This new TV accessory lets you smell what’s on the screen (Hint: it’s not pleasant)

The MovieScent on a table in a home theater. — (Image credit: Elevated Perceptions)

Somehow, this isn’t a joke: A company called Elevated Perceptions has created a TV accessory that uses AI to identify what’s happening during your favorite shows and movies, releasing a scent to match. The device is called MovieScent, and it will be available in September for $179.

According to a press release on the product sent to Tom’s Guide, MovieScent will come prepackaged with six scents: Ocean, Fresh Cut Grass, Restaurant, Forest, Storm and Fresh Laundry. By releasing relevant smells, MovieScent to enhance the movie-watching experience, something that even the best TVs can't do by themselves.

Fresh Laundry, the last smell in the box, can be sprayed after the movie ends to “neutralize previously released scents” and bring the room back to smelling like normal. Well, as normal as the room can be after you just filled it with eau de Restaurant. Elevated Perceptions claims each scent can be secreted 4,000 times before needing to be refilled; it plans on releasing new scents like Fire, Jungle, Zombie, New Car and Blood in the weeks following launch.

To connect to your TV, MovieScent just needs to be plugged in via HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack or optical audio cable. Then, it uses AI to “identify key cues and events within the content” and release an appropriate matching scent.

Bringing the 4D cinema into your home theater

Honestly, had this been announced on April Fools Day, you could write MovieScent off as another wacky prank pulled by a company looking for some easy coverage. But no, MovieScent has an Amazon page where you can add the item to your Wanted List.

At $179, you’re essentially buying a smart Glade plugin that releases… unappealing scents at certain intervals. It could be a tough sell for home theater enthusiasts, even if 4D movie theaters have somehow survived for the better part of the last century.

Unsurprisingly, this isn’t Elevated Perceptions’ first sensory-related accessory. Earlier in 2024, the company announced GameScent, a similar device that caters to gamers with scents like Gun Fire, Explosion and the generic-but-semi-intriguing Racing.

Because these devices work with relatively common connection standards, the company says you can also use them with PCs, mobile phones, tablets, gaming systems and virtual reality (VR) headsets, if you have a hankering to smell content from those devices, too.

Admittedly, I'm not too keen on having my room smell like Zombies and Blood — but, hey, for folks looking to immerse themselves in their favorite films without having to attend the nearest screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," MovieScent is a nifty solution to a strange, niche problem.

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Nick Pino heads up the TV and AV verticals at Tom's Guide and covers everything from OLED TVs to the latest wireless headphones. He was formerly the Senior Editor, TV and AV at TechRadar (Tom's Guide's sister site) and has previously written for GamesRadar, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade. Not sure which TV you should buy? Drop him an email or tweet him on Twitter and he can help you out.