Sony producing improved LCD screens for cameras

Sony is producing brighter, but lower-powered LCD screens for its range of cameras - to include SLRs.

The 'WhitMagic' 3-inch VGA LCD module apparently reduces power consumption by 50 percent and improves outdoor visibility by 100 percent.

The displays use the RGBW method, which essentially adds a white pixel to the red/green/blue pixels.

Sony's new technology will enable the company to integrate higher resolution, larger screens, without affecting battery power.

The screens won't be set as default into power-saving mode though, newither will they instantly be brighter outside.

They will feature two modes - outside mode and low power mode - and they can't be enabled together.

The Sony WhiteMagic screen will start shipping in October, meaning it's unlikely they'll appear in products until next year.

Here's the full press release:

Sony has commercialized “WhiteMagic™” a 3-inch VGA LCD module incorporating the newly-developed ‘RGBW method’ for digital cameras

Enabling a reduction in power consumption of approximately 50%* & improved outdoor visibility (around twice* the brightness), suitable for implementation in Smartphones

* compared with the conventional RGB method (Sony's comparison)

Sony Corporation has succeeded in commercializing “WhiteMagic™ ”*1, an LCD module for digital cameras that utilizes the newly-developed ‘RGBW method’.

  “WhiteMagic™ ” incorporates a 3-inch VGA low-temperature polysilicone TFT LCD module that adds a white (‘W’) pixel to the Red-Green-Blue (‘RGB’) pixels. By improving the brightness of the entire screen, Sony has been able to develop a module that offers one mode to reduce the power consumption of backlight by around 50%, as well as another mode that approximately doubles the brightness to improve outdoor visibility. Even adding the W pixel, the analysis of the input picture data and Sony's unique signal processing algorithm enable images to be displayed without any deterioration.

In recent times, devices such as digital cameras and Smartphones have been gradually calling for even larger screens and higher resolutions. There are also increasing demands to reduce the power consumption of the displays. The conventional RGB display, however, has a major difficulty in simultaneously achieving both high resolution and low power consumption.

By incorporating the newly-developed ‘RGBW method’ that adds a white (‘W’) pixel to the conventional RGB pixels, Sony has succeeded in enhancing the brightness of the entire screen of its new LCD module.

The addition of a white pixel tends to result in deterioration of the image quality. However, Sony's “WhiteMagic™” analyzes the input picture data and performs suitable signal processing (using its new algorithm), thus enabling a deterioration-free display.

As a result, Sony has succeeded in equipping its LCD modules with a new ‘low power mode,’ which enables brightness equivalent to that of conventional RGB LCD modules, even the power consumption of the backlight is reduced by approximately 50%. There is also an ‘outdoors mode,’ which successfully improves outdoor visibility of the display by enhancing the display brightness to roughly double, even without the use of any additional power. Consequently, the ‘Low power mode’ increases the battery life of the devices, while the ‘outdoors mode’ facilitates focusing of the camera and/or checking of the images being filmed even under strong sunlight.

“WhiteMagic™” is also applicable to displays for Smartphones. Sony hopes that “WhiteMagic™” module will meet the demands of customers across a wide range of mobile devices.

Special features of this product & its technology

1. ‘High resolution LCD’
   Equipped with 3-inch 1.23M-dot full VGA LCD
2. ‘RGBW method without deterioration in image quality’
   By adding a W pixel to the RGB pixels as well as developing a new algorithm for image signal processing, Sony has succeeded in improving the brightness of the entire screen without any deterioration in image quality.
3. (3) ‘Low power mode’
   Reduces the power consumption of the backlight by approximately 50%, with keeping the display brightness equivalent to that of conventional RGB LCD modules.
4. (4) ‘Outdoors mode’
   Improves outdoor visibility of the display by enhancing the display brightness to roughly double, while using the equivalent power consumption of conventional RGB method displays.
5. (5) ‘Flexibility for mobile device displays’
   Can be used in applications for displays of Smartphones and other mobile devices