Long Beach, CA–Cumulative shipments of the high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) panels used in 3LCD projection systems point to a major production milestone, putting 3LCD ahead of competing microdisplay projection technologies combined in total number of engines.
“Sales of projection products incorporating 3LCD engines now total approximately 13.6 million units, representing over 40 million HTPS panels,” according to Dr. William Coggshall, president of displays industry tracking firm Pacific Media Associates. “Starting in 1995, manufacturers of front projectors quickly adopted this technology due to its compactness and image quality, and were joined by rear-projection television manufacturers in 2002 as the technology reached a price point that made it competitive with CRT-based models.”
The HTPS panels, which are used in an advanced three-chip design, provide continuous color and bright. 3LCD technology is enjoying continued growth in projection systems of all types, including data projectors for business and the rapidly growing segment of front projectors for home entertainment and projection TVs, according to the 3LCD consortium.
As a result of this continuing growth, Epson has expanded its production capacity to meet consumer demand by opening a manufacturing plant in Chitose, Japan this past April. Other significant developments for 3LCD projection technology this year include the introduction of HTPS panels using an inorganic alignment layer that provides users with improved contrast levels, and magnificently real blacks and shadow details optimized for home theater applications. And, most recently, a 3LCD manufacturer has developed a new HTPS panel with XGA (1024 x 768) resolution using a smaller 0.6-type (1.52 cm diagonal) panel that delivers high-resolution images surpassing those achieved by preceding products.
