In-Plane Switching in Mobile Phone Displays Prepares to Take-Off
The humble mobile phone is dying, and in its place a new, more dynamic breed is evolving. By 2010, iSuppli expects mobile video will attract more than 100 million subscribers and more than 300 million handsets will ship with mobile TV chips. As flat screens dominate at-home entertainment, consumers demand high-definition images on the move as well so handset manufacturers are having to find more advanced, power-efficient display technologies to satisfy their tastes. Grainy images with unstable colours will no longer suffice.
Hitachi Display Products Group (DPG) says that it has developed a series of displays that leverage its patented In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology to deliver a premium user experience. Delivering the industry's only crisp, high resolution picture with viewing angles of up to 176 degrees in any direction and in all usage conditions, IPS has been specifically engineered for the mobile phone and automotive industries (for in-dash and satellite navigation displays) to enable operators/manufacturers to maximise revenue potential and increase customer satisfaction.
ABI Research revealed that the global mobile marketing and advertising market is expected to reach £1.5bn by the end of 2007 while Telephia estimated that revenues from mobile video subscriptions in the US totalled $148 million in Q4 2006, up 188% from the start of the year. Hitachi DPG is predicting IPS to become the leading display technology for these markets.
Matt Tapping, Sales Manager from Hitachi Display Products Group, said: "Mobile video has had a slow start though take-up has been steady, but the recent figures are showing this is finally growing. It is not a coincidence that where previously consumers had been disinterested, following the appearance of technologies like IPS [that significantly enhances the viewing experience], mobile video is now one of the fastest growing markets."
DPG has already developed a 2.9-inch wide, high definition WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) IPS liquid crystal (LC) module for mobile phones. IPS technology, the latest LC solution for television, is employed in mobile phones to provide high definition in addition to a wide viewing angle and high image quality. This enables mobile phones to display images of a higher quality and definition. Employing a screen with VGA resolution or higher in a mobile phone, will enable users to see the entire width of websites without having to scroll laterally. IPS technology is not limited to high resolution mobile applications, Hitachi has also developed a 2.2 inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixel) display that delivers the same outstanding viewing angles and image quality.
The burgeoning automotive LCD-display industry has also meant that the requirement of exceptional display technology is necessary to sustain the growth. New vehicles are being introduced with Head-Up Displays (HUDs) and the European obsession with Sat Nav devices means that in-car display technology is a key concern for manufacturers. The market in Europe is rapidly expanding - growing from just under €1 billion in 1999 to over €8 billion by 2005 alone. Europe is also currently preparing to launch Galileo, the €3.4 billion sat-nav system, which it hopes to deploy by 2010. IPS technology enables drivers to view data at any angle and in any light condition, thereby reducing the need to move from the optimal driving position.
"With the need for better quality displays and the growth on-board systems such as Sat Nav and video, we are expecting the automotive industry to be another huge growth area as IPS' clarity dramatically improves driver safety", added Tapping.
In an IPS display the liquid crystal revolves in parallel with the glass substrates which realises the wide viewing angle of the display. Changes of colour tone due to the viewing angle or gradation are so slight that a natural picture can be seen from any angle vertically or horizontally. The AS-IPS technology modified for mobile phone and automotive applications has an improved aperture ratio of around 30 per cent compared with conventional products to produce higher brightness. It also features improved colour reproduction."
Posted to the site on 15th June 2007