2010 Volume 31 Issue 4 Pages 278-287
Most multimedia applications involving auditory displays for digital video contents rely on audio signal processing and conventional stereo loudspeakers to create sound images on the screens. Although a number of examples of these techniques have been reported in the literature showing successful results for narrow listening areas, it seems that the configuration of the loudspeakers plays a significant role when correct sound image localization is desired at wider sound fields. This paper presents a new loudspeaker design that enhance the localization of sound images on the surface of a flat screen for users distributed in a wide area. A preliminary validation of the design was performed numerically using boundary element methods, and experimentally using a prototype model. The results show that, in spite of its simplicity, the design effectively alters the radiated sound field so as to expand the listening area.