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LCD Screens Double as Speakers

Posted by Hemos on from the so-many-submissions dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The BBC has a story about a company who has developed an LCD screen that can produce sound as well. They claim that the sound quality is quite good, and compare it to average multimedia computer speakers. Also NEC is making and selling computers that use this technology in Japan. Hardware integration like this should make for some interesting appliances in the next few decades."

14 of 216 comments (clear)

  1. That's crazy! by austinij · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It seems like an awesome idea, but how does it handle stereo? And I'd love to hear a wav file or something of how it sounds...

    1. Re:That's crazy! by ThePretender · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'd love to hear a wav file or something of how it sounds...

      Well that would most certainly let you know how *your* speakers sound... but would tell you nothing about how their product sounds.

  2. Obligatory Simpsons quote by visgoth · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can see the music!

    --
    My patience is infinite, my time is not.
    1. Re:Obligatory Simpsons quote by syle · · Score: 5, Funny
      Don't you people ever sleep???

      "Oh boy, sleep! That's where I'm a Viking!" - Ralph

      --

      /syle

  3. Appliances by DaemonGem · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh boy, soon my microwave will be playing techno, and my keyboard will be outputting a crummy rendition of Tchaikovsky. I can't wait.
    -Dae

    --
    "Alle reden vom wetter. Wir nicht." - SDS Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund.
    j00 4r3 3n73r1ng l337 w0r1d.
  4. Nice One by jolyonr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great news - because we all know how expensive speakers are and how cheap LCD screens are! Imagine the cost savings... Jolyon

    --


    Please read my Canon EOS tech blog at http://www.everyothershot.com
  5. Re:*bzzt* wrong by Jaycatt · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It would be nice for travelling presentations or training, however. The lightweight LCD is already useful for that. Not having to carry around speakers would also help with the travel weight.

    --
    "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy is increased. Thus we refute entropy" - Spider Robinson
  6. Not New Tech... by FosterSJC · · Score: 5, Informative
    First, obviously, the sound isn't coming from the light or the screen or whatever. There is a thin acrylic sheet that is used as a sounding board:

    The technology works by placing a thin acrylic panel over the computer display. This is attached at the edges to a couple of exciters.

    These moving coil motors make the acrylic screen vibrate to produce the sound.

    This is the same tech, essentially, that drives those flat-panel computer speakers, and the Soundbug over at thinkgeek.
  7. Vibration and delicate electronics... by Dutchmaan · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...two great tastes that go great together!

  8. laptops by Snuffub · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This could be great for the laptop market where "average" multimedia speakers would sound alot better than those tin cans.

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    --aiee
  9. Re:Image integrity? by Musashi+Miyamoto · · Score: 5, Informative

    It sounds like these speakers are similar to Martin Logan electrostatic speakers, and the screen will not produce anything close to low-frequency sound. The screen will likely require a midrange/woofer to reproduce the full spectrum of sound.

    Electrostat speakers are typically transparent like glass, but held between two screens to allow the sound to travel. The article says the company claims the monitor has a "universal sweet spot", but that is probably corporate marketing talk for "no sweet spot". Most panel based electrostat speakers have a very very tiny sweet spot, and you need to be sitting perfectly between the two speakers.

    From howstuff works:

    These speakers vibrate air with a large, thin, conductive diaphragm panel. This diaphragm panel is suspended between two stationary conductive panels that are charged with electrical current from a wall outlet. These panels create an electrical field with a positive end and a negative end. The audio signal runs a current through the suspended panel, rapidly switching between a positive charge and a negative charge. When the charge is positive, the panel is drawn toward the negative end of the field, and when the charge is negative, it moves toward the positive end in the field.

  10. Re:i don't know what's happening by Snork+Asaurus · · Score: 5, Funny

    "you can't just casually mention quasi-invisibility cloaks without posting a link"

    He did post a link, but he used the <quasi-invisible> tag.

    --
    Sigs are bad for your health.
  11. real world application by digifuzz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    i could see this really taking off in the hand-held market, where the machines are really small and would benefit from having less components to have to cram into their small encasing..

    ~ fuzz

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    http://www.digifuzz.net
  12. The answer is... it doesn't. by pr0ntab · · Score: 5, Interesting

    NXT argues its technology has major advantages over conventional speakers. It says its SoundVU technology distributes frequencies evenly across a room, producing what audio buffs call a universal "sweet spot".

    I read that as it's a speaker that fills the room with a single channel of sound. If it was in stereo, then it wouldn't be room filling if you could discern the channels. You could probably deal with it if the screen created two virtual speakers by superposition using exciters on opposite sides of the monitor. But then the sweet spot would be very small, aimed at the person sitting a few feet away. Definitely not room filling.

    Plus, they go on to say how they intend to use it in mobile phones and PDAs. All single channel devices when used without headphones.

    --
    Fuck Beta. Fuck Dice