02/09/98 THAT PAINTING IS A SPEAKER?

THAT PAINTING IS A SPEAKER?

WHEN IT COMES TO ELECTRONICS, THIN IS IN. PLASMA and LCD technology are already being used in ultraslim displays that plug into PCs or hang on the wall. And the trend is spreading. NEC Corp., one of the pioneers in thin displays, is applying the less-is-more principle to stereo speakers. In Japan next month, NEC Home Electronics--along with Authentic Ltd., another NEC unit--plans to introduce flat, wall-hanging speakers.
The speakers generate sound by something called an actuater, which produces vibrations all over the panel and doesn't require a bulky box like conventional speakers do. That allows the new speakers to be squeezed into panels that are a skinny 7 millimeters (or 0.28 inches) thick. And they generate sound from both the front and the back of the panel. What's more, the speakers masquerade as works of art: The front panel of the speaker is covered with a special-purpose film that displays one of 20 photographs or paintings, from Tahitian landscapes to Botticelli masterpieces. Prices in dollars would range from around $200 to around $300 (depending on the yen's exchange rate). NEC is mulling plans to sell the speakers in the U.S.
EDITED BY AMY CORTESE