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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LG.Philips LCD 15.4″ Non-stick LCD

On November 15, 2007, LG.Philips LCD (LPL) announced a LCD panel that is resistant to virtually any kind of dirtying by incorporating a similar principle that is used on non-stick frying pans. The prototype is a 15.4″ LCD geared for notebook PC applications and is resistant to dirt, fingerprints and even permanent ink can be easily wiped off.

LPL stated that standard panels have anti-glare films that tend to hold onto oil and other substances. An additional layer on top of the anti-glare film can eliminate the problem, but requires an extra manufacturing step in addition to incurring more cost. LPL is hush-hush about more details of its non-stick 15.4″ LCD but volume production is slated for 1H’08. I am sure LPL will apply its non-stick magic on other LCD sizes very soon. Although pen marks are generally not a problem for notebook PCs, I can see that semi-ruggedized notebook PCs for outdoor use can benefit from this development. Oh, and notebook PCs for kids would definitely last longer with a non-stick LCD solution.

Source: LG.Philips LCD

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