Vibrating you along with your movies
BY COLIN ENQUIST
D-Box is a line of motion equipped seating and control devices that work with a supporting movie or video game to provide motion feedback to the viewer. Using an internet connection (or directly from a Blu-Ray disc) to read the “Motion-Code” the chair will receive commands to vibrate, move, lean, and shake based upon action on the screen. How does it work you ask, well the D-BOX system has a pair of direct-drive actuators that move and lift the seating. These electro-mechanical lifts are capable of enacting up to 2Gs of acceleration and just over 500lbs of lift on the seated subject(s). The actuators are mounted effectively under the back feet of the chair in which a control cable is connected to either a D-BOX Series 3 Kinetron controller or a PC running the D-BOX motion control software.
Hollywood is slowly embracing this technology as Sony began supporting D-Box by adding Motion-Code to select Blu-Ray titles as of March, 2008, and Universal Studios has also begun distributing supporting titles as of November, 2008 while Fox has been supporting D-Box since 2006. Currently the D-Box has a library of about 1000 films.
Not only focusing on home theatre, D-Box just recently had its first major theatrical release with Universal's Fast & Furious, with the Motion-Code technology written into it. Chairs were installed in LA's Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and in a theatre in Surprise, Arizona, and the enhanced seating was available for a $5 surcharge.
One of my worries about investing in the D-Box technology would be if I (or my fiancée) would get motion sickness while watching a movie. Those who worry like me, about motion sickness need not worry, as D-Box uses motion effects that are carefully produced with the intention to well replicate the reality and not to create a theme park ride experience. Furthermore, D-Box has a level control that lets you adjust the motion and intelligent vibration intensity, just like you can adjust the volume of the sound on a sound system. The biggest downside to having this new technology in your living room is the high cost. You would be looking at around $6, 100 just for the basic set up but with the technology slowly becoming more affordable and as the movie selection grows, you may just see more and more of these chairs lounging around.
Check out their official website (http://www.d-box.com/) that has a good video showing and explaining most of the features of D-Box and how it works.
BY COLIN ENQUIST
D-Box is a line of motion equipped seating and control devices that work with a supporting movie or video game to provide motion feedback to the viewer. Using an internet connection (or directly from a Blu-Ray disc) to read the “Motion-Code” the chair will receive commands to vibrate, move, lean, and shake based upon action on the screen. How does it work you ask, well the D-BOX system has a pair of direct-drive actuators that move and lift the seating. These electro-mechanical lifts are capable of enacting up to 2Gs of acceleration and just over 500lbs of lift on the seated subject(s). The actuators are mounted effectively under the back feet of the chair in which a control cable is connected to either a D-BOX Series 3 Kinetron controller or a PC running the D-BOX motion control software.
Hollywood is slowly embracing this technology as Sony began supporting D-Box by adding Motion-Code to select Blu-Ray titles as of March, 2008, and Universal Studios has also begun distributing supporting titles as of November, 2008 while Fox has been supporting D-Box since 2006. Currently the D-Box has a library of about 1000 films.
Not only focusing on home theatre, D-Box just recently had its first major theatrical release with Universal's Fast & Furious, with the Motion-Code technology written into it. Chairs were installed in LA's Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and in a theatre in Surprise, Arizona, and the enhanced seating was available for a $5 surcharge.One of my worries about investing in the D-Box technology would be if I (or my fiancée) would get motion sickness while watching a movie. Those who worry like me, about motion sickness need not worry, as D-Box uses motion effects that are carefully produced with the intention to well replicate the reality and not to create a theme park ride experience. Furthermore, D-Box has a level control that lets you adjust the motion and intelligent vibration intensity, just like you can adjust the volume of the sound on a sound system. The biggest downside to having this new technology in your living room is the high cost. You would be looking at around $6, 100 just for the basic set up but with the technology slowly becoming more affordable and as the movie selection grows, you may just see more and more of these chairs lounging around.
Check out their official website (http://www.d-box.com/) that has a good video showing and explaining most of the features of D-Box and how it works.
1 comment:
this is awesome.im jus gonna wait a few years and the price will drop jus like every other electronic device.
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