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The University of Southampton
Engineering

Southampton engineering research creates revolutionary 3D sound for domestic TVs

Published: 3 April 2014

The results of acoustics research carried out during Dr Takashi Takeuchi’s PhD at the University of Southampton are now being employed in a stylish curved loudspeaker that can recreate the sound of film in 3D sound. The Soundbar S9 and S7 are now on the market for around £250-£300 and are affordable for ordinary TV viewers who appreciate their improved sound quality as well as cinema surround sound.

Manufactured by Sherwood using technology from Takashi's company OPSODIS, the Soundbar is 105 cm long and 10cm deep and suitable for the average flat screen TV. According to Christiaan Punter from the online review site hifi-advice.com: "The S9 wipes the floor with many mini-systems and is incomparably better than any TV built-in speakers. The perfect solution for anyone craving good sound but wary of their rooms being taken over by 5 or more speakers."

Takashi adds: "It is ironic that 20 year old television sets often have better sound quality than modern TVs. It is difficult for manufactures of modern flat screen TVs to build in decent loudspeakers, there just isn't the space to install them."

Takashi first came up with the idea for this technology while studying for his masters in Engineering at Southampton's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) in 1996 and developed it further during his later postgraduate research with Professor Phil Nelson. He secured a patent for the invention with the support of fellow ISVR academic Professor Steve Elliott and is now Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of OPSODIS.

The OPSODIS Facebook page chronicles the timeline behind the development from Takashi's early research in ISVR to the first product, a Marantz home cinema system and an earlier version of the Soundbar. Research into 3D and surround sound continues at OPSODIS while Takashi has supervised eight masters students as his contribution to university education.

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