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Toshiba lab-rats using diffraction gratings to increase OLED light output

by Steven Kim posted Feb 27th 2009 at 3:23PM

Toshiba OLED
The odds-on favorite for the display technology to supplant LCD dominance is, of course, OLED. Based on the current woes in the plasma display space, color accuracy and black levels (which OLEDs have in spades) might not be enough to upset the LCD applecart, so it's no surprise to see so much research aimed at bringing up the output efficiency of OLEDs. For its part, Toshiba is playing around with diffraction gratings to increase the brightness (specifically, the coherency) of OLED displays. The silica nano-gratings have yielded a 60-percent increase in light extraction efficiency, no small potatoes. File this one under "research," as Toshiba itself says this tech is years away from commercial reality; of course, Toshiba's been saying that about OLED for a long time now.

Samsung hedges its bets with UniPixel's TMOS display technology

by Steven Kim posted Feb 4th 2009 at 5:49PM

UniPixel Opcuity design
Here's a new one to add to the display technology lexicon -- TMOS, which stands for "time multiplexed optical shutter," is being developed by UniPixel in its Opcuity products. The technology is interesting enough to get Samsung to get in on, and the promise to provide better image quality over LCD and OLED displays while being up to 60-percent cheaper to manufacture than LCDs makes it easy to see why. We haven't even seen a prototype of this technology, but we're able to piece together that the display centers around UniPixel's Opcuity "Active Layer Film," basically an array of micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) shutters that sit in front of the illumination source that will strobe between red, green and blue to produce color; basically, it's a bit of DLP (MEMS and persistence of vision) combined with LCD technology (flat backlight with a shutter). Sounds great, but like we said, it's still in the labs. Not to be naysayers, but one challenge will be keeping the MEMS shutters functional in larger displays -- a 50-inch display has pixels about 0.5-mm in size, and MEMS really do rely on the "micro" part of their name to work.

[Thanks, Vanbrothers]

Read - Samsung and UniPixel press release
Read - UniPixel technology

Samsung SDI to back away from PMOLED, focus efforts on AMOLED

by Darren Murph posted Dec 16th 2008 at 7:40AM

Unbeknownst to most, there are actually quite a few flavors of OLED out there. We've got passive-matrix (PM), active-matrix (AM) and transparent, and evidently Samsung SDI isn't really feeling the former anymore. Reportedly, the outfit will begin to phase out of the PMOLED business, and it will begin looking for ways to alter its existing PMOLED production line for "other uses." The plug is being pulled (at least partially) as decreasing panel prices and a small bucket of buyers have reduced profitability, leaving it little option but to readjust its focus on the more promising AMOLED. The move isn't entirely surprising -- after all, LG Display suspended its entire PMOLED business last year, and while there is a slight possibility that the firm keeps a small bit of PMOLED production going, it'll be minor (if there's any at all). Our take? We're stoked. It's the AMOLEDs that'll end up in that mythical 40 inch (and beyond) OLED HDTV, so we're all about giving more attention to that baby's commercialization date.

Upscaling gets broken down and explained in layman's terms

by Darren Murph posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 9:34AM


Resolution+. Super Resolution Technology. Upscaling. Upconverting. You've heard it all, but what does it all really mean? Home Cinema Choice has taken the liberty of breaking down the art of upscaling to explain in-depth what's going on when pixels become slightly-more-detailed pixels. We'll leave the dirty work to the read link, but if you've been wondering just how good SD content could look (or if these upconverting technologies were simply sophisticated bottles of snake oil), you owe it to yourself to give this a look. As you could likely glean, the end-all statement is that upscaled material still can't match bona fide high-def, but it's still worth understanding the who's, what's and why's behind making your current DVD collection and SD shows look their best.

NEC's fancy new wiring technology could lead to slimmer LCD HDTVs

by Darren Murph posted Oct 30th 2008 at 9:41AM


While it's pretty much a given that HDTVs are going to slim down from one CES / CEDIA to another, you probably wouldn't think that wiring schemes would be the catalyst for making it happen. NEC Electronics has just revealed a "next-generation connection technology for the circuitry in large LCDs" that will enable big screens to get all the more thinner. Essentially, the tech is "specific to the wiring used to transfer signals from the image processing board to the driver chips that are fitted to the periphery of the LCD panel and control the pixels." Currently, a Full HD 37-inch LCD TV requires right around 21 wires to make the magic happen; with NEC's approach, just 8 would be needed. The company expects to have a "practical version" ready to roll sometime in 2009, so we're totally expecting credit card-thin LCDs in January 2010.

Konica Minolta licenses white PHOLED technology from Universal Display

by Steven Kim posted Aug 15th 2008 at 8:40PM

PHOLED
Technology never stops moving forward -- even as LED lighting begins to enjoy a rollout across various product sectors, new eco-friendly lighting competitors emerge. Sure enough, we're talking OLED technology. Konica Minolta has entered a licensing agreement for some of Universal Display's UniversalPHOLED (phosphorescent OLED) technology. PHOLED lighting may not be as sexy as, say, full motion colorific OLED displays, but knowing how many applications there are for static white light, there's lots of moolah to be made in this technology. And between Konica Minolta's partnerships with Universal Display and General Electric, there could be some exciting developments in the not-too-distant future. And we're not thinking lightbulbs; try ultra-thin, energy efficient PHOLED backlighting as an interim technology while full-fledged OLED displays get mainstreamed.

[Images courtesy InternationalLightTech and CityPages]

Could we see ultra widescreen HDTVs in the future?

by Darren Murph posted Jul 25th 2008 at 8:02AM


C'mon, who hasn't had an inexperienced movie goer over that politely asks why black bars still show up on a widescreen HDTV? Have you ever wondered if a set would be produced to harmonize with those films shot and presented in 2.35:1? Sound & Vision sat down with a number of industry experts and asked them that very question, and while many believe that the same technology that has become commonplace in custom projector installs is feasible for TVs, it's not apt to happen anytime soon. Essentially, there's just not a large enough market for ultra widescreen displays; the hardcore among us that would spring for one are in the minority. Richard F. Doherty, research director of The Envisioneering Group on Long Island, was one fellow who seemed to have more faith than anyone else, even going so far as to suggest that we may see at least a prototype of one such set at CES 2009. Mark our words, we'll be keeping an eye out -- after all, it shouldn't be too hard to spot in the sea of 16:9 units.

Holograms hoping to make HDTV look lame

by Darren Murph posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 5:12PM

Hologram technology has been secretly inching closer and closer to our living rooms for quite some time, though few have actually been paying attention to it as a bona fide display technology. A team from the University of Arizona is hoping to change that mindset, as they have developed a technology that "allows holograms to be rewritable for the first time." Essentially, this enables "allows 3D images to be changed many times per second, just like the frames in a movie," and you don't have to have the most vivid of imaginations to understand how incredible this could be. As of now, the tech isn't suitable for 3D movies, but team member Nasser Peyghambarian is hopeful that they "will be able to get to that capability." Better-than-3D visuals without the glasses? Consider us pre-sold.

Japanese outfits to collaborate on power-saving OLED panels

by Darren Murph posted Jul 17th 2008 at 11:48PM


The energy-saving nature of OLEDs has certainly been debated, but a passel of big name firms and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) are pushing forward with an initiative to promote the technology. Aside from the aforementioned entity, ten companies including Sony, Sharp, Toshiba and Matsushita (Panasonic) are collaborating on the five-year effort, which will likely cost ¥3.5 billion ($32.8 million). In sum, the project is aimed at "developing a core technology to mass-produce 40-inch or larger OLED displays in the late 2010s," and there's even a mention that said companies are racing South Korean firms to get a jump on OLED deployment. Race on, we say.

[Via Widescreen Review]

MPAA backs yet another anti-piracy technology: DreamStream

by Darren Murph posted Jul 4th 2008 at 10:48AM


As the Motion Picture Association of America continues on its unending (we mean that quite literally) quest to banish digital piracy, it has just announced its unbridled support for yet another technology. The MPAA has approved the use of DreamStream's secure online file streaming system "as a solution to curb digital piracy," and according to Michael Jay Solomon, founder of Solomon Entertainment Enterprises, the software will "allow the content providers to recoup the billions of dollars that they are loosing [sic] right now." If you got a chuckle out of that, get a load of this. Ulf Diebel, chief development officer for DreamStream, went so far as to say that in order to "win the war on piracy, the studios need DreamStream's military grade capabilities." Heck, the company even asserts that its "unpublished encryption has never been compromised by hackers or digital pirates." Sheesh , don't you all know what happens when you just beg to be circumvented?

Field Emission Technologies to produce 60-inch FED panels?

by Darren Murph posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 3:14PM

I
t's been a hot minute since we've heard anything from Field Emission Technologies, but apparently the Sony spin-off is gearing up to make some serious noise in the industry. Field emission display (FED) still remains a relatively unknown panel technology, but FET is hoping to change all that by introducing a 60-inch display that will be "more energy efficient and sharper than [an] LCD." Analysts assert that FED will actually be a suitable alternative to OLED, and while Sony's own XEL-1 is fine and dandy, that 11-inch screen sort of renders it useless for home theater use. Reportedly, FET is "in negotiation with Pioneer regarding mass-production of field emission displays," and while the first batch of 60-inchers will likely hit hospital wards and TV studios first, you better believe the general public will be next in line.

[Via OLED-Display]

Ask Engadget HD: What is switched digital video (SDV)?

by Darren Murph posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 12:00PM Featured Story


With scads of cable providers slowly but surely converting markets and delivering channels via switched digital video, we reckoned now was an excellent time to dust off the terminology dictionary and dig in deeper. Fittingly, Jarad agreed:

"I've seen that lots of markets are being switched over to SDV lately, and I've noticed CableCARD users are generally upset whenever this happens. Why is that? I thought SDV was supposed to free up space so that more high-definition channels could be distributed on the current network?"

If you've suddenly found yourself wondering the same, head on past the break for the low-down.

Continue reading Ask Engadget HD: What is switched digital video (SDV)?

LG warms up to OLED, gears up to sink some cash into it

by Darren Murph posted Jun 28th 2008 at 5:22AM

Not like LG had any choice but to get savvy with OLED, but either way, it's good to hear that it's making the investment willingly. According to CEO Kwon Young-soo, LG is planning to use some of its "abundant cash" (must be nice, right?) to "increase capital spending for the active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AMOLED) business." He refused to dole out a proper figure at the time, noting that the company was "still watching the market to seek a proper time to implement decisive action." As for logistics, it's highly likely that a little tag-team work with Samsung SDI will take place, while it's also probable that we'll see its 3.5G AMOLED line relocated to its facilities in "Paju, Gyeonggi Province, following the relocation of the two-generation production line in Gumi." So, LG -- now that we know you're all gung ho, might we see that 32-inch OLED TV before 2011?

CombOLED consortium aims to advance OLED manufacturing

by Darren Murph posted Jun 27th 2008 at 4:14PM


Looks like Universal Display isn't the only firm out there spending some hard earned time and money researching OLED technology. The European CombOLED consortium is scheduled to run until the dawn of 2011, after which it darn well better have made good use of the $10.9 million that it has been allotted. The project is being headed up by OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, and the primary goal is to "combine new device structures, advantageous manufacturing approaches and less complex materials with the aim to achieve cost-effective OLED-based lighting." We couldn't tell you what that means for mainstream consumers hankering for an OLED HDTV, but it sure sounds promising.

Samsung launches Blu-ray resource center

by Darren Murph posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 8:21PM


Samsung's been pretty good about keeping its HDM players up to date with the latest protocols, and now it's launching a dedicated site to keep prospective consumers and current owners alike informed about the Blu-ray format. The aptly-titled Blu-ray resource center is split into two sides, one of which includes topics for existing BD addicts and one with information for those "looking to buy Blu-ray." Interestingly, the forum packs some pretty noteworthy questions, with the latest explaining how upconverted DVD just isn't as good as bona fide Blu-ray. Head on over and swallow some knowledge -- just be sure to watch for falling propaganda.




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