World's first speaker screen

Posted by T3 Online on Tue 11 Jul 2006

New NXT wizardry makes a projection screen blurt out your movie dialogue.

NXT's flat panel speaker technology has been around for a while, but this is one of its most ingenious uses yet: it's been crammed into a projection screen.

Japanese screen-maker Authentic has just unveiled the ASS-60AK, which is the first projection screen to come with NXT's "SoundVu" technology. The screen is made of a woven material able to produce high frequencies most other fabrics would simply absorb. As with other NXT speakers, the surface vibrates to produce the sound, but don't worry - the human eye won't be able to detect any movement, so your image won't be spoilt.

As the screen acts as only one speaker, it's not going to be suitable for recreating multi-channel home cinema effects on its tod. It'll be best employed as the centre channel alone, carrying the dialogue and ensuring that it comes directly out of the screen at you. Literally.

The ASS-60AK goes on sale in Japan later this month, priced at the equivalent of £290. With any luck, it should arrive in the UK before too long.