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ICDM is the International Committee for Display Metrology, part of SID’s Definitions and Standards Committee charged with setting standards for display metrology. ICDM is largely focused on the production of the Information Display Measurements Standard, which will have about 140 display measurements covering every area of displays. The standard is intended to include nearly every display technology for multiple user types, from display manufacturers to consumers.

 

Premier Display Measurement Standard Available

The International Committee for Display Metrology (ICDM) and the Society for Information Display (SID) released the Information Display Measurements Standard (IDMS) in 2012. The IDMS is the "Go-To" document for standard measurement procedures to quantify electronic display characteristics and qualities. It is the culmination of years of effort by engineers and scientists across dozens of organizations to codify the science of display measurement, explain some of the difficulties associated with making measurements, and offer solutions to help make the measurements properly. The IDMS has benefited from the expertise of display metrologists, electrical, mechanical, software and optical engineers, physicists, vision scientists, and many other display-related disciplines.

To promote the spread and use of the measurement procedures and techniques within the display community, an electronic version of the IDMS is freely available. It is unprecedented in the display community that a piece of work of this scope and depth be distributed at no charge. This decision follows the philosophy of the ICDM and SID, which is to provide the standard to as wide of an audience as possible to help establish the techniques within the document as the universal choice for display measurements. SID and the ICDM expect this document to continue to evolve over time, with updates, supplemental files, and other value-added content to follow.

The IDMS features the following:

Self-contained measurement procedures that are clear and easy to use

A library of commonly used and newly developed display measurements

Dozens of new display measurements for current and future displays

Adaptability - allows a variety of equipment for measurements

Tutorials and other supplemental sections included

Includes diagnostics, cautions and useful hints

Benefits of using the IDMS include:

Lower costs: consume less time and money due to unambiguous definitions of measurement methods

Reduce development lead times by using standardized metrics

Provide a common language to reduce risk of disagreements regarding performance

Increase customer satisfaction by having more accurate, reliable, and repeatable performance characterizations

Convenience: provide all measurement procedures and auxiliary information under a single cover

ICDM Chair, Joe Miseli, says "The IDMS is the first standard from the ICDM and SID. It is a defining work for evaluating displays and is the most comprehensive display measurement and metrology standard yet produced. It provides a full set of common and more specialized display measurement procedures to characterize display performance. It also includes new and innovative measurements never before standardized for characterizing modern displays, as well as many references to clarify and expand upon metrology foundations and techniques. It builds upon the tremendous amount of work of many, especially the editor-in-chief, Ed Kelley, a former NIST physicist and one of the foremost metrologists in the display industry today. The IDMS is written in plain English with abundant use of graphics and examples that will make it simple to use and so can be widely applied throughout the display industry. It is all-inclusive so that everything one needs is available in a single volume."

Former SID President, Brian Berkeley, states, "SID is proud to [make available] the first release of the IDMS. This landmark standard is the culmination of untold hours of effort on the part of contributors representing a broad cross-section of the display field. The IDMS is the single most significant display measurement standard to be released in more than 10 years. Working under the auspices of SID, and with the cooperation of the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), the ICDM has created a valuable standard that truly advances display measurement science. The IDMS will enable and promote consistency in the characterization and reporting of critical display performance parameters. Considering the rapid pace of innovation and advances in display science over the past decade, the IDMS meets a tremendous need for the display industry. SID congratulates and extends its thanks to all of the ICDM members for their profound contribution."

The IDMS is the follow-up to the Flat Panel Display Measurements Standard (version 2.0), used extensively by the industry since its publication by the VESA in 2001. The IDMS does not set performance standards, but gives guidance about how to measure displays. This will allow component suppliers, display manufacturers and customers to clearly communicate, understand and agree with the measurement and characterization methods upon which performance standards are based.

 

An electronic version of the IDMS is now available as a free download from the ICDM home site at www.icdm-sid.org