Funai claims major leap in LCD display technology

Outdated?

Funai Electric Advanced Applied Technology Research Institute, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese electronics company Funai (Sylvania, Symphonic, Emerson) has developed a reflective display that, unlike existing reflective LCDs, doesn’t need a backlight.

The company claims their display uses 0.16MW of electricity per square centimeter, which translates back to just 1% of what conventional LCDs need. Reportedly, clarity can still be compared to that of characters printed on a piece of paper. The display uses dyes changing color when exposed to an electric current.

Funai even says their new display boasts 80% reflectivity, 30% more than reflective LCDs so that images can be seen in sunlight more easily. On top of that, Funai doesn’t use thin-film transistors in the production of the screens, resulting in costs that are two-thirds lower than that of existing LCDs.

Funai aims for a commercialization of the display sometime next year, initially rolling out versions ranging from seven to 14 inches in size.

I tried to get some pictures but as of now, neither Funai’s Japanese website nor the Japanese version of the research institute’s page is mentioning the technology.

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]