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Bum-shaking theater seats rock Caribbean moviegoers
These seats vibrate in sync with explosions on the big screen. Feel the explosions in your, er, butt, and gunshots up your spine.
(Credit:
Tremor FX)
If you love being on the edge of your seat in a movie, get down to the Dominican Republic.
A theater in Santo Domingo is the world's first venue with Tremor FX movie seats, which apparently supply your posterior with "a more immersive theater experience," according to makers Red Seat Entertainment and Seating Concepts.
The Tremor FX system was shown off earlier this year at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. It has three vibrating actuators -- two in the back and one in the bottom -- that shake in response to sounds from the movie.
The lower actuator shakes in response to bass sounds, like rolling thunder, while the upper ones respond to treble sounds, such as a high-pitched machine-gun blast.
Films don't require a dedicated Tremor FX audio track to make the seats shake; they respond to the regular sounds of the film. Seats come with volume controls so users can adjust the vibrations or shut them off.
Caribbean Cinemas installed 70 Tremor FX chairs in two HD theaters at Galeria 360 theater. The chairs are about the same size as regular theater seats, and are controlled from a box in the projection room.
"The expectations of moviegoers are evolving, and we look forward to partnering with other theaters to bring this one-of-a-kind experience to cinemas across the globe," RedSeat Entertainment CEO Joseph Sorenson said in a release.
Box office sales in North American were down 4 percent last year, and the industry is looking for ways to put more bums in seats. Would a shaking chair lure you back to the big screen?
