Yesterday, LG Display announced the world’s thinnest 5.2-inch full HD display. As more panel makers announce full HD displays of this size, it means more choices and lower costs for the forthcoming Oculus Rift consumer version.
Back at E3 2013, when Oculus was showing off the 1080p HD Oculus Rift prototype, they made it quite clear that a 1080p panel would be the absolute minimum for the Oculus Rift consumer version, which is expected to hit the market in 2014.
To my knowledge, there’s no significant technical reason that the Oculus Rift dev kit (DK1) couldn’t have shipped with a 1080p display — it’s just a matter of cost, availability, and performance. The company has been firm about a $300 target price for the consumer model (an audacious goal).
With that in mind, every new full HD panel that becomes available is a boon to Oculus. With more panel options on the market, competition ensues, driving performance up and costs down.
Cost is key for Oculus, and so is volume. Back when Oculus was deciding upon the display for the Rift dev kit (DK1), Oculus had limited options because of the company’s size. They had to grab an off-the-shelf panel that was not cost-prohibitive. Had they approached a panel manufacturer and asked for a few thousand units of a customized panel, they likely would have been laughed at — the big screen makers are used to delivering hundreds of thousands of panels for the latest smartphones — little orders are not worth their time.
With Oculus’ recent acquisition of $16 million in venture funding, they’ve now got some weight to throw around in talks with panel makers.
LG’s New 5.2-inch Full HD Display
LG says that their new IPS display is the thinnest in its class, with less bezel and bulk than other displays — only 2.2mm thin with a 2.3mm bezel. The IPS display is also quite bright, up to 535 nits, according to the company. As brightness increases it actually opens the door for more immersive experiences — like a sun that’s too bright to comfortably stare directly at, or a flashbang that’s actually unsettling on it’s own merit.
Here’s the full release from LG Display:
LG Display Introduces World’s Slimmest Full HD LCD Panel for Smartphones
New panel will enable sleeker Full HD smartphones delivering superior viewing experienceSeoul, Korea (July 11, 2013) – LG Display [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220], a leading innovator of display technology, today announced that it will unveil the world’s slimmest Full HD LCD panel for smartphones. The state-of-the-art 5.2-inch panel is an exciting advancement for the premium mobile device market enabling sleeker Full HD smartphones featuring better “grip-ability” and a superior viewing experience.
Only 2.2mm thin with a 2.3mm bezel, LG Display’s new panel is both slimmest and narrowest among existing Full HD LCD panels designed for mobile devices. This world’s slimmest Full HD LCD panel will provide larger visible display space on smartphones, critical as mobile devices are used for multimedia viewing more than ever before. Additionally, the panel will make devices easier to grip as well as lighter in weight.
Key to realizing the world’s slimmest panel is LG Display’s Advanced One-Glass-Solution (OGS), the latest touch technology enabling an enhanced touch screen experience, developed and applied to the new panel for the first time ever. Dual Flexible Printed Circuits, superior to a single circuit, have been inserted between the panel and touch film, reducing the number of lines on the panel by more than 30 percent. Utilization of a direct bonding system has also resulted in Optical Clear Resin between the panel and touch film for greater brightness.
The new panel’s superiority in displaying resolution, brightness, and contrast ratio results in enhanced outdoor readability. By utilizing 1,080X1,920 pixels consisting of Red, Green, Blue (RGB) sub-pixels, the panel is a true Full HD display. And with a brightness of 535 nits at maximum, LG Display’s panel outperforms all current mobile Full HD LCD panels. Finally, measuring contrast in real-life surroundings with Ambient Contrast Ratio results in a reading of 3.74:1 based on 10,000 lux, confirming the perfect performance of the panel even in strong outdoor sunlight conditions. Renowned testing firm Intertek has officially certified these results.
“Today’s introduction of the world’s slimmest Full HD LCD panel represents an exciting advancement for the high-end smartphone segment, and is possible due to our world-class expertise in IPS and touch technologies,” said Dr. Byeong-Koo Kim, Vice President and Head of LG Display’s IT and Mobile Development Group. “LG Display will continue its commitment to developing products that maximize consumer value as well as opening new doors for the mobile and tablet PC industry.”
