The Society for Information Display (SID) announced the winners of the 2009 Display of the Year Awards. The six winners--a gold and silver in three categories including Display Device of the Year, Display Component of the Year, and Display Application of the Year--will be honored June 3, 2009, during Display Week--the SID International Symposium, Seminar & Exhibition, May 31-June 5 in San Antonio, TX (for a review of last year's conference, see "OLED displays and 'green photonics' dominate SID").
"Today, more than ever, we are seeing an increase in demand for products that deliver sophisticated, new capabilities, enhanced performance and superior viewing experience while requiring less energy consumption," said SID Display of the Year Committee Chair Dick McCartney. "This year's winners exemplify these traits, as well as the impressive level of innovation that prevails in our industry, despite the challenging global economic environment."
Display Device of the Year
GOLD AWARD: Samsung 240Hz LCD-TV Panel
Samsung's 40-in., 46-in., and 52-in. diagonal, full high-definition (FHD, 1920 x 1080) 240Hz LCD panels provide exceptional motion-image performance for LCD-TVs. While advances in LCD resolution, luminance, contrast ratio, viewing angle, color gamut and color depth have greatly enhanced LCD-TV picture quality, motion-image performance has been the "final frontier" for delivering the ultimate viewing experience. Samsung has answered this call, integrating an innovative pixel cell structure and driving architecture to enable true 240Hz motion.
SILVER AWARD: Texas Instruments' First-generation DLP Pico Chipset
Texas Instruments DLP Products' first-generation DLP Pico chipset enables manufacturers to embed DLP projectors into various products such as cell phones, portable media players, notebook companions and other handheld devices for enhanced viewing on the go (see "Mobile projection technologies proliferate").
Display Component of the Year
GOLD AWARD: Corning Jade Glass for Advanced Displays
Corning Incorporated's breakthrough Jade glass for advanced displays was specifically designed to address the high-end, feature-rich mobile device market. Unlike conventional glass substrates, Jade needs no secondary heat treatment or polishing to meet the demanding surface and thermal stability requirements associated with LTPS and OLEDs.
SILVER AWARD: Merck PS-VA Materials
Polymer-stabilized vertical-alignment (PS-VA) LCD technology enables displays with very fast switching, high contrast and high transmission. This allows backlight brightness to be significantly reduced, prolonging battery lifetime in mobile devices and reducing power consumption in TV sets - making both of these products "greener."
Display Application of the Year
GOLD AWARD: Amazon Kindle
The Kindle platform for electronic books (e-books) is revolutionizing Americans' reading habits. The Kindle hardware device uses an electronic paper display, and users can download content from Amazon over its fee-free Whispenet in the proprietary Kindle format (AZW), as well as load unprotected Mobipocket (PRC, MOBI) or plain text (TXT) content. Reading material can be purchased directly through the Kindle or through a computer at the Amazon site's Kindle Store (see also "Kindle 2: not quite ready for prime time").
SILVER AWARD: iZ3D 3D Gaming Monitor
The 22-in.-wide iZ3D monitor is designed for work in 2D and for single- and multiple-player gaming in 3D. It consists of a 2D/3D switchable display bundle that includes passive 3D glasses and stereoscopic 3D display drivers. Watching 3D movies and videos is also supported with the addition of a software stereo player. The company's future plans include producing larger iZ3Ds to help usher 3D into the consumer electronics market space and into the home.
For more information, go to www.sid2009.org.
