Trends In Display Technologies The Wild Ride Continues…

1. Peter H. Putman, CTS President, ROAM Consulting Inc. Founder, HDTVexpert.com Trends In Display TechnologiesThe Wild Ride Continues…

2. The Next Big Thing Is… • 2004 was the year of intelligent displays • 2005 is the year of “HD” (1080p) displays • 1920x1080 front and rear projection • 1920x1080 flat panel monitors • 1400x1050, 1600x1200, 2048x1536 displays • 16:9 aspect ratios more and more popular • 1920x1080 is a shared TV / PC resolution

3. The Next Big Thing Is… • Most significant display products shown at CES, CeBIT, and NAB were HD 1080p displays • Sharp 65-inch LCD TV = 1920x1080 • Samsung 82-inch LCD TV = 1920x1080 • Samsung 102-inch plasma TV = 1920x1080 • JVC 48-inch LCoS RP monitor = 1920x1080 • Sony 70-inch LCoS RPTV = 1920x1080 • Get the picture?

4. Higher Resolution Displays:Boon or Pandora’s Box?Be Careful What You Ask For

5. Gimme Those Pixels! • Everyone wants HDTV imaging resolution • But there are trade-offs, as usual • Decoding and deinterlacing SD/HD video • Image scaling vs. native pixel resolution • Bandwidth and image detail • Accurate grayscales and color shading • None of these are “easy” to do!

6. Converting SD video: Decode composite to component Convert interlaced to progressive Correct for intraframe motion artifacts Eliminate scan line artifacts Preserve image detail without ringing Detect and correct for different frame/field cadences (3:2, 2:3:3:2, 2:2:2:4, etc) Analog Video Is Still Around

7. The Ideal Decoded Signal

8. The Sad Reality

9. Deinterlacing SD Video • With 480p CRT displays, it’s not as much of an issue (resolution limits of spot size) • With 720p/768p FP displays, scan line and motion artifacts are more visible • With 1080p FP displays, problem is severe as all SD artifacts are revealed • Is 1080p native resolution a good thing, or is it Pandora’s Box?

10. Deinterlacing Video • 480i source deinterlacing not as intense for processors as 1080i • Most 1080i processors do not convert both fields, only one • Result: 540p scaled to 720p (fudging) • This trick doesn’t work when using a native 1080p display

11. Deinterlacing Video Quality deinterlacing and motion correction applied here Inferior deinterlacing and motion correction applied here Both frames enlarged 4X

12. Image Scaling for HD Displays • Two ways to do it: • UP in resolution (interpolation of add’l. pixels) • DOWN in resolution (decimation of pixels) • The greater the difference in total pixels, the more difficult either process becomes • 480p to 600p: +25%, not too bad… • 1080i to 600p: -56%, a pretty good leap! • Composite video to 1080p HD: +88% (Uh-oh…)

13. Going Up In Resolution 480p source image Not difficult to pull off while maintaining good image quality 600p scaled image

14. Going Down In Resolution 1920x1080p source image Picture detail is thrown away, but overall image quality is tolerable 1024x600p scaled image

15. Flat-Out Asking For Trouble 480i source image You don’t realize how bad SD video looks until you try this trick! 1920x1080 scaled image

16. Image Scaling Headaches • Garbage in, garbage out • Noise reduction (analog, digital MPEG ‘mosquitoes’) • Field vs. frame conversion (1080i to 540p) • Color space errors (601 or 709 to RGB) • Higher resolution fixed-pixel projection systems clearly show scaling defects • Poor SD video performance is #1 cause of consumer returns on fixed-pixel TVs

17. Bandwidth and Detail Problems • A little known ‘secret’: Many expensive fixed-pixel displays are short on HD bandwidth • Desire to save $$ on components • Inclusion of ‘video sharpness’ circuits • Obsession with edge enhancement • Designing display for 480p sources • Mostly seen on YPbPr (analog) inputs

18. The Ideal Bandwidth Response Full bandwidth signal processing (>18 MHz)

19. The Sad Reality Clipped bandwidth signal processing (<12 MHz)

20. I Want My Money Back • Luminance detail more important than chrominance detail • In MPEG, luminance samples at twice chrominance or more (4:2:2, 4:2:0, etc) • Clipped BW not an issue with SD displays, but a big issue with HD displays • With many HD displays, you are not getting the performance you paid for!

21. I Want My Money Back • In a typical HD display: • Inferior scaling of low-rez video • Poor de-interlacing and motion correction • Poor noise reduction (digital and analog) • Clipped bandwidth above 12 MHz • Too much edge enhancement with SD + HD • Result: An expensive HD display no better than a cheaper SD display

22. Perhaps the two hardest things for any HD display to handle well Digital systems have it tougher (PWM) Shadow detail always difficult to render Expansive grayscales are problematic Industry obsessed with contrast ratio White detail crush very common Grayscale – Color Purity

23. Grayscale Problems False contouring and white crush are seen

24. Color Purity Problems • Color purity across HD image is a must • Color shifts can be caused by: • Poorly designed mirrors, integrators • Refraction in imaging devices • Inconsistency in color filter materials • Low-cost optics and lenses • Uneven spectral output of illuminants

25. Projector Color Shifts Projector was set to ‘Middle’ or ‘Normal’ WB in each case

26. Projector Color Shifts • Not as noticeable with business graphics (saturated colors go pastel) • More noticeable with mid/high gray tones • Definitely noticeable with flesh tones! • A difficult problem with short-arc lamps • Fix with filtering, but lose light • Move to xenon imaging? Cost issues?

27. Contenders and PretendersEveryone’s Got a Better Mousetrap

28. ? ???? E M I S S I V E ??? ? transmissive Reflective ??????? ?

29. Contenders for the Throne • Emissive - You view the light source directly • CRT, plasma, SED, FED, LED, O-LED • Transmissive - You view shuttered light • TFT LCD monitors, HTPS LCD projectors • Reflective - You view reflected light • DLP, LCoS and variations (D-ILA, SXRD, etc)

30. E M I S S I V E

31. Emissive Contenders • CRT (cathode-ray tube) technology the oldest and best-known variation • Limitations in brightness and physical size • Resolution always tied to brightness • High voltages required • Power consumption issues

32. Emissive Contenders • Plasma display panels (PDPs) are a step forward • Resolution and brightness link is broken • Higher native resolutions, high brightness and contrast • Saturated phosphors, wide viewing angles • Light weight, thin profile • Power still an issue

33. Emissive Contenders • Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a step further • Lower operating voltages for luminous energy • Thinner profile, high brightness and contrast • Resolution still coarse • High current consumption • Modular and durable display

34. Emissive Contenders • Organic light-emitting diodes (O-LEDs) push the envelope farther out • Super-thin, low-voltage technology • High contrast, brightness • Bright colors and wide viewing angles • Current consumption and uniformity are problems

35. Emissive Contenders • Surface-conducting Electron-emitting Displays (SEDs) have promise, but… • Super-thin technology with CRT-like image quality • High contrast, brightness • Bright colors and wide viewing angles • Can Canon and Toshiba actually deliver it?

36. transmissive

37. Transmissive “Threats” • Liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) are mature • Link between brightness and resolution broken • Low voltage technology, scalable over various sizes • Viewing angles and black levels are issues • Color filter imaging not as intense as phosphors

38. Transmissive “Threats” • High-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) • Enabled the portable projector market • Low-cost imaging technology at high resolution • Monochrome, requires outboard color filters • Questions as to durability of panels and filters

39. Reflective

40. Reflective Challengers • Digital light processing (DLP) • High resolutions possible • Efficient technology, lightweight projectors • Monochrome, needs color filters / wheels • Black levels good, high brightness / contrast • 100% digital system, unaffected by analog stimuli

41. Reflective Challengers • Liquid-crystal on silicon (LCoS) • High resolutions possible • Efficient technology, lightweight projection systems • High resolution to 4K • Black level / contrast issues • Manufacturing issues - yields

42. Never A Dull MomentSignificant Display News - 2005

43. Significant News - 2005 • So Far This Year: • Fujitsu exits plasma and LCD fab businesses • The LCD – plasma “war” continues • LCoS fights for respectability, market share • HTPS projection engines strike back • LEDs are used as -- projection lamps? • “1080p” is the latest display buzzword • ELVs, iMods, P-OLEDs grab attention at SID

44. Significant News - 2005 • Plasma: FUJITSU CRIES “UNCLE!” • Falling prices, declining profit margins in both PDP and TFT LCD manufacturing to blame • Competitive advantage to Korean, Chinese fabs • Sells all but 19% of FHP interest to Hitachi • Sells all IP and patents outright to Hitachi • Sells LCD fabs, IP outright to Sharp • Just another OEM now…….

45. Significant News - 2005 • NO PRISONERS TAKEN IN LCD – PLASMA MARKET SHARE BATTLES • Average MSRP of 42” ED plasma TV ranges from $1500 to $2500 - ED going away in favor of HD • 50-inch plasma TV now well under $5K SRP • LCD dominates to 32”, “no man’s land” at 37” size • 32” LCD under $1500, 37” at $2500 • Average 42” ED plasma sold at $50 loss in 2004

46. Significant News - 2005 • LCOS JUST WANTS TO BE LOVED: • More companies pursuing LCoS as alternative technology to DLP (multiple sources, cheaper) • Yields still a big problem for all LCoS types • Some companies just hanging on by fingernails • Sony, JVC continue battles at high end (2K, 4K) • Push in China and Korea to build LCoS TVs • “1080p” seen as tipping point for LCoS

47. Significant News - 2005 • HTPS LCD HAS A FEW TRICKS LEFT: • Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo all introduce new color correction systems • Dynamic iris and gamma correction (Panasonic) • Adoption in more 720p RPTVs (Mitsubishi) • .9”1920x1080 panels coming from Epson for front and rear projection • Front projection systems (Fujitsu, Sanyo, Barco)

48. Significant News - 2005 • YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!: • LumiLEDs light engines (RGB stripes) now in ‘pocket’ projectors • Models from Mitsubishi, Samsung, BenQ, InFocus • Light output 30 – 50 lumens on small screens (12”) • Single chip DLP (800x600) designs • Question: Why not just use a laptop instead?

49. Significant News - 2005 • THROW OUT YOUR 720P DISPLAYS: • Industry becoming obsessed with 1080p imaging • Support across all display technologies • DMDs – 2K professional, 960x1080 consumer • LCoS – 1920x1080 D-ILA, SXRD, others • HTPS – 1920x1080 panels • TFT LCD – now as small as 37” diagonally • Plasma – 71” screens to 102” screens • Silicon Optix field / frame deinterlacing issues

50. Significant News - 2005 • HOW DID THEY EVER COME UP WITH - - • Electrowetting light valve (ELV) • Uses oil and water • Simple monochrome light shutter • Polymer organic light-emitting diodes (P-OLEDs) • Colors can be fluorescent, phosphorescent • Ink-jet printable • Interferometric Modulator (IMod) • Bends light with refraction, reflection