At a press event in New York last night, American audio and video processing company Dolby Labs and Italian television manufacturer SIM2 Multimedia unveiled a prototype of an advanced new LCD flat panel HDTV design which seems to overcome LCD's traditional weaknesses of poor black levels, poor uniformity and low contrast ratio.
With a custom LED backlight assembly designed by SIM2, featuring 1838 independently controlled LED lights and Dolby's HDR (High Dynamic Range) video processing algorithm driving the illumination, the 46-inch prototype set produced some of the best black levels I've seen from an LCD television, and a picture so bright you literally needed sunglasses.
By independently controlling the LED lights, areas of the screen or “zones” that need to be black are actually black – the backlights are turned off – while areas of the screen that need to be bright have the LEDs set to full brightness. This differs from the standard CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lighting) lamps used in most LCD flat panels which offer far less precise lighting control.
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| SIM2's prototype LCD flat panel HDTV is the first to feature Dolby's new HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology. |
"This prototype is a stunning example of what Dolby's HDR technologies can bring to the LCD market," said Bharath Rajagopalan, Senior Marketing Manager, HDR, Dolby Laboratories. "We welcome the opportunity to showcase our innovative technology that delivers a dramatic improvement to LCD displays."
As part of the collaboration effort, SIM2 designed and developed the BLU (Back-Lighting Unit), the electronics which drive the panel, the thermal management system and, of course, the cabinet itself. "This prototype exemplifies SIM2's ability to incorporate breakthrough technology into its electronics and optical design, providing—once again—a stunning display that will be a key reference for next-generation LCD displays," said Domenico Toffoli, Director, Professional Systems Business Unit, SIM2. "We are proud to be the first to support the development of a technology of this stature."
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| In a demo reminiscent of the Pioneer Kuro concept at CES, SIM2's new LCD prototype produced inky blacks which made objects seem to float in space (actual picture of screen image copyright Big Picture Big Sound). |
Although the unit features only 92% of the NTSC color gamut, this could potentially be improved with better (fuller spectrum) LED lights as the sets make it further along in development.
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| Dolby and SIM2 executives in New York to unveil their new prototype LCD HDTV. |
The prototype or “working demonstrator” as the SIM2 people liked to call it measures 46 inches (diagonally) and is housed in a custom SIM2 curved wooden frame. The production version (which has neither a price nor a street date yet) will mostly likely vary both in function and possibly in overall design.
Features of the prototype display include:
- 1,838 independently controlled LEDs
- 1920 × 1080 pixel panel (1080p)
- 16:9 aspect ratio
- Brightness: greater than 4,000 cd/m2
- Contrast ratio: "Infinite" (Full On/Full Off)
- Step size: 16 bits of luminance
- Luminance uniformity: more than 95% through the LCD panel
- 92% of NTSC color gamut
- Cabinet design by Giorgio Revoldini.
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