for $5300 in NuSuede with a manual recliner. A leather version with motorized recliner is $6999. Add $2999 for the Kinetron Controller, which can control up to four chairs. You can use your PC as the Controller with a $799 kit from DBOX, saving $2200. The Odyssee platform system ranges in price depending on how many chairs you intend to mount on the platform and how many axes of movement you want (two axes or three). A full-blown Odyssee system can run up to $30k. This isn’t cheap, but D-BOX is like nothing you’ve experienced before. D-BOX has more than 100 U.S. dealers, all of whom can demonstrate the system. If you take D-BOX for a test drive, be sure to spend at least 30 minutes watching a movie you like. But be forewarned: The demo may immediately induce you to get out your checkbooI’m a huge fan of the art of storytelling and storytelling doesn’t get much better than the cinema experience. My profession means i’m constantly connected, always within reach, and no matter the hour and compelled to respond when I see that blinking light.
Movies are my escape, for a moment in time they force me to unplug and allow me to experience a story other then my own.Most Thursday nights you can find me at the theater taking in the next big blockbuster or discovering one of the lesser known gems. Some years ago Cineplex (them main theater chain here in Canada) premiered the D-Box motion seating in some of their larger centers. The system allows an artists to script motion that is timed to the movie allowing you to not only see, but feel the action. Our local Cineplex got D-Box motion seats a few weeks ago and I was itching to try the experience. They promise a lot, but how does it hold up? Lets take a brief detour to talk about the actual film, The Legend of Tarzan. I don’t typically review the films I watch in greater detail then a single tweet as I hate spoilers and hundreds of people pour their hearts into creating something for us to enjoy. The Legend of Tarzan has its flaws but as a whole is a wonderful movie. Taking the path less traveled, at the beginning on the film John Clayton III (Tarzan) and his beautiful wife Jane are in England.
John has claimed his fathers linage as Lord Greystoke and has started to build a new life with Jane far from the jungle that raised him. Eventually John’s duty to his country as Lord Greystoke pulls him back to the world he once escaped. The cast is fantastic and story underneath is a great foundation. Throughout the movie I found myself wishing there was a little less action and more character driven drama. Alexander Skarsgård as Tarzan and Margot Robbie as Jane are well paired and certainly create some on screen magic. With Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz supporting most of the compelling scenes are found outside the action. Some of the action scenes, particularly Tarzan’s vine work and some of the jungle scenes feel unnatural. This seems like a budgetary issues as with a little more work on the lighting and rotoscoping would have went along way. Director David Yates and Warner Brothers have created magic together in the past with him at the helm of Harry Potter movies and the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, so we know they are capable of more.
If you enjoy compelling stories, its worth checking out. Did it enhance the movie experience? Did it distract from the movie experience? Was it worth the money? I’m squarely on the fence about that. The first thing you will notice about D-Box is it’s insane price. D-Box seating I’ve encountered is always located inside Cineplex’s UltraAVX theaters. If you haven’t seen a movie in UltraAVX, I highly recommend it. Upgraded projection, Dolby Atmos surround sound, reserved seating and upgraded semi reclining seats are well worth the upgraded price. Although prices vary by region the price in Red Deer, Alberta breaks down like this: For a whopping total of $23 Freaking Dollars. That is a hefty fee, one where if you intend to bring your significant other you may want to consider a second mortgage. In fairness, you can lob $5 of that price on Tuesday nights, but that still places D-Box in an extreme luxury category for me. Is it worth the cost of two movies? Let’s break it down.
When you walk into the theater you will defiantly notice the big red seats protruding like an island in the sea of Cineplex blue, allowing you to proudly proclaim your fanciness. D-Box seats are typically located in the primary viewing zone, where your eyes are dead center of the screen. Premiums price, premium placement. Hopping onto your D-Box seat you will notice a few more differences. The seat is not nearly a comfortable as the Cineplex’s other Ultra AVX seats, its quite ridged, and understandably because of the motion – doesn’t recline. On your left you will find a standard cup holder and to your right is a set of D-Box controls allowing you to set your own level of intensity. At 5′ 9″ I did notice a two things about the seat that I feel affected my viewing experience beyond the seats motion. First, the back of the seat is shorter then the other UltraAVX seats meaning I couldn’t lay my head back against the seat as I typically would when viewing. Second, the underlying motion control system means that the seat sits slightly higher then a typical seat.
Not much higher, but enough that I started to feel numbness in my lower leg because of reduced circulation. D-Box is definitely an experience. The technology works pretty well and I do feel like enhances the cinematic experience. There’s magic when the D-Box Motion Code syncs up with some of the epic flyover shots in the film. The very subtle pitch and roll make you feel like you are looking from the cameras perspective, and that’s pretty cool experience. Some very subtle tweaks to the motion could go along way to enhancing the experience. The seats seem to stop at their home and some animation style easing where it goes sightly past home and back would feel more natural. Where it lost me was the more action filled sequences. The motion an technology itself was great but I found the motion artists stylistic choices didn’t match my expectations. For example, there is a scene where your looking down the barrel of a chain gun as it’s fired and you feel the gosling of the gun as if you were firing it yourself.
When the camera cuts, so does the motion. Now your being fired at and the seat is stark and still. This choice of motion and non-motion took me out of the experience more then the motion itself. Although there were some defiant miscues in the motions timing, the overall D-Box motion experience was a positive one. Environmental factors are one of the primary things that can ruin a theater going experience, and I feel that there are a few worth mentioning here. I have to give it to D-Box, their chairs are relatively silent and the motion of other chairs doesn’t distract from the movie, but their insanely bright control LED’s in my peripheral vision do. It’s almost like there was someone texting beside me the whole movie. Diming the panel when its not in use would go a long way to improving the user experience. The Cineplex theater in Red Deer was not built or designed my Cineplex. They purchased it well into is constriction and their UltraAVX screen was retrofitted years later.
The AVX space is great but since it was not designed for the screen that means that viewing sweet spot I mentioned is two rows from the top, and is not the optimal place for audio. Unfortunately, there is a noticeable reduction in the sound quality where the D-Box seats are place. I love Cineplex, but I really do have to give them a hand slap here for cleanliness. At the Red Deer theater we’re often forced to stand in a third lineup while staff clean a theater. This was one of those days, and although staff went through and grabbed the drink cups and popcorn bags… There was a stack of garbage beside my D-Box seat including poutine cups, hot dog wrappers, cardboard trays and candy wrappers. I understand some patrons lack respect, I always remove my garbage and often pick up others on the way out. I understand that you cant possibly sweep and mop between every show. That said, when you make me wait and throw out a $23 price tag, it shouldn’t feel like i’m sitting inside a garbage can.