LCD Panel Values: 2H of April 2008

For those who purchase LCD panels, this set of information might be interesting. I took publicly available pricing information for LCD panels from Witsview and DisplaySearch, took the average, and then did some analysis on maximum value.

For the purpose of this blog post, maximum value is defined as dollar per megapixel ($/MP, lower is better). What this value shows is how many pixels you are getting for each dollar. Many might say that overall diagonal size is a much more important indicator and that might be true. But given the same size, I prefer a higher resolution LCD leading me to conclude that I value the number of pixels.

The value of pixels can be seen clearly in the trend toward 1080p in LCD TVs. Given the same size, say 42″, most consumers will desire a 1080p model compared to a 720p. The recent trend toward 1080p 32″ LCD TVs is another case in point.

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Lenovo IdeaPad U110: 11.1″ Ultraportable

Lenovo IdeaPad U110

Display Size: 11.1″
Pixel Format: 1366 x 768
Backlight: LED
GPU: Intel GMA X3100 (VGA Out, 256MB shared)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 1.6GHz 4MB L2 Cache 800MHz FSB
HDD: 120GB 4200RPM (32GB - 64GB SSD optional)
RAM: 2GB
Optical: External DL DVD
Webcam: 1.3MP
Connectivity: 10/100 Ethernet, WiFi (Intel 4965AGN), Bluetooth (optional)
Input: USB 2.0 (3), FireWire, 6-in-1 Multicard Reader, ExpressCard, Audio In/Out
Weight: 2.4lbs (4-cell battery)
Thickness: 0.72″ to 0.88″
Availability: April 2008
Price: $1899 (base)

Image Courtesy: Notebook Review

$1899. Sounds a bit expensive. Although not an apples-to-apples comparison, Apple’s MacBook Air with a 13.3″ LED backlit LCD goes for $1799. Of course, Lenovo did have to shrink things a bit more to squeeze everything into a box that houses a much smaller LCD at just 11.1″ diagonal. Up to a certain point, smaller is more expensive. But the interesting thing is that Sony’s exceptionally small TZ series notebook PCs also start at $1799.98, which is about $100 cheaper. Does Lenovo think that it’s got something more special than a comparable Sony?

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Fujitsu F-A50: All-In-One

Fujitsu F-A50

Display Size: 16″
Pixel Format: 1366 x 768
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
GPU: Intel GMA X3100 (GM965 Express)
Weight: 12 lbs
Availability: May 17, 2008 in Japan
Price: ~US$1300

The Fujitsu F-A50 all-in-one PC looks somewhat similar to the last-generation Apple iMac. The main difference, in terms of design, being the stand that allows height adjustment and tilting of the screen.

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Sharp AQUOS D44E Series

Sharp AQUOS D44E Series

Size: 26″ (LC-26D44E), 32″ (LC-32D44E), 37″ (LC-37D44E)
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Pixel Format: 1366 x 768
Contrast Ratio: 10,000:1
Brightness: 470-500 cd/m2
Viewing Angle: 176/176
Response Time: 6ms
Input: HDMI (2), SCART (2), VGA
Pricing: LC-26D44 £499 (US$985), LC-32D44 £599 (US$1,182), LC-37D44 TBD
Availability: Now for LC-26D44 and LC-32D44. LC-37D44 to be available in the UK from July 2008

On April 9, 2008, Sharp introduced its AQUOS D44E Series LCD TVs. The D44E Series is aimed at consumers who want to upgrade to a LCD TV but is on a tighter budget.

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Samsung 16:9 Notebook PC LCD and Active LED Backlight LCD

16:9 LCDs

Size: 18.4″, 16.0″
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1080 (18.4″), 1366 x 768 (16.0″)
Colors: 262,144 for both (6-bit)
Brightness: 300 cd/m2 (18.4″), 220 cd/m2 (16.0″)
Color Gamut: 90% NTSC (18.4″), 60% NTSC (16.0″)
Contrast Ratio: 800:1 for both
Response Time: 8ms for both
Viewing Angle: 140/135 for both
Availability: 1H’08

Active White LED Backlight LCD

Size: 15.4″
Pixel Format: 1440 x 900 (same as one in 15.4″ MacBook Pro)
Contrast Ratio: 10,000:1 or more (dynamic contrast ratio)
Viewing Angle: 120/120 (not very good)
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Color Gamut: 45% NTSC (just average)
Power Consumption: 2.0W or less
Availability: 2H’08

More pictures at Akihabara News

On October 17, 2007, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., (SEC) announced the development of new LCDs for notebook PCs. Two offers a 16:9 aspect ratio, just like a HD TV, and the third features an active white LED backlight that increases picture clarity and reduces power consumption. SEC will unveil these LCDs at FPD International being held in Yokohama, Japan, October 24-26. Mass production is scheduled to commence in 1H’08 for the 16:9 LCDs and in 2H’08 for the white LED backlight LCD. I’m not as excited about the 16:9 LCDs as I am with the “active” LED backlight panel, but it is quite a long ways from now, unfortunately.

The two 16:9 LCDs are 16″ and 18.4″ in size. The color gamut is 60% for the 16″ and 90% for the 18.4″. Quite high considering typical notebooks have about 45% NTSC. Since these two are using CCFL backlights, I will assume that the phosphors have been improved to generate an improved color gamut. The wide color gamut CCFL (WCG-CCFL) can be nice for general movie watching but color matching can be a problem for those serious about color. Contrast ratio for the 16:9 panels is a pretty good 800:1 but the response time isn’t going to be fast enough (8ms) to replace your TV for video viewing. The number of colors (262,144) tell you that these are 6-bit panels. It seems the 18.4″ will have a pixel format of 1920 x 1080 (Full HD, 1080p). I have a 17″ Dell with a pixel format of 1920 x 1200 and it is pretty large. I wonder if consumers will buy into a 18.4″ notebook PC. It might be just a tad bit too big in my opinion. Of course, if it was slimmer, lighter, sexier and lasted many more hours, I wouldn’t mind the extra 1.4″. But please don’t put the keyboard to the left since I have no use for a numeric keypad. By the way, the 1366 x 768 pixel format for a large 16.0″ LCD sounds a bit on the low side.

SEC’s 15.4″ active white LED backlight LCD sounds pretty cool as the company states that it will consume 40% less power than a typical LED backlight. That would mean that it will consume even less than a typical CCFL backlight. I certainly appreciate the improvements in backlight technology as it seems the battery industry is not going to be providing much useful advances soon with batteries exploding and even battery factories catching on fire. The active part of the LED backlight involves illuminated areas of the display with varying degrees of brightness. To make dark areas dark the LEDs for that portion of the display are turned off. When dark becomes more dark and bright areas become more bright, contrast ratio is improved and SEC states that the contrast ratio is 10,000:1. Wow. But other features are just normal: viewing angle (120/120), color gamut (45%) and brightness (300 cd/m2).

Source: Akihabara News