No more fighting over who gets to watch the channels on the TV with Sharp’s new Dual View LCD display. Simply sit on the opposite sides of the room to watch different channels. Sharp will begin mass production of the display, billed as the world’s first dual-view LCD, by the end of the month, with the product hitting the shelves later this year. This LCD if used in a TV would allow viewers sitting to the right and left of a screen to watch different channels by simultaneously displaying different images into the right and left sides of the screen through a backlight. “Take a typical family where the mother likes to watch dramas and the father likes to watch baseball or soccer. Now they can watch them together on the same screen,” Mikio Katayama, head of Sharp’s LCD business, told a news conference. This breakthrough is achieved by superimposing a “parallax barrier” onto the LCD to make the source light separate into right and left directions, creating a so-called dual-view display. However, sounds from the different display would be an issue on TV. Although directional speakers may be a solution in the near future, users would have to settle with earphones at the moment. This double-vision display technology could eventually be used in mobile phones, personal computers, car navigation systems and in various commercial applications. The panel could be used to display two different advertisements on one screen at the same time. Placed next to an escalator, for example, passersby would see one advertisement on the way up and another on the way down. This technology can also be applied to car navigation systems, allowing the person in the passenger seat to watch a movie or TV program while the driver checks a route map. Sharp also announced it had developed a new LCD panel whose viewing angle can be switched from wide to narrow, allowing people to view private information on their PCs or cellphones without having to worry about others being able to see it. Automatic teller machines (ATM) or terminals found in convenience stores are other potential applications. This LCD employs a special material to prevent light from going to the left or right. Sharp is speaking with several potential customers and that products will be launched soon. Sharp aims to generate 10 billion yen ($89.25 million) worth of sales from the two new displays in the business year to next March, or less than one percent of its forecast for overall group revenues of 2.75 trillion yen. Source: DigitalCamera@101reviews
