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MicroDisplay Corporation recently announced at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which was held a few weeks ago, that industry stalwarts AKAI and Memorex have signed on as customers of MicroDisplay's HDTVs. These new televisions will be powered by MicroDisplay's unique and proprietary 1080p LCOS digital projection imaging technology. Both AKAI and Memorex will start shipping their branded sets in the Summer of 2007 at prices expected to be in the $1,500 range.
According to the company's recent press release, MicroDisplay is partnering with these established brands to develop and distribute rear-projection HDTVs with screen sizes of 52-inches to 62-inches. The sets will be customized with various options for each brand. MicroDisplay also announced "Liquid Fidelity" as the name of its single-chip LCoS technology. This technology produces a smooth, natural picture with a fine texture, accurate colors and a fast response time for a film-like home theater experience. Liquid Fidelity, however, is also less expensive to manufacture and align because it eliminates two of the three chips required by other LCoS technologies (such as SXRD and HD-ILA) and the additional optical components that support them. MicroDisplay Corporation is the first company to mass-produce LCoS devices with the fast response times necessary for use in a single-chip design.
What is Liquid Fidelity?
Liquid Fidelity is a single-chip LCoS technology that produces a true 1080p high-definition TV image. As noted above, it provides a smooth, natural picture with accurate colors and a fast response time for a film-like home theater experience.
How is Liquid Fidelity different from other LCOS technologies?
LCoS, which stands for "Liquid Crystal on Silicon", is a general term for a mix of optical and electrical technologies on one chip. The top layer is a liquid crystal material, the bottom layer is an integrated circuit that drives the liquid crystal, and the surface between the layers is highly reflective. The circuit determines how much light passes through the liquid crystal layer, and the reflected light creates an image on a projection screen.
LCoS chips with both 720p and 1080p resolution have been developed for HDTVs. Until now, all LCoS chips in mass production have been used in three-chip systems, with one LCoS chip each for red, green and blue light. Sony's SXRD and JVC's HD-ILA TVs create images this way. While three-chip systems can produce very good HDTV pictures, they are difficult to align precisely and are expensive. Misalignments can cause visible convergence errors between red, green and blue, particularly along the sides and in the corners of the screen.
Liquid Fidelity addresses both the alignment and cost problems. Exclusive technology enables Liquid Fidelity to change its brightness much more quickly than ordinary LCoS chips can. This fast response allows the use of one chip and a color wheel, rather than three chips, so red, green and blue alignment is assured at all areas on the screen. Also, by eliminating two of the three LCoS chips and the additional optical components to support them, Liquid Fidelity HDTVs are less expensive to manufacture. The resulting picture is bright and clear, with a fine texture and true colors.
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