Appliance Design - November 2008 - (Page 13)

NEWS WATCH TELESCOPIC PIXELS. Scientests at at Microsoft Research have developed a pixel that uses a pair of mirrors to block or transmit light could lead to displays that are faster, brighter, and more power efficient than LCDs. The new telescopic pixels switch completely off and on within 1.5 ms. Because the telescopic display switches so rapidly, red, green, and blue lightemitting diodes can be put behind each pixel, and they can be sequentially lit to create a color shade. By contrast, LCDs are more complex. The pixels are made of three subpixels — red, green, and blue — that are lit simultaneously at different intensities to create a color shade. Each subpixel is controlled with a separate transistor circuit. The telescopic pixels are also significantly brighter. In an LCD, by the time light passes through the polarizing films, the liquid-crystal layer, and the color filters, only 5 to 10 percent of it comes out. The telescopic pixels, on the other hand, let through about 36 percent of light. The new pixels use two micromirrors to pass or block light. The first is a 100-micrometerwide, 100-nanometer-thick aluminum disc with a hole in the center. The other mirror, also a thin aluminum film, is as big as the hole and placed directly in front of it. Light is projected on the discshaped mirror from behind the second mirror. In the off state, both mirrors reflect light back to the source, so nothing comes out of the hole. In the on state, a voltage applied between the disc and a transparent electrode bends the disc toward the electrode. Now, light bounces off the disc toward the second mirror and then out through the hole. OLED JOINT RESEARCH. The Japanese government plans to support Sony, Sharp, and other Japanese companies involved in the joint development of super-thin TVs based on organic light-emitting diodes. The group wants to develop a 40-in. OLED display sometime after 2015, according to the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, a Japan government agency that promotes research into new technologies. Last year Sony introduced an 11-in. OLED TV with a 3-mm screen, and is working to mass produce a 20-in. model by next year. Sony wanted to work with component makers and companies that will produce manufacturing equipment in order to develop an infrastructure like the one that exists for LCDs. The joint research is to run through March 2013, and will focus on the longevity and power efficiency of OLED TVs, as well as efficient manufacturing. Other companies involved in the effort include Sumitomo Chemical Co and Hitachi Zosen Corp. via broadcast, cable, satellite, packaged media, and the Internet and played-out on televisions, computer screens, and other tethered displays. After six months, the committee will produce a report that defines the issues and challenges, minimum standards, evaluation criteria and more, which will serve as a working document for SMPTE 3-D standards efforts to follow. WIRELESS HD. Sony, Samsung, and other consumer-electronics companies are uniting to support a technology that could send high-definition video signals wirelessly from a single settop box to screens around the home. The consortium will work to develop an industry standard around technol- ogy from Amimon Ltd. of Israel called Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI). Amimon is already selling its chips and feels that the consortium will help develop more WHDI-enabled devices. WHDI uses a radio band at 5 gigahertz, a level that is used by some Wi-Fi devices, which means it can take advantage of research in that field. To get around bandwidth limitations, Amimon’s chips separate out the signal into important components and give them transmission priority. Less important components, such as tiny variations in color over a small area, are given a lower priority. That means the transmission works over relatively long distances, albeit with lower image quality as the distance increases. < colors • textures special effects functionality color consulting & technical service 2nd generation bonded metallics large or small volumes custom colors, fast global partnership 3D STANDARD. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) established a task force to define the parameters of a stereoscopic 3D mastering standard for content viewed in the home. Called 3D Home Display Formats Task Force, the group will explore the standards that need to be set for 3D content distributed …any questions? colorworksforyou www.tiger-coatings.com 800.243.8148 applianceDESIGN November 2008 13 AM 7/14/08 11:08:51 www.applianceDESIGN.com AD08084Tige.indd 1 http://www.tiger-coatings.com http://www.tiger-coatings.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

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Appliance Design - November 2008

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