Bose VideoWave TV Delivers Audio Without the Speakers

Probably the most persistent complaint among home theater owners is the inevitability of mating a slim, smooth flat-panel TV with a room full of big, coffin-like speakers. Or having to suffer the consequences of tinny, undynamic sound pumped out of small, dull TV speakers. It’s a problem that many companies and designers have tried to solve with slimmer speakers, in-wall speakers, speaker artwork and all other forms of gear that have failed to produce a popular solution.

Bose has a new take on solving the problem: getting rid of external speakers altogether and integrating them into the TV screen. The manufacturer’s new VideoWave TV is a 46-inch 1080p LCD set that integrates a variety of woofers, tweeters and other audio equipment into the television casing and simulates a 5.1-channel sound field without needing any peripheral speaker equipment. According to Dvice, it does so quite well. The TV also uses a sound-optimization system called ADAPTiQ, which uses microphones to fine-tune the dynamics of the system to your specific room.

I have some huge doubts about this tech. I’ve never been that big a fan of virtual surround sound, and now that it’s integrated into a TV, it seems like it will be even worse. Plus, it adds about six inches to the television set, so while there are no bulky speakers, there’s a bulkier TV. Finally, Bose isn’t exactly a leading name in TVs, and there are reportedly no plans of licensing the technology to actual TV manufacturers. So you might have to settle for an inferior TV just to enjoy the audio.

A quick turnaround on this one: it goes on sale October 14 for the not-so-attractive price of $5,349. Good luck with that one. [via Dvice]