Video: Emo Labs' invisible speakers visibly demonstrated
By Vladislav Savov 
posted Sep 24th 2009 10:07AM
posted Sep 24th 2009 10:07AM
[Via eCoustics]
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Emo-labs..?
I don't CARE how good it is, I'm NEVER buying anything developed by "emo labs"
man i really hope laptop OEMs start using this im tired of my crappy laptop speakers.
these speakers wont be any better!
can it embed on touch screens???
That was exactly what i was thinking.. i would imagine it would not work so hot, being that when you touch the screen, it will "clamp" (as the CEO references) different parts of the screen, making it sound funky.
i would also be worried about dust getting between that film and the actual display on any device (tv/montior/etc)
Is this not a rip-off of NXTs SoundVu technology?
This is actually really amazing!! If they started integrating this as a standard for laptop speakers this could take off! Assuming this actually sounds as good as they say.
Wouldn't the vibration from the sound cause the screen to go blury? I mean it doesn't seem to be in the video...but I'm not there in person to witness this. This is probably good on laptops
...the hell?
For a company called emo labs the music isn't very emo. Also the guy looks like dr phil's cousin
is this some kind of a joke, this has been developed ages ago
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/home_av/tvs/0,39037594,62048372,00.htm
or am i misunderstanding something?
Well, that system you're linking to still uses traditional speaker cones with the space inside the TV acting as a cabinet. This system is none of that.
While I admit it's an excellent technology for things like portable games and laptops, it will never replace real speaker systems in terms of quality for the home theater market.
LG's concept is different, using the framework AROUND the LCD to project sound, emo-labs uses a thin layer that is overlaid on top of the existing LCD, absolutely perfect for laptops where the framework is taken up with wiring and inverter board.
I'm excited :)
@Joe
You're right, but there are many people who buy a TV & don't want a sound system (older folks, bedroom TV, kids room TV, etc). But as I've noticed, the quality of most flat panel speakers is dismal. If this produces good sound & volume it would be welcomed.
"For me sound matters a lot" but I didn't want to worry about wires, and my wife didn't want speakers.
Apparently, sound doesn't matter a lot to him :S
First:, Change your company name.
Second: you should get an award for this, well done.
Thrird: I will never buy a TV with it, I like my home theater system, I spent a lot for the 7.1 audio system and love every bit of it and see no need for the price of TV's to go up simply to accomadate this technology. laptops could do with this not TV's
I doubt this will replace anybody's 7.1ch audio system.
What i do think is that it will replace the crappy speakers that most TVs come embedded with, as well as laptops and other devices.
I'm curious as to what will happen when you touch the vibrating screen though, shouldn't it dampen the sound, making it impractical for touchscreens/handhelds?
funny, he looks nothing like an emo.. And really doesn't know how to sell his product.
Emo labs? Do they put on white make-up and cut themselves?
Nah. That's what goths do. Emos paint tear drops on their cheeks and cut themselves.
I work with a company with similar technology and it's never going to sound very good. It just isn't. Contrary to their claims this is essentially hyped-up mono sound. There's just one panel and that signal is going to mix.
I also don't believe you won't see vibrations in the screen at some volume levels so demos will always be carefully monitored to avoid those settings.
I'm convinced. Sound matters.
Yyou can't change the way you experience sound (unless you drill a hole in ppls head and place another ear in it), you can change the way companys integrate speakers into a device or how audio is delivered arounda person.
Also, he said sound really matters to him, if this was true he would have purchase an audio receiver and some speakers (he showed off some big speakers which I have not seen since the 80's) get smaller one.
this would go awesome with show room tv's :)
Bad,bad name. Makes me wonder if they cut themselves, then sit in the corner and cry during lunch break.
Can you retro-fit your current screen with this or do you have to buy a new monitor?
I can't see these sounding any better than plain old laptop speakers in reality.
Or you could just put them underneath the screen... Like some other companies... You know.. Fruit-based ones.
It's so you can listen to bullet for my valentine on invisible speakers. ;)
what about bass? is it any good?
How large would these panels have to be to generate subwoofer frequencies. The thought of turning the windows and glass doors in my house into subs is intriguing. I'm sure my neighbors would love it!..heh.
As people commented (and as I was thinking while reading the post), this won't work well with touchscreens, and touchscreens will be getting much more common, maybe even ubiquitous in computing technology, over the next few years.
But these would likely do very well in replacing the center channel speaker for an entertainment system. That way, as the CEO said, you hear speech coming directly from the person speaking. Not even from a few inches above or below, like with a conventional center channel, but from the image itself. Bass response? Doesn't matter much; center channel speakers don't usually have great bass anyway - use a subwoofer. Stereo separation? Doesn't matter; this is only handling the (mono) center channel.
Now, you might want this thing to handle stereo anyway, as it's currently designed, so people can use it as a stand-alone TV with better sound, but most people with larger units (those who use a separate sound system) will use both sides together. You will want to have a software setting or separate input to feed both sides together. Or include a splitter, but that would introduce line loss. And it would work well with small, wall-mounted TVs like in a bedroom (or rich person's bathroom). But the kitchen info center will need a touchscreen.
Until they get bigger and have more brand-recognition, they need to focus on the aftermarket potential, like thin frames that can install over the front of a TV. After (or "if") their product becomes well-known, manufacturers will want to integrate it, but they need to get out there first.
If they can sell a frame for a 32" TV for $50 that has decent sound, and if they have decent distribution, they will sell a lot of units. Then the TV manufacturers will want part of that action, and Emo will take off. Unless the process is too simple and companies just do it for themselves...
I love how no one knows what emo is yet everyone uses the word.
...on par with Smeg kitchen appliances
Bad product & company names are chosen all the time and people even get paid for that.
Who cares about the company name man, this is amazing technology.
It is a pretty horrible company name though.
Integrate a camera into it so we can communicate through any screen.
(Max Headroom, anyone?)
Put a membrane on windows and stuff, pictures, walls. That would be pretty sweet.
So would integrating this into the front and back windshields of automobiles.
poor sound, probably create display problems, prohibitive cost,
A solution for a problem that doesn't exist. Keep your current crappy laptop speakers, or use better externals.