Those are just standard drivers mounted in what appears to be a clear plastic sheet with graphics. That has absolutely nothing to do with this technology.
This is two innovations in one; sound produced by a laminate glass material, and so-called "ultrasound" that is highly directional and has a sharp falloff, to allow for directed audio.
It was pretty cool in 2004, but it seems that speaker driver technology has advanced to the point that having glass speakers no longer have that 'wow' factor.
"which can generate a narrow beam of ultrasound (high frequency sound) that delivers audio to a targeted listener (by the time it reaches the targeted spot, ultrasound becomes normal sound) and does not disturb others."
No. NOOO. That's not how physics works; that's not how any of it works!
It's surprisingly difficult to find any details of the physics involved. The only thing I can find is the ted talk which hints at it using very high frequency sound at very high volumes to make use of non-linear but predictable properties of air. I have no clue what that really means. The means by which "ultrasound becomes normal sound" is not described anywhere that I can find.
Why is it that every time I see something new in the HyperSound realm, I immediately get premonitions of loud (think infomercial), targeted ADs assaulting me individually from store fronts as I walk down the commercial district of any major city?
"F. Joseph Pompei of MIT developed technology he calls the "Audio Spotlight",[6] and made it commercially available in 2000 by his company Holosonics, which according to their website claims to have sold "thousands" of their "Audio Spotlight" systems. Disney was amongst the first major corporations to adopt it for use at the Epcot Center, and many other application examples are shown on the Holosonics website."
Thanks for that link to Wikipedia. I went through some of the links on Wikipedia which ultimately took me to the URL below where the Limitations of "Audio Spotlight" were covered.
The major drawback is that the Audio Spotlight is basically a tweeter. From my experience, it does not produce usable content below 800 Hz. Fortunately, the sensitivity to localization is much greater in the presence band (1 to 5 kHz), and the fidelity of the Audio Spotlight in that range is acceptable. In a solo performance using just Audio Spotlights, this limited bandwidth is not a problem. In terms of spatialization, a solo Audio Spotlight performance would be like attending a flute recital. However, not unlike the orchestration challenges of incorporating a solo part for a flute in an orchestral work, the Audio Spotlights also requires specific orchestration strategies when incorporating them into systems with full-range loudspeaker systems. One rather extreme strategy is to diminish the amplitude of presence band frequencies in the full-range loudspeakers. However, more interesting solutions can arise when artists begin composing pieces with the Audio Spotlights in mind and assign content appropriate for their unique characteristics."
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21 Comments
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DCide - Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - link
WOW!Byte - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
meh, I just bought a pair of these ugly things for my daughter cuz they are so vanity.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
kaidenshi - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
Those are just standard drivers mounted in what appears to be a clear plastic sheet with graphics. That has absolutely nothing to do with this technology.This is two innovations in one; sound produced by a laminate glass material, and so-called "ultrasound" that is highly directional and has a sharp falloff, to allow for directed audio.
ddriver - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
And yet probably sound better than this dreckCsfalcao - Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - link
Price?boyang1724 - Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - link
Their standard HyperSound was a form of electrostatic speaker. I'm guessing this is an extension of the technology?p1esk - Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - link
Can it separate audio channels for each ear?Kaggy - Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - link
Finally.I believe this isn't present to consumers for so long cause this guy probably sold the large part of it to military.
https://www.ted.com/talks/woody_norris_invents_ama...
Yes this guy had it since 2004.
meacupla - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
It was pretty cool in 2004, but it seems that speaker driver technology has advanced to the point that having glass speakers no longer have that 'wow' factor.alfalfacat - Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - link
"which can generate a narrow beam of ultrasound (high frequency sound) that delivers audio to a targeted listener (by the time it reaches the targeted spot, ultrasound becomes normal sound) and does not disturb others."No. NOOO. That's not how physics works; that's not how any of it works!
woggs - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
It's surprisingly difficult to find any details of the physics involved. The only thing I can find is the ted talk which hints at it using very high frequency sound at very high volumes to make use of non-linear but predictable properties of air. I have no clue what that really means. The means by which "ultrasound becomes normal sound" is not described anywhere that I can find.webdoctors - Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - link
This is huge. Its like Crystal Pepsi huge! Definitely gonna change the world. NOT!JoeyJoJo123 - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
+1bug77 - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
And again no mention of fidelity or dynamic range.Murloc - Sunday, July 3, 2016 - link
because anyone who cares about this stuff is going to buy traditional speakers.russki - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
I guarantee these will sound like absolute garbage.BurntMyBacon - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
Why is it that every time I see something new in the HyperSound realm, I immediately get premonitions of loud (think infomercial), targeted ADs assaulting me individually from store fronts as I walk down the commercial district of any major city?fanofanand - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
I had not even considered that, but the thought sends a shiver through my bones......Murloc - Sunday, July 3, 2016 - link
I bet that's illegal in many countries due to noise ordnances, would probably be banned quickly where it's not illegal.FunBunny2 - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
been around for ages, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_from_ultrasoun..."F. Joseph Pompei of MIT developed technology he calls the "Audio Spotlight",[6] and made it commercially available in 2000 by his company Holosonics, which according to their website claims to have sold "thousands" of their "Audio Spotlight" systems. Disney was amongst the first major corporations to adopt it for use at the Epcot Center, and many other application examples are shown on the Holosonics website."
JanSolo242 - Thursday, June 30, 2016 - link
Thanks for that link to Wikipedia. I went through some of the links on Wikipedia which ultimately took me to the URL below where the Limitations of "Audio Spotlight" were covered.http://econtact.ca/14_4/copeland_spotlight.html
"Limitations
The major drawback is that the Audio Spotlight is basically a tweeter. From my experience, it does not produce usable content below 800 Hz. Fortunately, the sensitivity to localization is much greater in the presence band (1 to 5 kHz), and the fidelity of the Audio Spotlight in that range is acceptable. In a solo performance using just Audio Spotlights, this limited bandwidth is not a problem. In terms of spatialization, a solo Audio Spotlight performance would be like attending a flute recital. However, not unlike the orchestration challenges of incorporating a solo part for a flute in an orchestral work, the Audio Spotlights also requires specific orchestration strategies when incorporating them into systems with full-range loudspeaker systems. One rather extreme strategy is to diminish the amplitude of presence band frequencies in the full-range loudspeakers. However, more interesting solutions can arise when artists begin composing pieces with the Audio Spotlights in mind and assign content appropriate for their unique characteristics."