September 2006

news archive

Epson Launches New D6 Series HTPS Panels for Home Theater

TOKYO - Seiko Epson Corp. (Epson) has begun volume production on its new line of D6 high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) liquid-crystal (LC) panels, which use hybrid technology to enhance the performance of 3LCD-type front projectors and large-screen TVs, the company announced on Sept. 14. The 0.7-in. (diagonal 1.9 cm) panels are designed for true high-definition (HD)-ready (1080p) TV systems and front-projectors for home theater.

Epson developed its D6 series LCDs-an upgrade from its preceding series-to use both internal and external drivers rather than only internal drivers, resulting in smoother images, less power needed to drive the panel, and a reduction in the space required on the circuit board and therefore the possibility of smaller projection devices, according to a company statement. Externally mounted driver integrated circuits (ICs) have superior driving capabilities, the statement explained.

The D6 series panel is also the first product to use Epson's new "Crystal Clear Fine (C²Fine)" inorganic alignment technology, which incorporates an inorganic LC alignment layer and vertical alignment technology. According to Epson, benefits of the technology include high contrast, reduced orientation unevenness, smooth images, and reproduction of jet black.

Samsung Ready for Production of Single-Driver 7-in. LCDs

SEOUL, Korea - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced on Sept. 7 that it will begin production on its single-driver 7-in. liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels for the mobile-device market this month.

The 7-in. LCD is well suited to high-end multimedia products such as handsets for digital multimedia broadcasting, portable media players, portable DVD players, and portable navigation systems, according to a Samsung press release.

Samsung's new design is unique because it replaces the 4- to 7-driver integrated circuits (ICs) commonly used in 7-in. LCDs with a single-chip driver, allowing for slimmer displays and devices, the company said in a statement.

"This technology breakthrough enables our customers to develop truly differentiated portable electronic devices with higher resolution, wide aspect ratio mobile displays," Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President and head of the company's Mobile Display Business Team Yun Jin-hyuk said in a Sept. 7 press release. "Using a single-chip packaging solution, we have integrated most of the display electronics on an amorphous-silicon (a-Si) LCD."

Samsung used its proprietary amorphous-silicon gate technology to develop the new 7-in. LCD, enabling the gate driver IC to be fabricated directly on the glass substrate, with the timing controller integrated within the driver IC, the company said. The overall circuit footprint and component count have been reduced to about one-third of a conventional 7-in. LCD, inviting widespread adoption of the new 7-in. LCD in slimmer, more efficient designs.

The company expects to expand its 7-in. LCD production capacity to 10 million units by 2007 and expand the product line up to its 5-in. class within the first half of next year, according to the press release.

Samsung Introduces 70-Inch LCD TV, World's Largest for Consumer Market

SEOUL, Korea - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. unveiled the world's first consumer-market-targeted 70-in. liquid-crystal display (LCD) at the International Meeting on Information Displays (IMID) 2006 in Daegu, Korea in August. The 70-in. display, capable of displaying full high-definition (HD) content, takes the title of largest LCD on the consumer market from Sharp's 65-in. model.

"Our new 70-in. LCD is not only significantly larger, but also sets a new benchmark of excellence in terms of video-image reproduction, viewing angle and image quality," Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President Kim Sang-Soo said in a company statement. "We've designed it to dramatically enhance the large-screen LCD-TV user's viewing experience."

The panel boasts full HD (1080p) resolution and a conical viewing angle of 180°. It also reproduces video signals at 120 Hz, allowing rapidly moving video to be reproduced with better clarity than a typical LCD system's 60 Hz, according to a company press release.

Samsung will begin production on the 70-in. LCD during the first half of 2007 in hopes of better competing with plasma and projection TV makers, according to a company statement.

Konica-Minolta Launches New Portable Spectrally Based Colorimeter

RAMSEY, N.J. - Konica Minolta Sensing Americas Inc. (KMSA) has launched a new portable colorimeter capable of color and light measurements for everything from large plasma displays to compact liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), outdoor screens, instrument panels, digital camera calibration and conversion, the company announced on Sept. 11. The Konica-Minolta Spectra-Colorimeter CS-200 uses 40 sensors to perform calculations corresponding to the sensitivity of the human eye, according to the company.

In a company statement, KMSA Business Development Manager Taka Saito cited the rapid growth of the information-technology industry, including digital imaging and broadcasting, as the impetus for more advanced light-emitting devices.

"There is a greater need for high-performance, cost-effective meters to keep up with the new technologies," Saito said in the release. "This is especially true with the increased interest in ISO and other quality-assurance standards in the industry today. That's where the advanced capabilities and ergonomic design of Konica Minolta's Spectra-Colorimeter CS-200 comes in."

The CS-200 weighs less than four pounds without batteries, features a user-friendly operation, and is competitively priced. The company said its high accuracy is achieved by a "spectral fitting" method that uses 40 sensors to make detailed measurements over a wide range of light and color levels and is NIST, NPL and JCSS traceable.

A precision aperture mirror eliminates misalignments between the finder target and the actual measuring area, and the user can select from three measuring angles (1°, 0.2°, and 0.1°) to accommodate both very small and large measurement areas. Measuring times range from 0.5 seconds to 12 seconds. Battery life is approximately three hours. The CS-200 sells for $11,500.