New OLED screen with a speaker in every pixel promises sound as precise as OLED's contrast

Date:
Wed, 28 May 2025 19:15:00 +0000

Description:
New TV tech promises pin-sharp spatial sound with pixel precision

FULL STORY ======================================================================Each OLED pixel can be a sound source too No need for conventional speakers and no increase in thickness Could be used for in-car displays, smartphones and headsets

For years now the TV industry has been thinking about pixels: how to make
them brighter, how to make them smaller, how to put them together in the best possible way. And now there's a new push: how to make them sound.

As spotted by Science Daily , researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH for short) have created a 13-inch OLED panel where every pixel makes sound as well as light.

And that tech could one day deliver multi-channel sound with incredible precision without requiring speaker drivers. Pixels should be heard as well as seen (Image credit: Wiley / POSTECH )

As Science Daily reports (hat tip to Notebookcheck ), the team have called their invention 'Pixel-Based Local Sound OLED technology'. And as they explain, the problem with TV audio is that it's really hard to get accurate positional sound with conventional speakers.

"The core issue is that traditional exciters devices that vibrate to produce sound are large and heavy, making it difficult to deploy multiple units without interference or compromising the OLED's thin design," the researchers say. "Additionally, sound crosstalk between multiple speakers leads to a lack of precise control over localized audio."

Their solution was to embed piezo-electric exciters within the OLED display frame. "These piezo exciters, arranged similarly to pixels, convert
electrical signals into sound vibrations without occupying external space. Crucially, they are fully compatible with the thin form factor of OLED panels."

That enables each pixel to become an independent sound source, and the team says that they were able to completely eliminate crosstalk so that sounds coming from different parts of the display didn't interfere with one another.

The applications of the technology go beyond TVs. One suggestion is that in-car displays could send different audio to different people, for example
by giving vocal directions to the driver while the passenger listens to
music. And in phones or headsets the audio could change as the head, hand or device moves.

According to Professor Su Seok Choi, "This technology has the potential to become a core feature of next-generation devices, enabling sleek, lightweight designs in smartphones, laptops, and automotive displays while delivering immersive, high-fidelity audio."

The "has the potential" bit is key, however: this is a proof of concept, not
a product and there's a big difference between producing audio and producing excellent audio. And of course what works in a 13-inch prototype may prove much more difficult to achieve in panels of larger sizes.

There's also the question of cost so while the announcement is definitely exciting I think the best soundbars can breathe easy for a good few years
yet. You might also like Should you buy a new TV in 2025? The TV tech to
watch out for in 2025, from even brighter OLEDs to better LCDs The best TV 2025, chosen by our reviewers for all budgets



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/televisions/new-oled-screen-with-a-speaker-in-every- pixel-promises-sound-as-precise-as-oleds-contrast


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