August 2006

news archive

Planar Adds Two New Touchscreens to its PTU Line

BEAVERTON, Ore. - Planar Systems Inc. announced on Aug. 9 the addition of two new 15-in. touch-screen monitors to its PT line, targeting point-of-sale (POS) and self-service applications in the retail, hospitality and food service markets. The displays are ideal for public-facing applications due to their high durability and ability to withstand harsh environments, and the fact that they do not require recalibration when environmental conditions change, Planar said.

The PT1520MU offers increased durability and a sturdy desk stand that allows the monitor to be tilted from 0° to 90°, giving the display a wide variety of positioning angles for the convenience of the end-user in POS and POP transactions, according to a release from Planar. The monitor was designed specifically for POS systems and features a 5-wire resistive touch screen with USB touch-screen interface, a brightness of 350 cd/m². It is designed to be easily integrated in a variety of environments for a range of applications without compromising operation, Planar said.

The PT1510MX was designed as a lower-cost alternative for a variety of POS applications, according to the company. The display is compatible with POS, thin-client and PC systems, includes a 5-wire resistive touch screen and dual serial RS-232/USB user interface, and is ideal for environments such as restaurants, retails stores or hotels, according to a company statement.

"Like Planar's existing suite of high-performance displays, these new touch-screen monitors will enable VARs and integrators to design a solution that best suits customers' business objectives," said Mark A. Ceciliani, vice president and general manager of Planar's commercial business unit. "We have differentiated our touch-screen offerings to give channel partners the right options to satisfy customers' needs, ultimately helping them create sales opportunities wherever touch-screen technology is needed."

Planar Enters Home-Theater Market

BEAVERTON, Ore. - Planar Systems Inc. announced on Aug. 10 that it will enter the home theater market with the debut of its Xscreen front-projection screen system. The move aligns with the company's recent strategic initiatives to increase long-term shareholder value through expanding and enhancing top-line revenue growth and profitability over time, Planar said in a company statement.

Planar has hired a team of projection and home-theater industry veterans to develop and market innovative exclusive products to worldwide specialty home-theater channel and its customers, according to the release. The new business unit is an integral part of Planar's plans to establish itself as the top display choice of home-theater industry professionals and theater enthusiasts looking for superior performance, design and support in a comprehensive line of display products, the company said.

The Xscreen is a front-projection screen system that reduces reflected light from windows or lamps using a patented Daytime Film Technology™ and comes housed in a sleek black frame that mimics the design of plasma displays, according to a company statement. Planar hopes these displays will appeal to consumers who want the impressive look of bigger flat-panel displays but can't afford their price tags, the statement indicated. The Xscreen is available in 60-, 70-, 80- and 100-in. sizes.

Planar's new home theater business unit will be headed by Scott Hix, who assumes the position of vice president and general manager of the company after being appointed vice president of business development earlier this year. Replacing Hix as Planar's Vice President of Business Development is Brad Gleeson, who has more than 20 years of flat-panel experience, Planar said. Jim Davis will become global head of sales for the new unit.

"We are excited about our ability to deliver best-in-class home theater offerings based on Planar's disciplined specialty display channel approach, engineering innovation and the home theater team's preceding reputation in this industry," Hix said in the statement. "Planar's displays perform in mission-critical applications and are trusted in medical, industrial and commercial markets. Planar plans to leverage that display engineering for demanding performance to its specialty home theater products."

Samsung Develops World's First 3-in. VGA-Quality LCD Screen for Digital Still Cameras

SEOUL, Korea - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has developed what it's hailing as the world's first 3-in. liquid-crystal display (LCD) panel with VGA (640 x 480 pixels) resolution for digital still cameras, the company announced on August 10.

Digital camera makers use an interface-ITU-R601-that is incompatible with LCDs because it operates at 30Hz rather than LCD's 60Hz, Samsung said, forcing manufacturers to either compress the image or manipulate the signal. However, those approaches will only work with LCDs having a resolution of qVGA (320 x 240 pixels) or less, the company said. But the new 3-in. VGA-quality display operates at 30Hz, allowing VGA images to be obtained from a digital camera without having to create another interface, according to the company's press release.

The display also incorporates a dot-inversion scheme that lowers power consumption while reducing the image flickering that has prevented such an approach in the past, Samsung said in a company statement.

"Our new LCD panel will make viewing of digital pictures distinctly more impressive on camera screens, personal multi-media players and other products requiring high image resolution and low power consumption," Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President Yun Jin-hyuk said in a company press release.

Samsung said it would begin commercial production of the display in the first half of 2007.

Radiant Imaging Introduces New Imaging Sphere That Enables Rapid, Economical Measurement of LED Luminous Intensity

DUVALL, Washington - Radiant Imaging in late July introduced a new Imaging Sphere for measuring light-emitting-diode (LED) luminous intensity. The company said in a press release that its new IS-LI is the first system to enable rapid, comprehensive measurement of the luminous intensity of LEDs and other small light sources.

Based on patented integrating sphere technology, the IS-LI acquires luminous intensity (brightness as a function of angle) data over an entire 2p steradian in a single measurement, taking just seconds or less. The system delivers up to 16-bit luminance measurements, with an angular resolution of 1% or better.

In addition, Radiant Imaging said the IS?LI can analyze color vs. emission angle, a particularly important performance metric for "white light" LEDs. Previously, obtaining these precision measurements required goniometric tools; but, with no moving parts, the new IS-LI is orders of magnitude faster than traditional methods, and is also substantially more economical. This combination of high precision, high resolution and speed enables real-time, production-line quality control of LEDs for the first time, and makes the IS?LI ideal for R&D purposes as well.

The IS-LI system consists of a 20-in. (550 mm) diameter, hemispherical measurement chamber, mated with a CCD-based imaging photometer or colorimeter. The latter is selected from Radiant Imaging's broad product line, which includes 10-, 12-, 14- and 16-bit dynamic-range models at several different spatial resolutions. System software supports automated and/or customized measurements, as well as data analysis and display functions. Data can be displayed as isometric plots, cross-sectional graphs, radar plots, bit maps and color graphs.

New eFlyBook Puts E-Paper in Aircraft Cockpits

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Transportation communications and systems-engineering company ARINC Inc. in late July introduced the eFlyBook™, a self-powered electronic library using electronic paper for use in aircraft. The display uses hardware from iRex Technologies, a spin-off of Royal Philips Electronics. The company unveiled the product at an aviation trade show in Wisconsin last week and claims it is the world's first e-paper-based device of its kind.

The eFlyBook is designed to store and display en-route charts and other essential documents on glare-free electronic paper in aircraft cockpits, according to a statement from ARINC. The display remains sharp, clear and legible under all cockpit lighting, including direct sunlight, ARINC said. Based on new "persistent-display" technology, the screen requires very little power and no backlighting and can run for several days on a single charge, according to the company statement.

"ARINC eFlyBook finally delivers on the promise of electronic documents for the pilot. It far exceeds the usability of laptops, tablet computers, or PDAs, whether in the cockpit or elsewhere-it is actually usable under real flight conditions," ARINC Technology Innovation Center Senior Director Rolf Stefani said in a company statement. "With eFlyBook, FAA en route charts and other documents become easy to store and locate, easy to interact with and update. And the screen makes them as easy to read as regular paper documents, even in direct sun. Pilots have to see it to believe it."

The electronic screen is smaller, lighter and less expensive than the conventional laptops and tablet PCs used in cockpits, and features a stylus-based screen interface that captures and stores handwritten notes, according to the press release.

"eFlyBook is a paradigm shift in display technology for the cockpit," Stefani added. "Its legibility and ease of use are unmatched. We fully expect eFlyBook to become standard equipment for the majority of general aviation operators."

The eFlyBook measures approximately 6 x 9 in. and is approximately ½-in. thick.