Critique: The D-BOX Experience

Sorry everyone that I'm a bit late to the game on this, my hiatus ended up being a bit longer than I'd anticipated. While there are a few reviews out there talking about D-BOX, ain't no one giving you the truth the way I deliver it (cue evil, maniacal laughter).



D-BOX isn't new anymore. And I'm sure that most cinema enthusiasts/aficionados have already gone ahead and tried it. But for those of you who haven't tried it yet and are considering it, here are some things to consider.

The Price (Cineplex Prices before taxes)

Let's talk about what's important to all of us. In Toronto, here is the range of tickets (I'm not including Cineplex VIP into this post).

Regular Movie Ticket: $13.50
3D Non-AVX Movie Ticket: $16.50
3D AVX Movie Ticket: $18.50
3D D-BOX Movie Ticket: $24.50

It's almost double the price of a regular ticket! Outrageous right? I suppose it depends on who you ask, and what their priorities are. But if you're budget conscious, $24.50 is pretty painful.

The Experience

So the powers that be have decided that D-BOX should take, pretty much the best seats in the house. They're positioned in the centre section of the theatre, and just a few rows down from the back. Down to just above the middle of the room. Why are these seats optimal? The first one is obvious, it's in the middle of the room width-wise. But, they're also the most optimal in terms of viewing angle also. You're not looking down, you're not looking up; you are looking straight from your seat to the screen.

So the video above already shows you the motion sensitive chair and how it rumbles and sways. If you're not prone to motion sickness, it's actually quite fun. For certain films ("Star Trek" and "The Perfect Storm" come to mind), it does enhance the experience of the film. I mean, let's be real here. You probably don't need your seat to rumble around for a movie like "Black Swan".

While I did/do enjoy the D-BOX experience for certain movies, I actually also find the seats to be pretty uncomfortable. It could be because I'm somewhat vertically challenged, but the seats are angled a bit higher at the edge than regular seats and so your feet (well, mine at least) do dangle off a bit. After about 30min into a movie, I find that my legs get fairly uncomfortable. So I spend the rest of the movie shifting my weight from one side to the other, trying to sit one way, then another.

The Options

D-BOX seats are generally found in AVX rooms. So if you don't absolutely need to rattle and roll with what's happening on screen, and still want excellent seats in the house? I say the best bang for buck AVX seats are in the row just in front of the D-BOX seats. You're still in the middle of the room width-wise, and you're still up high enough that your line of sight is still comfortable. There are a couple of added benefits (not including price) to this row also. The arm rests in AVX rooms are adjustable, so you can push it up for a better huggle with your S.O (Significant Other). D-BOX seats , because they move independently, there is some space in between. And because the D-BOX seats also go to and fro, they also provide plenty of leg room. This means that there's almost no chance of some seat kicking douche bag sitting behind you trying to get you to take a whiff of their toe jam.

The Verdict

I tend to choose the alternative that I just mentioned for MOST movies. But, there are certain movies that I don't mind paying the extra bucks for to maximise the viewing experience (the upcoming "Star Wars" movie comes to mind). There is however, actually one more situation where I'll choose a D-BOX seat. AVX tickets for opening weekend for a big blockbuster tends to sell quickly, especially in that centre cluster of seats. D-BOX seats tend to sell a touch slower than the other seats in the house. So when the S.O isn't available and I want to get a good seat close to the show time, there's a chance that there's a D-BOX seat that someone hasn't taken yet.

Bottom line, it's a good choice if you want/need a bit extra to get you immersed into the movie, but it's not entirely necessary.

If y'all are interested in the more detailed technical aspects behind D-BOX, here's a video of their "Motion Code"

Cheers.