LG OLED TVs could soon have sound-generating, vibrating screens, just like Sony

LG's OLED TVs could soon have sound-generating, vibrating screens, just like Sony's
(Image credit: LG)

LG Display has unveiled a 97-inch OLED.EX TV that vibrates to create 5.1 audio without speakers, reports flatpanelshd.

The gigantic Cinematic Sound OLED (CSO) made its debut at the K-Display 2022 expo in Seoul, promising a "5.1 channel sound system embedded into the widescreen." 

LG Display reckons the tech creates "a performance that offers a cinematic level of immersion" without the need for rear speakers. A bold claim indeed.

The company has been working on CSO for a while, with a similar version appearing on LG's 2021 48-inch rollable OLED TV concept and the 2019 G8 ThinQ smartphone.

Using the surface of the display as a speaker is nothing new...

Sony began kitting out OLED TVs with Acoustic Surface technology back in 2017. Vibrating units behind the screen move around the display area, so that dialogue and effects appear to come directly from onscreen objects.

It's no substitute for the best soundbars, but we're big fans. As we said in our recent review of Sony's flagship A90K, it creates "a certain amount of cinematic spaciousness... [depending] on how close to the screen you’re sitting."

That bodes well for Cinematic Sound OLED, but there's no news on when the tech will show up in LG's consumer TVs. The company is due to launch its first 97-inch 4K OLED TV later this year – but it won't feature the tech. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer...

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Tom is a journalist, copywriter and content designer based in the UK. He has written articles for T3, ShortList, The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, Elle Deco, The Sunday Times, Men's Health, Mr Porter, Oracle and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include mobile technology, electric vehicles and video streaming.