December 2006

news archive

Epson Ships HTPS LC Panels for use in Projection TVs

TOKYO, Japan - Seiko Epson Corp. has begun shipping 0.7-in. samples of a new high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) liquid-crystal panel that the company said will boost the performance of 3LCD front projectors and large-screen LCD projection TVs.

According to Epson, use of innovative high-resolution technology in the new panel achieves unprecedented aperture ratios-a greater than 20% improvement over conventional twisted nematic (TN) panels. By enhancing aperture ratios, this new design technology improves luminance while using the same lamp as previous models, the company claimed. It also enables the use of a lower-watt lamp to achieve the same levels of luminance or smaller HTPS panels to achieve the same resolution, making it possible to manufacture brighter, more environmentally friendly projectors that offer outstanding value for money.

The sample products now being shipped feature this new technology plus compatibility with true-HD broadcasting, which will enable users to more easily enjoy high-definition images on large-screen 3LCD projection TVs manufactured with the new panels, according to a statement from Epson.

New high-resolution technology vastly enhances aperture ratios, enabling over 20% improvement in aperture ratio compared to conventional TN panels, with no change in product size. It also enables use of smaller panel size to achieve same resolution.

For example, true-HD (1080p) resolution for large-screen LCD projection TVs previously required a 0.9 inch panel. Now it can be achieved with a 0.7 inch panel, enabling manufacturers to produce TVs that are much more cost competitive, Epson said.

Benefits for manufacturers of projection product include enhanced luminance with the same lamp, use of lower-watt lamp to achieve same luminance (reduced power consumption), and the manufacture of smaller/lower-priced projectors with same luminance, the company added.

For the same 1080p panels, the new series shrinks panel size from 0.9 to 0.7 inch and enhances aperture ratio. The name of the new series of TN panels using vastly improved aperture ratio technology is not yet finalized.

Displaytech Introduces New Line of VGA, WVGA and SVGA Microdisplays

LONGMONT, Colo. - Displaytech Inc., which manufactures microdisplays using its patented Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal on Silicon (FLCOS) technologies, announced in early December the development of the LightView VGA, WVGA and SVGA (LV-VGA, LV-WVGA, LV-SVGA) microdisplays. According to Displaytech, the new compact, single-panel microdisplays enable consumer-electronics companies to deliver products with unsurpassed image quality and power efficiency while reducing manufacturing costs and accelerating time-to-market. Displaytech also said the displays will enable new, high-quality consumer electronics products including micro-projectors, head-mounted displays and mobile communications devices.

The new microdisplays take advantage of the unique properties of the company's FLCOS technology, which combines patented advances in the use of ferroelectric materials with a proprietary, very large-scale integration (VLSI) semiconductor. They leverage the fast switching speeds and superior optical qualities of the technology to deliver full-color video images that are free of motion smearing, according to a company statement. In addition, the microdisplays incorporate the display panel and control circuitry into a single, compact package, enabling innovative end-product designs while the low power consumption extends product battery life. Industry standard digital interfaces are supported for easy product integration.

"The new microdisplays are designed for new markets and emerging opportunities. They will help the user in a whole new generation of consumer electronics devices," said Dick Barton, CEO of Displaytech, in a company press release. "The crisp, consistent visual clarity offered by the new displays is enhanced by their extremely compact form factor and minimal power consumption, making them highly adaptable and ideal for any number of consumer electronics applications."

Displaytech's LV-VGA offers 640 x 480 full color pixels with a 9.2-mm active area diagonal; the LV-WVGA offers 852 x 480 resolution with a 11.25 mm active area diagonal; and the LV-SVGA offers 800 x 600 with a 11.5 active area diagonal. All three microdisplays support consumer product temperature ranges with integrated temperature compensation, operate at very low-power, typically at 100 milliwatts or better, with a 60-hertz frame rate and feature adjustable brightness and gamma settings.

All-digital pixel architecture brings superior image quality to the LightView products, and the fully integrated display controller requires no additional circuitry to interface digital video. All LightView products offer a flexible video interface that is easily adapted to most digital video sources and programmable video cropping and down-scaling. Each LightView offering also features a programmable color matrix processor and adjustable color field durations.

i-sft Launches New 12.1-in. SVGA Display

GUNDERSHEIM, Germany - i-sft GmbH, which produces thin-film transistor (TFT) displays for non-consumer applications, introduced the 100i.12SV, the company's first product using i-sft's new energy-efficient technology, in early December.

With a luminance of 1000 nits and a high contrast, the new 12.1-in. SVGA display targets applications that demand daylight visibility paired with low power input. According to i-sft, the display and integrated inverter settle with as low as 12 Watts at maximum brightness-half the power of comparable products, without loss of good viewing angles or other parameters. The company believes the 100i.12SV will be a good match for mobile applications where battery capacity is the limiting factor.

Another advantage of high efficiency is a low heat expansion of the display, which i-sft claims simplifies the application's climate control and reduces system costs. The 100i.12SV boasts a slim and rugged design, an extended temperature range and a long lifetime.