The Display Guru

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Electrowetting Displays

noreply@blogger.com (Planar Systems) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 17:12:00 +0000

So it looks like Philips has come up with a 'paper replacement' display technology. The idea? Liquids trapped and zapped. Take a drop of ink and drop it in a tiny glass prison. When it's shocked with a small current it 'disappears'... another shock (presumably from a different direction or frequency) and it reappears.

ExtremeTech: Philips Spins Off 'Electrowetting' Display Venture

Sounds interesting, but...

1) It's still glass, and so far no one has delivered foldable glass.

2) They've got black and white, but so does eInk.

3) They say they can do color, but it seems like it should be an easy step from dropping in more colors of inks. So why haven't they?

3) There's no need for a backlight, but that probably means they've got a subtractive color system rather than an additive system. (Subtractive color reproduction almost always requires a fourth, black channel: RGB vs. CMYK.)

4) More color channels means bigger pixels. (The biggest hang up here is the lack of 'mixing' that you would see in print materials.) It would seems that surface tension would cause problems at the smaller and smaller sizes.

5) There would seems to be a lower limit to the size that this technology could reduce to. That limit would not likely approach that of AMLCDs or OLEDs.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what this new venture does.

-Dr. D.

Corning's new LCD glass

noreply@blogger.com (Planar Systems) — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 16:42:00 +0000

It looks like Corning has made a great advance in getting the LCD manufacturing process a little more green. They've replaced all of the heavy metals that are used in the manufacture of the LCD display panels. Their new Eagle XG product looks like a real advance for the industry as a whole.

Corning's press release was posted to a number of blogs and other web sites:

Photonics Today

CIO Magazine

A to Z of Materials

-Dr. D.

What's in your Monitor?

noreply@blogger.com (Planar Systems) — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 22:04:00 +0000

Over at Slashdot, they linked to a great little 7 page primer on what makes up CRT and LCD displays. Get the low down on AMLCD (Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays) and find out what TFT really means.

How CRT and LCD Monitors Work

-Dr. D.

Surprise! LCD Market Grows

noreply@blogger.com (Planar Systems) — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 16:43:00 +0000

Just in case you hadn't caught on to the trend, the market for LCD Monitors continues to grow, year over year, by 36%.

Of course, it's the low end of the market that's growing. The 17" and 19" monitors are definitely hot hot hot this season, and will continue to be the leaders for quite a while.

-Dr. D.

A New Home

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 20:41:00 +0000

The Guru now has a new home at http://blog.planar.com/guru and it's just the start of a new community of blogs. We love our monitors and we love talking about displays and display technologies like LCD, Plasma and other new things.

The Competing Display Technologies

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Thu, 09 Dec 2004 21:00:00 +0000

Check out this cool article discussing the current four main competing display technologies by DisplayMate writer Raymond Soneira. It is the second in a four part article set on the topic of comparing the four technologies, LCD, plasma, DLP rear-projection and CRT with regards to gray-scale and color accuracy.

Learn more at ExtremeTech

- Dr. D.

HDTV: A Shopper’s Survival Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:59:00 +0000

Check out the great BusinessWeek article on the current trends in digital television and HDTV. What are some of the latest technologies out there and what trends should we expect for the next few years. The article discusses topics at high-levels and is therefore not necessarily to informative for real home theater geeks.

Check it out if you’d like.

-Dr. D.

Side Projection Flat-Panel Display Startup Moves Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 17:39:00 +0000

As mentioned in an earlier blog entry, the newly developed flat-panel technology by Cambridge Flat Projection Display Ltd. is raising a number of eye-brows in the display industry. The startup has now received funding to proceed in its development phase and also build capabilities to license the technology. United Kingdom's National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) has provided £150,000 ($285,000) in funding to allow this emerging technology to develop additional prototypes and draw more interest from corporate sponsors.

Learn more at EE Times

- Dr. D.

LCD Display Technology Improved

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 21:00:00 +0000

Finnish company Oy Modilis, Ltd recently announced a new, unique lightguide which features controlled viewing angle for TFT-LCDs. This results in less display components and thinner, more cost-effective display solutions. Being able to offer flat-screen display solutions that are brighter, thinner and cheaper than the existing solutions is surely going to raise interest among manufactures of all hardware systems that uses lcd screens from digital cameras and desktop monitors to PDAs and mobile phones.

Learn more at PhysOrg.com

- Dr. D.

Dual Displays for Gaming

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 19:18:00 +0000

More and more video cards are available with multiple monitor support. Having two monitors can often improve your effectiveness in day-to-day tasks, allowing you to brows the Web on one display while checking email or writing a document on the other display. As dual (or sometimes more) displays become more and more common, it’s surprisingly few gaming companies that have developed games that can leverage dual displays. Tom’s Hardware Guide discusses this topic in an interesting article.

Learn more here.

- Dr. D.

Current Uncertainty for LCD Industry, Long-Term Future Looks Bright

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 18:41:00 +0000

Sales of LCD panels have been falling short of the aggressive expectations set for 2004. This due to the general strategy of “if you build it, they will buy it” that has been adopted in the last decade among the leading display panel manufactures in Asia. With the conversion rate of CRT to LCD slowing and a continuous strong demand for CRT-based televisions by the market, LCD display products have been faced with less than expected growth.

According to research firm iSupply however, the demand for LCD panels will pick up significantly with primarily large screen displays driving the demand. Panel shipments are estimated to rise to 31.6 million square meters in 2008 up from 10.7 million in 2004. LCD TVs is furthermore estimated to account for 35% in 2008 versus 15% in 2004.

Learn more at DigiTimes Daily IT News

-Dr. D.

LG Electronics Introduces World’s Largest Plasma Display

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 18:32:00 +0000

The South Korean electronics manufacturer LG is launching a 71-inch PDP display to the domestic Korean market. It will be provided in a package including a home theater system and set-top box for an approximate 80 million won (75,000 USD). The display will also be available overseas on a pre-order basis.

Learn more at Channel NewsAsia

-Dr. D.

New Flat Projection Display from UK

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 18:01:00 +0000

A professor at Cambridge has developed a new LCD display technology that promises to deliver similar quality to today’s plasma screens but at a fraction of the cost. The system relies on internal reflection in a wedge-shaped piece of clear plastic that is fed by the same LCD video that is used in rear projection TVs. They currently have a 15 inch and a 50 inch demo, both reaching brightness levels comparable to the top-end plasma displays on the market today.

Learn more at The Register

- Dr. D.

Thin CRTs Taking on LCD and PDP Displays

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 22:58:00 +0000

According to iSupply researcher Riddhi Patel CRTs are not going away anytime soon. According to the research firm, the display technology will still account for 70 percent of the television market by 2008. One of the key problems with CRTs is their bulky size which more and more manufacturers are responding to by developing thinner and thinner units. Additionally, the low price point of most CRT displays is the key driver to its continuous success.

Learn more at the Tech-Journal

-Dr. D.

New Super Fast LCD Available for Gamers

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Thu, 18 Nov 2004 21:23:00 +0000

Hyundai ImageQuest is launching a new 19-inch LCD display that will fit most criteria for today’s hard-core gamers. With an 8 millisecond response time, the L90D+ model is taking the lead as the fasted LCD monitor currently offered on the market.

Learn more at TechConnect Magazine

Huge Growth Estimated for Chinese Consumer Electronics Market

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Wed, 17 Nov 2004 05:56:00 +0000

According to ChinaView the Chinese consumer electronics market is estimated to reach $100 billion USD by 2008. As the GDP increases in the country, so will demand for such products. Increased demand for more advanced electronics such as laptops and digital cameras will specifically drive this growth.

Learn more at ChinaView.cn

-Dr. D.

35 Mega Pixels Super Screen

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Mon, 15 Nov 2004 22:31:00 +0000

Scientists at the Center for Computational Sciences have a 8-by-30 foot wall functioning as a detailed super display. It is being used for studies and collaboration in astrophysics, chemistry, climate, combustion, fusion, high-energy, physics, life sciences, material sciences, nanotechnology and engineering sciences.

Learn more at PhysOrg.com

- Dr. D.

Learn More About Plasma TVs

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Mon, 15 Nov 2004 17:37:00 +0000

Here’s a great blog on plasma display technology discussing where it came from and some general benefits of it. You can also scan the blog for product news and releases of new plasma displays.

Learn more at Plasma TV Features and Specifications

-Dr. D.

A Home Theater Forum

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Sat, 13 Nov 2004 01:05:00 +0000

The Home Theater Spot is a great forum for any home theater enthusiast that wants to learn more by communicating with other enthusiasts. If you want to increase your knowledge of anything from cables to sound to picture quality, check out this site.

Visit The Home Theater Spot

(Screen) Size does Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Fri, 12 Nov 2004 21:12:00 +0000

This article from Darryl Wilkinson at Home Theater Magazine discusses the topic for screen size. It includes some interesting data points on why people are looking for bigger and bigger screens and what display technologies are considered the "coolest" right now.

Learn more at Home Theater Magazine

- Dr. D.

Buying Guide for HDTVs

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 16:58:00 +0000

This is a great site for learning more about the HDTV technology and what you should consider when buying a HDTV set. It also features a discussion forum (although a bit dated) with some valid Q&As.

Learn more at ExtremeTech

- Dr. D.

Learn More About Plasma Displays

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 16:47:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered how exactly a plasma display works? This site discusses the details of a PDP (plasma display panel) and how it compares to the traditional CRT (cathode ray tube). A pretty scientific and really geeky site but for some of you, this site will be an awesome resource of information.

Learn more at PlasmaTV Science.

- Dr. D.

Matushita Files Suit Against LG Electronics on PDP Patent

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:38:00 +0000

Japanese Matsushita (Panasonic) sued Korean LG Electronics in Tokyo District Court last week for infringement of two patents associated with heat radiation in plasma display panels. After lengthy negotiations between the two rivals, Matsushita finally took the first step. LG Electronics immediately responded by announcing plans to counter sue.

Read the complete story at EE Times.

- Dr. D.

Price War on the Horizon for Flat-Panel TV Sets

noreply@blogger.com (Display Guru) — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:16:00 +0000

The considerably higher price points of flat-panel televisions have historically been the main reason for the generally small penetration rate into the TV market. This holiday season however, price might not be the issue for potential flat-panel tv consumers. A combination of decreasing panel prices due to an overproduction in Asia and the increasing demand for digital sets (primarily for HDTV purposes) may lead to fierce price wars among your favorite retailers.

Learn more about this trend at this Reuters article.

- Dr. D.