LAS VEGAS—You won't need to hook up speakers with this flat panel TV from LG Display. It can vibrate the audio out right from the screen itself.
At CES, LG Display is showing off its "Crystal Sound" technology, which does away with traditional speakers and instead delivers the sound directly from the display itself—whether it be a TV or a PC monitor.
LG Display originally debuted the technology back in 2017 with a 65-inch TV, but since then the feature has gone through some upgrades. The Korean supplier has now fitted a more powerful Crystal Sound system on an 88-inch 8K TV with the promise of delivering even richer audio.
To emit the audio, the 88-inch TV contains five "exciters" that have been fitted inside the panel. Each exciter can generate sounds and music outward through the display's vibrations.
PCMag had a chance to view the TV, and it does deliver some powerful audio. In a demo, the TV blasted the sounds directly toward us, right off the display. The TV is also capable of controlling how much sound each exciter in the panel emits. You can see how this works in the video above. As each car drives over the screen, the sound follows the path.
LG Display is also bringing the same Crystal Sound technology to PC monitors and laptop displays. It promises to swap the small and less powerful speaker systems that usually sit on the fringes of the computer for a louder, more immersive audio experience.
Unfortunately, LG Display is a supplier and a separate business unit from LG Electronics. So it'll be up to TV and PC makers whether they choose to adopt the Crystal Sound technology. But it's ready for manufacturing, according to LG Display.
What might this new tech cost consumers? LG Display is declining to speculate.