Bob - I love your strand - it's been a pleasure reading the whole thing !
Here's a little something that may be of interest - which you may have
seen. This is so sweet - i.e. If you've got physical problems to
overcome - use DSP ! (I was doing digital audio research at the time
of the introduction of CD. There were problems with D/A converter
resolution at that time, and we were working on DSP techniques to overcome
the physical constraints of the converters. The result was that DSP
ended up being the missing link and solved most people's problems. The
present day parallel here with AMLCD is striking).
:-)
Mark
Tuesday January 28 7:46 AM EDT
Chips and Technologies Introduces HiQColor Technology -- a
Breakthrough for Flat Panel Displays
HiQColor Technology Results in a Brighter Screen,
Sharper Image Contrast, and Greater Color Depth for
Inexpensive, Passive LCD Screens
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 1997--
Chips & Technologies Inc , the world's number one supplier of
video graphics controllers and accelerators for flat panel
displays, today announced HiQColor(TM) technology, a breakthrough
technology for achieving high quality image display on passive,
super-twisted nematic (STN) panels. HiQColor technology
enables notebook and desktop PC makers to offer large, flat
panel displays with viewing quality comparable to active matrix,
thin-film transistor (TFT) panels, but at a much lower cost.
"HiQColor technology overcomes many of the limitations of passive
STN panels and levels the image-quality playing field with
active matrix TFT panels," said Tim Erjavec, Director of
Marketing at Chips and Technologies. "This technology gives
notebook computer manufacturers more opportunities to target
specific market sectors, offering, for example, value-priced
notebooks with large, high resolution STN panel displays.
Because STN yields physically larger screens less expensively than
TFT technology, we believe that HiQColor technology will also
help accelerate the acceptance of large flat panel displays as
CRT replacements."
Based on Chips and Technologies' proprietary TMED (Temporal
Modulated Energy Distribution) algorithms, HiQColor
technology is a unique process that allows the display of
16.7 million true colors on STN panels without using Frame Rate
Control (FRC) or dithering. TMED eliminates all of the flaws
-- such as shimmer, Mach banding, and other motion artifacts --
normally associated with dithering and FRC. "HiQColor technology
significantly differentiates our graphics controller product
family from our competitors in the portable graphics arena,"
said Erjavec. "This competitive advantage is protected by more
than five man-years of fundamental research and development as
well as several patent applications."
Passive STN vs. Active-Matrix TFT Panels
Conventional STN displays have several disadvantages compared
with TFT screens. This inferior image fidelity has prevented
STN panel technology from extending its present success in
mainstream markets.
The limited gray scale range of STN panels means only eight
unprocessed colors can be displayed simultaneously. Frame Rate
Control and dithering are used to overcome the low color range
of STN panels. Frame rate control algorithms enable the
display of 4,000 colors, but create undesirable motion artifacts.
When used in combination with FRC, dithering can expand the
color range to 227,000 colors. Dithering also produces unattractive
visual artifacts such as shimmers, banding, graininess, and
low contrast. All of these artifacts reduce overall image fidelity,
which is generally the first thing the human eye notices.
STN panels have one significant advantage over TFT panels: cost.
According to Stanford Resources, 10-inch STN panels cost
approximately $300 less than 10-inch TFT panels.
HiQColor Technology Solution
HiQVideo graphics accelerators implement Temporal Modulated
Energy Distribution (TMED) to overcome the limitations of the
lower cost STN panels. The "temporal modulation" process uses
LCD characteristics and human retinal persistence to generate
gray shades without creating static artifacts; the energy
distribution process uses the spatial domain to minimize motion
artifacts. The result of TMED is 256 gray shades per primary
color or 16.7 million colors.
"STN panels using HiQColor technology have a brighter, crisper
image with more natural flesh tones," said Isao Ota, General
Manager, Development and Planning Department, Liquid Crystal
Division, Matsushita Electric and Industrial Co. Ltd. "What
impressed us most was seeing a side-by-side comparison of an
STN panel with HiQColor technology and one without. The
HiQColor technology panel images look more like photo quality
-- so much so that some customers might wonder if the STN
panel with HiQColor technology is actually an active-matrix
TFT panel."
"We expect that the combination of HiQColor technology and
other improvements in STN screen quality, such as panels with
reduced crosstalk and faster response times, will help expand
the overall market for Chips and Technologies' graphics
controller products and STN displays," said Shoji Iwasaki,
Manager, Engineering Development Department, Electronic Device
Business Headquarters, LCD Division, Tottori SANYO Electric
Co., Ltd. "By offering high quality graphics and video
playback on large, low cost STN screens, PC manufacturers
will be able to attract new classes of customers to notebook
computers and monitor manufacturers will also be able to
appeal to consumers who thought flat panel monitors cost too much
or the screens were too small."
About Chips and Technologies
Chips & Technologies Inc develops semiconductor and software
solutions for leading manufacturers of personal computers.
These unique, highly integrated solutions provide enhanced
graphics, full-motion video, and other advanced display
capabilities for both notebook and desktop computers. Chips
and Technologies is widely recognized as the world's number one
supplier of flat panel video graphics controllers and accelerators
to the portable computer market. Chips and Technologies can
be reached on the World Wide Web at chips.com.
About Liquid Crystal Division of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd.
The Liquid Crystal Division pioneered the world's largest
mass produced TFT-LCD panels for pocket TVs. Today, the
division manufactures high quality TFT, STN, and medium sized
TN panels. The division's 1996 revenue was 65 billion yen.
About Tottori SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
Tottori SANYO Electric Co. has been a supplier of STN Liquid
Crystal Displays since 1986. Tottori SANYO has improved
STN LCD's performance with state-of-the-art technologies such
as Advanced Smart Addressing (ASA) which enable STN
panels to display clear screens with minimal shadowing.
This press release contains forward looking statements, which
are generally preceded by words such as "expects,"
"anticipates," or "intends." Such statements are subject to risks
and uncertainties, including competitive conditions, the timing
of product development, conditions in the personal computer
marketplace, and other risks described in detail in the Company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Note to Editors: HiQColor and TMED are trademarks of Chips and
Technologies. All trademarks and brand names are the
property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Chips and Technologies
Lisa Lawrence, 408/434-0600
or
MQPR
Matthew Quint, 510/548-8985 |
