Sony demoed a 55-inch prototype model of a next-generation television that it calls a “crystal LED display” at CES on Tuesday.
It’s claimed to be the first 55-inch full HD self-emitting display using LEDs as the light source.
Sony claims the display offers better contrast, more color and faster video image response times than its existing LCD displays.
The company is “trying to address the life cycle problem with OLEDs, which have had a horrid service life in TVs, typically dropping to about half their original capability within 12 months,” Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld.
Many TV makers are currently banking on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens.
Sony’s technology is different from other manufacturers, Sony Electronics Vice President Brian Siegel said, though he declined to provide details regarding other aspects of the technology.
Shining a Light on Sony’s New Display
The prototype demoed at CES had a 55-inch screen and a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080, Sony said. Full HD uses about 6 million LEDs, divided equally among red, green and blue.
Sony’s new displays consist of RGB LED light sources equal in number to their resolution in pixels, meaning that a screen with a resolution of 6 million pixels will have 6 million LEDs.
To achieve this, three ultrafine LEDs — one each in red, green and blue — are put together to create a pixel.
The LEDs are mounted directly on the front of the display.
This improves the efficiency with which the LEDs use light, offers images with higher contrast in both light and dark environments, and provides a wider color gamut than NTSC screens. It also improves video image response time and offers wider viewing angles than existing LCD and plasma displays.
Power consumption is less than 70 watts, Sony claims. The display has a viewing angle of about 180 degrees.
Breaking Down Sony’s Screen
Sony’s crystal LED display is a direct-view matrix of LEDs, as opposed to an LED-backlit LCD, according to NPD DisplaySearch Research Vice President Paul Semenza.
Direct-view LED displays are usually made for outdoor billboards or large indoor signs and are meant to be viewed from tens of meters away. The screen adds to the interest in the technology race for large-sized flat panel TVs, Semenza said.
However, the method used — clustering RGB diodes to form a full color pixel — is not new. This approach is used to make conventional LED panels.
The pixels crated are usually square. They’re spaced evenly apart and are measured from center to center when calculating resolution.
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