Epson Starts Volume Production of New HTPS TFT Panels Compatible with Wide XGA

- Compatible with Wide-Screen PCs and Projection of Wide-Screen Content -

- TOKYO, Japan, January 28, 2008 -

Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson") has begun volume production of 0.74 inch (1.9 cm diagonal) and 0.56 inch (1.4 cm diagonal) high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT panels for 3LCD front projectors compatible with wide XGA (WXGA). The new panels offer greater light efficiency by employing the latest D7 design rule process, which achieves higher aperture ratios. This technology enables users to view bright wide-screen images on large screens.

Until now mainstream products in the projector market have been SVGA and XGA resolution models with a 4:3 aspect ratio, but demand is expected to grow for products featuring levels of resolution compatible with 16:9 (or equivalent) aspect ratio wide screen technology. Wide screens are already common in notebook PCs, and increasing use of wide-screen-compatible operating systems is expected to accelerate this trend. Corporate presentations are often projected from notebook PCs, but projectors must have wide screen compatibility to display wide screen content as it appears on the PC screen. Training material on DVD is increasingly being used in the education market, and the spread of new technologies such as digital broadcasting and next-generation DVD players offers growing opportunities to view wide screen content at home.

According to a global front projector demand forecast issued by the American market research company iSuppli Corporation, demand for wide-screen-compatible projectors will grow each year from 2008, with the greatest demand growth anticipated for WXGA compatible products (see Figure 1). Epson has begun volume production of its new WXGA compatible panels with a view to the creation of 3LCD projectors that can meet such market needs.

The new panels are compatible with 1280 x 800 dot resolution, the most common level of resolution for WXGA, which offers data volumes approximately 1.3 times higher than XGA (1024 x 768 dots). In a business setting, for example, this technology enables effective and efficient presentations that display large volumes of data such as annual performance or multiple charts and graphs on a single screen (see Figure 2). For Internet browsing the technology enables users to simultaneously view multiple browsers or display long pages on a split screen to reduce the stress of scrolling. Compatibility with high-definition screens makes the technology suitable for displaying not only PC data, but also wide screen images such as high-definition playback and content.

Commercialization of WXGA panels in two types - 0.56 inch and 0.74 inch - will enable the creation of WXGA compatible projectors in the 2000 to 3000 lumen class or higher.

Features of the new panels

• WXGA (1280 x 800 pixel) resolution in 0.74 inch and 0.56 inch versions
• High light efficiency through use of D7 process technology

Specifications

	L3D05X-8 series	L3D07X-8 series
LCD type	TN organic alignment layer	TN organic alignment layer
Process technology	D7	D7
Effective pixels	1280 x 800 (WXGA)	1280 x 800 (WXGA)
Panel size (diagonal)	0.56 inch (1.4 cm)	0.74 inch (1.9 cm)
Pixel pitch	9.5 µm	12.5 µm
Aperture ratio	64%	72%

Figure 1. Front projection displays - units by resolution (calendar years)

(Source: Results of survey conducted by iSuppli Corporation in the 3rd quarter of 2007)

Figure 2. Comparison of the same screen projected with XGA and WXGA

(Source: Epson)

Related web pages

Epson has established the following web pages to promote understanding of HTPS and 3LCD technologies.
http://global.epson.com/products/htps/
http://www.3lcd.com/
Please see these pages for further details.