4DX Cinema Experience... Worth it for Home Theater?

[LuisV]

Haven't seen a thread about the 4DX Cinema Experience, so I figured why not poll fellow Lounge Lizards to see if folks take advantage of Cinemas that offer it, are trying to duplicate some aspects of a 4D experience at home or if people feel it's simply a gimmick.   This goes way beyond the typical bass shakers or chair breakers as I like to call them.

In case you aren't aware of what 4DX Cinema is...

"4DX is a state-of-the-art film technology developed by CJ 4DPLEX which delivers an immersive multi-sensory cinematic experience. 4DX incorporates on-screen visuals with synchronized motion seats and environmental effects such as water, wind, fog, scent, snow and more, to enhance the action on screen."

www.cj4dx.com/



Here's a collaboration between D-Box and Jaymar for the Home Theaters:

www.d-box.com/en








DIY options that go beyond the typical bass shakers... you can also google HoverEZe for more insanity



DIY wind simulator:

[KeithL]

When I was young... which was a lot longer in the past than I like to think about...
I went to see one of the first LASER light shows (LASERIUM at the Haydn Planetarium in NY).
One scenario was a thunder storm and, at the appropriate moment, helpers with flit bottles actually spritzed a little bit of water out over the audience.
It was startling... and fun...

I also distinctly recall a ride at Disneyland where, when "the rocket flight took off", the bottoms of the seat cushions sank down...
(So you actually "sank into your seat to simulate increased G-forces".)

But, since then, there have been various attempts at similar ideas... all with limited success...
- we have "buttshakers" (which have some limited success; they also work with a lot of content and don't cost that much)
- and someone recently has reintroduced an idea that was originally dubbed "smell-o-vision" (I forget the name of the new one)

My impressions are:
1. This technology requires expensive hardware - the seats.
2. It isn't going to work well unless the actual content supports it.
     (I assume they'll release "configuration files" that enable it to work with specific popular big-ticket movies.)
3. It's only going to work if they can convince at least a few theaters to offer it so people can try it without a major investment (and it then gets great reviews).

My GUESS is that, unless they get major support from major players in the industry, it won't succeed.
Until then it's "an expensive long shot that not many people will really care about".

[LuisV]

This stemmed from a recent conversation I had with a fellow HT enthusiast, he mentioned that he watched Top Gun: Maverick at a local theater in 4DX and felt it added to the immersion experience of the movie; therefore, it peaked my interest to see if there were similar offerings for home theater as I never heard of 4DX before. Until the hype started around the new Avatar movie, we had zero interest in visiting our local cinema, so I haven't kept up with them or the associated tech. After purchasing tickets for Avatar, standing on-line, paying triple the price for concessions, we thought the movie was entertaining, yet felt the local cinema experience was exactly as we remembered it... meh. To be honest, we could have purchased 2 - 3 UHD BR movies from Amazon or BestBuy and had a much better experience at home. Oh well... at least we tried.

Besides basic "chair rattlers", from what I've gathered, the DIY or purchased motion solutions, as you assumed, requires input for the actuators to provide the simulation based on the action shown on screen... DIY is an manually edited "input" file and the purchased solution, at least the one from D-Box, is a subscription along with a "control box" for the actuators. Expensive? Not sure as they are only available via dealers; however, since a "middleman" or multiple are in the mix, I can only assume it will be significantly higher than if purchased direct, so probably out of reach for the average user.

Agreed... unless support from the major players in the industry is obtained, this will die on the vine for the home user. 4DX in the cinema? I honestly think it's gimmick to justify their high prices...

[405x5]

“4DX Cinema Experience... Worth it for Home Theater?“

To buy? Absolutely not. Another rich boy toy and they will go for it…… Why not?
A Movie fails or succeeds on the merit of the story and the quality and believability of the actors. If those ingredients do not exist, no manner of technology will be able to bail it out.
My local cinema just received reprieve from being shut down. That will be a disaster for my local shopping center. Cinema has been in that place in one form another since 1980. it cost a lot of money to get these theaters certified. $12 a bag of popcorn is not helping either.
I would think most people who have spent time at either universal studios, or Disney, or both have experienced the sensory add-ons, including smell! These are great experiences at the amusement park, and that’s exactly where they belong.