- Each pixel OLED can also be a sound source
- There is no need for conventional speakers and without increasing thickness
- It could be used for screens, smartphones and headphones
For years, the television industry has been thinking about the pixels: how to make them brighter, how to make them smaller, how to assemble them in the best possible way. And now there is a new impulse: how to sound them.
As detained by Science Daily, researchers at the University of Science and Technology of Pohang (Postech for Short) have created a 13 -inch OLED panel where each pixel makes sound and light.
And that technology could someday offer a multichannel sound with incredible precision, without requiring speaker conductors.
Pixels must be heard and see
As Science Daily (Hat Tip to Notebookck) reports, the team has called its invention “local local sound technology based on pixels”. And as they explain, the problem with Audio TV is that it is really difficult to obtain a precise positional sound with conventional speakers.
“The central problem is that traditional exciters, devices that vibrate to produce sound, are large and heavy, which hinders the implementation of multiple units without interference or compromise the thin design of the OLED,” says the researchers. “In addition, the sound diaphony among several speakers leads to a lack of precise control over the localized audio.”
Its solution was to incorporate piety exciters into the OLED screen frame. “These piezographic exciters, arranged similarly to the pixels, convert electrical signals into sound vibrations without occupying external space. Crucially, they are fully compatible with the thin -shaped factor of the OLED panels.”
That allows each pixel to become an independent sound source, and the team says that they could completely eliminate the diaphony, so those sounds from different parts of the screen did not interfere with each other.
The technology applications go beyond televisions. A suggestion is that the screens in the car could send different audio to different people, for example, giving vocal instructions to the driver while the passenger listens to the music. And on phones or headphones, the audio could change as the head, hand or device moves.
According to the teacher his Seok Choi, “this technology has the potential to become a central characteristic of next -generation devices, allowing elegant and light designs on smartphones, laptops and automotive screens, while offering immersive and high fidelity audio.”
However, the bit “has the potential” is key: this is a proof of concept, not a product, and there is a big difference between producing audio and producing excellent audio. And, of course, what works in a 13 -inch prototype can be much more difficult to achieve in larger sizes panels.
There is also the question of cost, so, although the announcement is definitely exciting, I think the best sound bars can breathe easy for a few years.
