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Emerging Tech

Home Theater Emerging Tech

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast - Podcast #531: Quantum Dot Display Technology

Quantum Dot LED (QLED) display technology, pioneered by MIT spin-off QD Vision, uses semiconductor nanocrystals smaller than 10 nanometers whose emitted light wavelength is determined by physical size rather than chemical composition alone, covering a tunable range from 460 nm blue to 650 nm red. Claimed advantages over OLED and LCD include up to 30% wider color gamut, 30-50% lower power consumption, and brightness reaching roughly 40,000 cd/m2. Consumers considering an early OLED purchase may want to monitor QLED's commercialization progress before committing.

The HT Guys •
Podcasts
Events & Trade Shows Emerging Tech

HDTV Expert - SID's New I-Zone Gives Free Space to Tout Innovation at Display Week

The Society for Information Display (SID) has launched a free Innovation Zone (I-Zone) exhibit area at Display Week 2012 in Boston (June 5-6), sponsored by E-Ink Holdings, to showcase pre-product-stage display prototypes and emerging input technologies such as gesture and voice. Submissions require a 100-word abstract and two-page summary, with selection criteria based on novelty, prototype quality, and potential application. The initiative gives startups, universities, and independent research labs a rare platform for focused public exposure in the display industry, with a Best Prototype award and coverage in Information Display magazine.

Pete Putman •
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Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - Progress on Thin Color Display

Samsung Electronics demonstrated a flexible quantum dot display technology, published in Nature Photonics, where nanoparticles emit narrow-spectrum light when electrically excited, with color tuned by particle size. A key achievement involves transferring quantum dot material stripes onto an active matrix backplane, though the technology remains at the laboratory stage with a lifespan of only 10,000 hours to half brightness versus 60,000 or more hours for plasma and LCD panels. Consumers should not expect commercial availability soon, but the technology shows potential for energy efficiency surpassing even OLEDs.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - FED: Not Yet Dead

AUO, one of Taiwan's two largest LCD manufacturers, has acquired intellectual property and assets from Field Emission Technology (FET), a Sony spin-off that developed field-emission displays (FEDs) before folding amid the economic downturn. FEDs combine an active matrix backplane with CRT-style phosphor screens and microscopic electron emitters per sub-pixel, delivering CRT-like response times, wide viewing angles, and emissive color performance in a thin panel form factor. AUO is targeting professional applications such as TV studios, though persistent manufacturing challenges and the failure of Canon's similar SED initiative make commercial success far from certain.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Home Theater Market Trends & Analysis Emerging Tech

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast #329 - Five Technology Trends to Watch

The Consumer Electronics Association's annual 'Five Technology Trends to Watch' report highlights advances spanning gesture recognition, EEG-based neural headsets (such as Emotiv's EPOC at $299), OLED displays measuring just 3mm thick with claimed 40 percent power reduction, and Internet-connected televisions with up to 1 terabyte of on-demand storage. These trends collectively signal a shift toward more intuitive control interfaces, energy-efficient display technologies, and seamlessly connected home environments. Consumers tracking home theater upgrades or smart home investments will find these developments directly relevant to near-term purchasing decisions.

The HT Guys •
Podcasts
Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - HDTV Alternative Technologies

Field Emission Technologies (FET), a Sony spin-off, is targeting commercial production of 26-inch Field Emission Display (FED) panels by end of 2009, with an initial run of 10,000 units per month using a repurposed Pioneer plasma manufacturing plant. FED technology places thousands of microscopic electron emitters behind each sub-pixel, producing CRT-quality images in a form factor as thin as LCD while avoiding LCD's inherent ~95% backlight efficiency loss. The initial product will be positioned as a professional video production monitor, meaning consumer pricing remains a distant goal contingent on scaling production economics.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - HDTV Eyes?

Researchers at MEMS 2008 (21st IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) demonstrated contact lenses with embedded LED displays, successfully tested on rabbits for 20-minute intervals with no adverse effects. The technology aims to create a heads-up display overlaying digital information directly onto the user's field of view. Practical applications range from GPS-linked navigation overlays to private in-flight screens, though distraction risks for drivers remain a legitimate concern.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - Diamond HDTVs?

Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a diamond dust-based electron emitter for field emitter displays (FEDs), where lithium-processed nano-diamond crystals coat a substrate to drive individual pixels with CRT-quality brightness and color. Unlike carbon nanotubes, the diamond emitters are stable in oxygen, and the material cost is estimated at just $0.20 per square meter - enough to cover a 50-inch HDTV panel. If the technology scales to production, it could offer a compelling and affordable alternative to plasma and LCD flat panels.

Alfred Poor •
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Home Theater Projection HD Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - A New Microdisplay for HDTVs

Samsung's spatial optical modulator (SOM) is an electromechanical microdisplay technology that uses flexing ribbons to diffract light, switching states in approximately seven microseconds - roughly 1,000 times faster than a single LCD pixel transition. A prototype combining three 1,080-pixel SOM strips illuminated by red, green, and blue lasers achieved 1,920x1,080 (1080p) resolution with 1,000:1 contrast via a scanning mirror on a rear-projection screen. If manufacturing hurdles around yield and cost can be cleared, the laser-based design could enable thinner rear-projection HDTVs with superior color depth and no motion artifacts.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - HDTV from Soot?

Motorola's carbon nanotube field-emitter display (FED) technology offers a compelling alternative to LCD and plasma panels, combining the thin profile of flat-panel displays with the image quality of a CRT. Canon and Toshiba's SED panels represent a related approach, yet both face the same commercialization hurdle: 42-inch LCD HDTVs have dropped below $1,000, creating a formidable cost barrier for emerging display technologies. The path from prototype to competitive production line remains steep, making near-term market impact unlikely.

Alfred Poor •
Columns
Emerging Tech Market Trends & Analysis

HDTV Almanac - SED: Never Jam Today

SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display) technology, co-developed by Toshiba and Canon, promises CRT-level image quality and viewing angles in a panel thinner than LCD, with mass production now targeted for 2008 backed by a $1.7 billion factory investment. The planned lineup is limited to 55-inch models, likely to sidestep the sub-45-inch segment already dominated by rapidly cheapening LCDs. Consumers waiting for SED may face an indefinite delay as falling panel prices and expanding LCD fabrication capacity continue to erode the technology's competitive window.

Alfred Poor •
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Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - Welcome to San Francisco!

The Society for Information Display (SID) 2006 annual conference in San Francisco brings together engineers and inventors from companies like Philips, Samsung, and smaller firms such as Luminous to showcase next-generation display technologies. Expected highlights include LED backlighting for LCD panels, laser-based rear-projection systems, and flexible plastic displays that can be rolled up. For consumers tracking where HDTV technology is headed, this event offers a direct look at the innovations that will shape future display products.

Alfred Poor •
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Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - Watching Butterfly Wings

Nanoparticle researchers in China and Japan have developed a process of coating butterfly wings with a compound and baking them to produce microtubes with tiny pores, structures functionally comparable to carbon nanotubes. These microscopic tubes can be induced to emit light, suggesting potential applications in future display technologies, though significant development remains before any consumer product emerges. For display enthusiasts, this sits alongside other emerging research such as polarizer-free LCD panels and laser-based rear-projection HDTV as a glimpse into the long pipeline of lab-stage innovations.

Alfred Poor •
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OLED TVs Emerging Tech

HDTV Almanac - Roll-Up the TV

Flexible display technologies such as OLEDs and Canon/Toshiba's Surface Emitting Display (SED) are emerging as leading candidates for roll-up televisions, with both relying on single-substrate designs thin enough to work on plastic film. Philips demonstrated a small roll-up panel at CES using bistable display technology, though its slow refresh rate currently disqualifies it for video use. Practical roll-up HDTVs remain roughly five years out, pending advances in flexible semiconductors and printable electrical connections.

Alfred Poor •
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