Competing technologies - Page 29

Last month we reported that Sony is set to update the PS Vita, and now the company indeed announced the new PS Vita PCH-2000 (Vita 2013). Sadly, the display is a 5" 960x544 LCD instead of the 5" AMOLED display in the original Vita. Sony says that recent changes in LCD technology enabled them to showcase more native colors.

The new Vita is lighter and thinner than the previous model, and extends the battery life by an hour. It features a quad-core ARM CPU, 512MB of RAM, 1GB of internal storage and two cameras. It will launch in October in Japan for ¥18,980 (about $190) and will come in several colors.

About four months after LG launched the world's first curved TV (the 55" 55EA9800 OLED TV), both Samsung and Sony launched curved LCDs - showing us that LCDs can also curve. Samsung actually announced two models, in 55" and 65". Both offer UHD (4K) resolution (and so Samsung proudly says these are the world's first curved UHD panels).

Sony S990A

Sony's S990A curved LED-backlit LCD is 65" in size, and "only" Full-HD. It features the color-enhancing Triluminos display technology (QDVision's Quantum-Dot films). Sony's TV is closer to market - in fact the company already accepts pre-orders in the US for $4,000. It will ship in late October 2013. Sony also showed the 4K 56" OLED TV protoype, which seems to be the same one shown at CES 2013:

It seems that in the next few years (before OLED TV prices hopefully drop to a comparable level to LCDs), people wanting to buy a premium TV will have two options: 4K LCDs or FHD OLED TVs. 4K resolutions usually means 3840 × 2160 (although some offer different resolutions) - or about 4 times the pixels of FHD resolution, hence the 4K name.

4K OLED prototype (Sony)

Obviously this makes sense. The higher pixel density means smoother images. But does it really make sense? There are two main issues here: suitable content and whether you can actually tell the difference.

DisplaySearch says that mobile phone display revenue will grow 55% in 2013 to $33.3 billion. The market is driven by rising smartphone display selling price and growing mobile phone shipments.

DisplaySearch also released revenue numbers per technology, and in 2013 AMOLED display will take the lead as they will account for 37% market share. LTPS LCDs will have 36.1% while a-Si LCDs will have 26.5%. Interestingly, it means that DisplaySearch estimates that mobile phone OLEDs alone will generate $12.3 billion in revenue in 2013. Earlier in 2013 they estimated that the whole OLED market will reach $11 billion in 2013. It's good to see them raise their estimates now!

LG Display developed the world's first QHD (2560x1440) AH-IPS LCD panel for smartphones. This 5.5" display is the world's highest resolution mobile display and is features the highest density (538 PPI).

LG says that this is also the world's thinnest mobile LCD at 1.21 mm. They say it's 12% thinner than LG's previous world record announced just last month. Something does not add up as the previous panel was 2.2 mm thick... so maybe the real thickness of this new panel is about 1.9 mm. 

Samsung just sent out invitations for their Samsung Unpacked 2013 episode 2 event - which will take place on September 4 (7 PM in Germany). Check out the invitation below, it's highly likely they will unveil the Galaxy Note 3 phone:

In past months we had several reports and rumors with information on the Note 3 displays. Some say it will have a plastic-based flexible OLED while others claim it will have an LCD display. Some reports suggest that Samsung will actually release several Note 3 variants with different displays. We only have one month to wait, but my own estimate is that it will have a 6-inch "regular" Super AMOLED display.

My friend Raymond Soneira from DisplayMate wrote an interesting article for the SID Information Display magazine on Tablet displays technologies in real world ambient light. The displays obviously progressively degrades as ambient light is increased, and Raymond then shows how you can compensate and correct images by by dynamically modifying the color gamut and intensity scale.

The article points out the importance of using a managed wide color gamut in displays. Here OLEDs (and also LCDs with Quantum Dots) have an advantage obviously over regular LCDs. This basically means that by having a wider color gamut, a display can be made to look better under ambient light.

Update: the G2 is now official, and it sadly uses an IPS-LCD display

LG will launch their new flagship Android handset, the G2 on August 7th. Meanwhile, the company announced today an accessory for this phone, the QuickWindow case. This premium case includes a small window so the phone can display information when the case is closed (you'll have to swipe your finger to activate the display). LG calls the graphic interface itself QuickWindow UX, and it includes a clock, weather report, alarms, music and phone/messages notifications.

This is a neat idea, although it isn't new. Samsung offers a similar idea in their S View Cover case for the GS4. OLEDs have a clear advantage over LCDs here - as only lit pixels draw power, while in LCDs even if the rest of the display is black, the BLU unit still lights up the whole panel. So these kinds of ideas really make sense with an OLED display, not an LCD one. Is it possible that the G2 will adopt an OLED display?

Himax just announced that Google bought a 6.3% stake in the company (in Himax Display Inc, to be exact, a daughter company of Himax Technologies). This money will be used to expand Himax's LCoS microdisplay capacity. Google also has an option to buy a further 8.5% of the company.

Himax's LCoS displays are used in Google's Glass HMD prototypes. A couple of months ago there were reports from Korea that Google are in talks with Samsung Display to supply OLED microdisplays for the next-gen Glass product (the first commercial one). I guess that this latest investment means that Google will keep Himax's products and will not opt for OLEDs. At least not for now...

LG Display developed a 5.2" Full-HD LCD panel that is only 2.2 mm thick. They say this is the world's thinnest Full-HD LCD panel. It's also the narrowest panel as it has a 2.3 mm bezel. This is the first panel to use LGD's Advanced One-Glass-Solution (OGS).

LGD says that Dual Flexible Printed Circuits, superior to a single circuit, have been inserted between the panel and touch film, reducing the number of lines on the panel by more than 30%. Utilization of a direct bonding system has also resulted in Optical Clear Resin between the panel and touch film for greater brightness.