Commercial loudspeaker array

I recently blogged about microphone array support coming to Windows Vista. Now, here is an array implemented on the other end of the audio chain - not for capture but instead for rendering - Pioneer's surround sound loudspeaker array. The press release bills the PDSP-1 as "the world's first digital sound projector." "Why use an array?", you may ask. The answer is that one loudspeaker array can project multiple beams of sound - in this case the separate channels for 5.1 surround sound - thereby eliminating the need to mount and wire multiple surround sound speakers in your multimedia room.

(Hat tip and image source: SciFi.com)