LG Display has revealed a 97-inch 4K OLED.EX TV panel that is capable of producing sound without the need for built-in speakers.
The new panel makes use of the tech company’s Cinematic Sound OLED technology, which involves a thin film that is applied to the back of the panel that vibrates the display, generating audio for the TV’s 5.1 channel sound system. LG says that the technology delivers a “cinematic level of immersion.”
LG previously implemented the technology on their LG G8 smartphone, the audio performance which was “lackluster” according to TheVerge.
However there is precedent to say that the technology of a vibrating TV generating audio does indeed work, with Sony’s A80K TV amongst others making use of similar Acoustic Surface Audio Plus technology. Sony’s TVs, unlike the LG panel, are assisted by front facing speakers, tweeters and actuators that vibrate the screen, which acts as a main speaker.
Credit: That Home Theater Dude
The lack of additional speakers does raise questions of LG’s claim of a “cinematic level of immersion”, where a surround sound system would make use of speakers around the viewer to pull them into the soundscape of what’s on screen.
It also begs the question of how LG plans to prevent image interference with a panel that vibrates.
Before the mention of speakerless technology, LG debuted its OLED.EX technology in its latest run of flagship G2 OLED TVs, and previously announced the 97-inch 4K panel back in January, which would make it the largest OLED TV ever released.
According to FlatPanelsHD, TV’s with the new panel will cost 25,000 Euro (roughly A$36,318) upon release in Europe, where it is expected to appear late this year. Pricing regarding the vibrating panel is yet to be disclosed.