Movies Take a Step Closer to the “Feelies”

Although I work in high tech, I could never be considered an “early adopter.” I didn’t even get a cell phone until 2001. So you can imagine how surprised I was a couple of weeks ago to find myself the first among my acquaintances to try the D-BOX Motion Code™, a motion effects (MFX) system from D-BOX Technologies. That’s mainly because I continue an oh-so-20th Century habit of going to movie theaters at least twice a month, often by myself to discount matinees, while most people now consider the cinema a special group outing.

What is D-BOX?

The D-BOX Motion Code uses motion effects specifically programmed for a film that are sent to a motion-generating system integrated within a platform or a seat. The chairs vibrate, rumble and make other moves in synch with the onscreen action, allowing you to "feel" the action rather than simply watch it. It takes you one step closer toward the "feelies" described in Brave New World.

I first heard about D-BOX in July when it was installed in the Camera Cinemas at the Pruneyard shopping center in Campbell, Calif., for Inception. The concept immediately intrigued me, as I still recall the buzz around “Sensurround" technology when Earthquake premiered in 1974 – and how annoying it was to be in the thin-walled theater next door. While I didn’t see Inception (which I still regret!), I quizzed the Camera staff as to the upcoming movies that would be D-BOX-enabled. I skipped Jackass 3D for obvious reasons, but vowed that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 would be my D-BOX debut.

My D-BOX Experience

The Camera Cinemas has two dozen of the bright red, extra-wide and extra-high D-BOX seats in the front rows (which you can reserve in advance). When you enter the theater, the ticket-taker will assign you to a particular D-BOX seat, as only those seats will be activated when the movie starts. Right away, that created some confusion, as some people didn’t take the correct seats. Luckily, the seats have a light so you can tell if yours is on standby mode. The Camera host then gave quick instructions before the show started. There’s a control mounted on the right side of each seat, with high, medium and low settings, so the viewer can adjust the strength of the effects.

The D-BOX Motion System generates three types of movements and intelligent vibrations: pitch, roll and heave, that move you up and down, side to side, and forwards and backwards. I expected D-BOX to be something similar to a theme park ride, where if you’re watching a car chase, you’ll feel your seat vibrate and tilt with the car. And it was rather like that, except the seat doesn’t lift up quite as high, and I never felt nauseous. In The Deathly Hallows, my seat tilted forward as Harry went downstairs, swayed from side to side as he flew over London to escape the Death Eaters, and violently jerked forward and back when Nagini attacked him in Godric’s Hollow. To get a better idea of how the D-BOX MFX system works, you can watch this (highly promotional) video done for the D-BOX version of The Prince of Persia — just scroll down.

So what did I think of it? It was a mistake — for me — to try D-BOX for the first time with The Deathly Hallows. The technology is definitely interesting, and the programmers did an excellent job of synching the seat movement to the action on screen, but I found it distracting and a bit noisy. The reason I still go to cinemas is that I like sitting in the dark theater and being totally focused on a giant screen for two hours, without the distractions I have at home. So when my chair started shaking and vibrating, that broke my concentration on the story. I started to brace myself in anticipation of the chair movement.

I quizzed three people sitting next to me about their reaction to D-BOX, and they felt as I did – it was OK, but nothing spectacular, and not necessarily worth the additional fee. I can certainly see the attraction for gamers, though, and also think that I could enjoy it in a more action-oriented movie, where I don’t have as much “invested” in the story as I did in HPVII(1).

A few latecomers didn’t notice the “reserved” signs and sat in the D-BOX seats, but since those seats weren’t activated, they didn’t experience the motion. I asked them afterwards if they found it distracting that my seat was shaking and humming while they were sitting perfectly still. They did notice it at first, but thought it seemed “cool” and wanted more information.

If you’re interested in trying out D-BOX for yourself, you can catch it with the 3D version of The Green Hornet, opening Friday, Jan. 14th. The Camera is the only theater with the system in South Bay — the other SF Bay Area theaters are in Martinez, Livermore and Petaluma. There are only about 50 theaters worldwide with the system installed. (See the list on the D-Box website.). There is an $8 per ticket surcharge, plus the extra fee for 3D — $3 at the Camera — so it does make your ticket rather spendy unless you buy one of the Camera's discount passes (a great value).

Beyond Movies

The D-BOX MFX isn’t only for new theatrical releases — it’s available on more than 900 titles, old and new, including many in Blu-ray™ format, and for TV series and video games as well. And for several thousand dollars, you can purchase it for your state-of-the-art home entertainment man-cave. There are new seating models that are D-BOX-ready, or you can add a motion platform to your existing seating. Motion controllers are available in PC-based and standalone models. (Click “Where to Buy” on the D-BOX website to find a map of dealers across the U.S.)

It’s getting harder and harder to lure people off their sofas and away from their 42-inch flatscreens to pay to see a movie, particularly as the so-called “theatrical window” between release in cinemas and release on DVD and video-on-demand grows ever smaller. Theater owners should definitely consider adding D-BOX seats as an incentive, particularly when combined with 3D (shades of A Clockwork Orange!). However, I don’t see it becoming as popular as 3D until the surcharge is reduced.

Full disclosure: I do not have any connection to either D-BOX Technologies or the Camera Cinemas, except as a long-time satisfied patron.

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