D-Box Technologies

D-BOX was originally founded in 1998 as a manufacturer of powerful subwoofers. Michel Jacques was the company's president and CEO. The company noticed customers were buying multiple subwoofers to place around seats to mimic a motion effect. D-BOX decided to shift its focus to motion technology; in 2001, the company released its first generation of D-BOX motion seating systems. The company initially focused on the theatrical-exhibition market rather than home consumers, due to the high cost of a single chair.

In August 2005, Claude McMaster became the company's President and CEO.

In 2009, Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at Universal Pictures, asked D-BOX to use its motion technology for the 2009 film Fast & Furious. The project was successful, and was considered a company milestone. That year, the company reached an agreement with Canadian exhibitor Cineplex Entertainment to install D-BOX seats at its locations, with the first opening in July 2009.

In October 2018, the company entered the sports simulation market, and displayed a Formula 1 simulator at a sports conference in London.

In November, Variety announced that D-BOX was working to develop an amusement park ride based on Ubisoft's popular Rabbids title.

In May 2019, the company announced that its simulation technology was being used by Monaco-based company RS Simulation in its Sector One racing simulator.

By July 2019, D-BOX seats were located at over 700 screens in 40 countries. In August, the company announced that Australian and New Zealand-based company Hoyts was installing D-BOX seats in its theaters. In October, the company announced it was partnering with India-based film chain PVR Cinemas to install its seats in Indian cinemas, and that the 2019 Indian action film War would incorporate the motion technology coding.

On April 1, 2020, the company announced that Sébastien Mailhot was taking on the role of President and CEO. In September, British simulation company Cranfield Simulations announced a $170,000 home Formula 1 simulator using D-BOX's suspension platform. In November, the company announced a lower cost chair designed for the home entertainment market. In December, the company announced it was working with gaming hardware manufacturer Cooler Master to produce a gaming chair featuring full-body haptic technology.

Products and services

D-BOX produces haptic (motion) effects programmed for visual and musical content, which are sent to a motion system integrated either within a platform, a seat, or various types of equipment. Sounds and action are hand-encoded to link to motion effects. Its technology is used for various industries including movie theaters, sim racing, gaming, home entertainment, commercial training and simulation; and attractions and theme parks.

Movie theaters

The first feature film to have been encoded with D-BOX was Fast & Furious; multiple D-BOX seats were installed at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood for the premiere, as well as a cinema in Surprise, Arizona. As of January 2025, D-BOX estimated that its seats were installed in over 1,000 cinemas worldwide.

In digital cinema, D-BOX codes for motion control are stored in the Digital Cinema Package for the film. Control data is encoded in a monoaural WAV file on Sound Track channel 13, labelled as "Motion Data". Motion Data tracks are unencrypted and not watermarked.

Sim racing

D-BOX's technology is used by a variety of manufacturers to develop simulation technology. D-BOX's haptic system is the only official haptic technology licensed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and the company is also the Official Haptic Partner of eNASCAR.