High-quality OLED displays enable screens to emit distinct sounds from individual pixels

A research team has developed the world’s first Pixel-Based Local Sound OLED technology. This breakthrough enables each pixel of an OLED display to simultaneously emit different sounds, essentially allowing the display to function as a multichannel speaker array. The team successfully demonstrated the technology on a 13-inch OLED panel, equivalent to those used in laptops and tablets.

The research has been published in the journal Advanced Science. The team was led by Professor Su Seok Choi of the Department of Electrical Engineering at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) and Ph.D. candidate Inpyo Hong of the Graduate Program in Semiconductor Materials and Devices.

Visuals meet audio: Toward a multisensory display era

While display technologies have evolved with significant advances in resolution, high dynamic range, and color accuracy—particularly with OLEDs and QD-enhanced displays—the industry now faces the need for breakthroughs that enhance not only image quality but also the realism and immersion of user experience.

As visual technologies approach maturity, integrating multisensory inputs—such as seeing, hearing, and touch—into displays has become a new frontier. Therefore, now displays are no longer passive panels that simply show images; they are evolving into immersive interfaces that engage multiple human senses. Among these, sound plays a critical role: research indicates that audiovisual synchronization accounts for nearly 90% of perceived immersion.

However, most current displays still require external soundbars or multi-channel speakers, which add bulk and create design challenges—especially in compact environments like vehicle interiors, where integrating multiple speakers is difficult.

OLEDs with built-in pixel-based sound

To address this, researchers have focused on integrating advanced sound capabilities directly into OLED panels, known for their slim, flexible form factors. While companies have explored attaching exciters to the back of TVs or bending OLEDs around speakers—as seen at MWC 2024 by Samsung and OLED panel speaker by LG—these methods still rely on bulky hardware and face challenges in accurate sound localization.

The core issue is that traditional exciters—devices that vibrate to produce sound—are large and heavy, making it difficult to deploy multiple units without interference or compromising the OLED’s thin design. Additionally, sound crosstalk between multiple speakers leads to a lack of precise control over localized audio.

Crosstalk-free pixel-based local sound control integrated with real working OLED

The POSTECH team overcame these challenges by embedding ultra-thin piezoelectric exciters within the OLED display frame. These piezo exciters, arranged similarly to pixels, convert electrical signals into sound vibrations without occupying external space. Crucially, they are fully compatible with the thin form factor of OLED panels.

As a result, each pixel can act as an independent sound source, enabling Pixel-Based Local Sound technology. The researchers also developed a method to completely eliminate sound crosstalk, ensuring that multiple sounds from different regions of the display do not interfere with each other—something previously unattainable in multichannel setups.

Real applications: Mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, automotive, VR, and beyond

This innovation allows for truly localized sound experiences. For instance, in a car, the driver could hear navigation instructions while the passenger listens to music—all from the same screen. In virtual reality or smartphones, spatial sound can dynamically adapt to the user’s head or hand movements, enhancing realism and immersion.

Most notably, the technology was successfully implemented on a 13-inch OLED panel, proving its practical scalability and commercial viability. The display delivers high-quality audio directly from the screen, without the need for external speakers, all while preserving the slim and lightweight benefits of OLED.

“Displays are evolving beyond visual output devices into comprehensive interfaces that engage both sight and sound,” said Professor Choi.

“This technology has the potential to become a core feature of next-generation devices, enabling sleek, lightweight designs in smartphones, laptops, and automotive displays—while delivering immersive, high-fidelity audio.”