soundberry LCOS Video news

City of Industry, CA - August 24, 2004 - Delivering on its mission to mass produce fully-featured digital convergence consumer electronics products with market-leading low prices, Syntax Groups Corporation*, a complete vertically-integrated R&D, manufacturing and channel sales company, today announced the availability of its first Olevia* LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) technology rear projection TV (RPTV), end-user priced at an extremely affordable $2,799 including free first-year onsite warranty service. Syntax unveils its new Olevia LCOS TV this week at the HDTV Forum 2004 industry conference in Los Angeles.

Its lightweight widescreen design enables the Olevia LCOS TV to complement nearly any home entertainment configuration. Weighing only 118 lbs., the Olevia 50-inch LCOS TV is packaged in an attractive black cabinet measuring 47.31 inches (W) x 39.3 inches (H) x 19.29 inches (D).

Building on the success of its high value, affordably priced Olevia brand of HD-ready LCD TVs, the new Syntax Olevia 50-inch LCOS RPTV incorporates a three-panel subsystem (R,G,B) that allows excellent color reproduction and vivid images with an remarkable 1400 x 1050 pixel resolution. Utilizing a 1080i HDTV format with true 720P images, the Olevia 50-inch LCOS TV consists of liquid crystals on silicon, acting like tiny mirrors, with a highly reflective aluminum coating. When light passes through the glass panels to the lens, it is either reflected or blocked, thereby modulating the light to produce bright, crisp, clear, stunning images under any room lighting environment.

The richly-appointed Olevia LCOS TV features a 1388 x 780 native resolution (1920 x 1200 under DVI and 1280 x 1024 under VGA), 16:9 aspect ratio, a typical 1000:1 contrast ratio, 1,000 Nits brightness with preset and adjustable modes, progressive scanning (YPbPr), 3:2 pull down, a wide 170/170 horizontal viewing angle, and 3D digital comb filter for sharp images without a "grid" effect. The Olevia LCOS TV includes NTSC signal support, noise reduction, five positions of Picture-in-Picture with three enlargement settings, DVI/HDCP inputs for compatibility with current video equipment, and two 25W audio speakers for surround sound. In addition to the Olevia's component inputs (YCbCr and YPbPr), it has a VGA port for connecting the TV to a computer for a 50-inch multimedia display ideal for use in corporate boardrooms. The Olevia LCOS TV is energy efficient with its low power consumption, and a 120W lamp gives the consumer approximately 10,000 hours of durable entertainment life.

"Leveraging the combined expertise of Taiwan panel technologies and Japanese optical engine design, Syntax Groups, with our partner Taiwan Kolin, has achieved mass production quantities of the Olevia LCOS TV, and can offer it at the most affordable price in the U.S. market," said James Li, CEO of Syntax Groups. "As with our value-priced Olevia LCD TVs, our new LCOS TV further demonstrates Syntax' commitment to producing digital entertainment products with the best specifications and low consumer pricing."

Syntax to Add 63-inch LCOSIn Q1 2005, Syntax Groups will introduce the second member of its mass-produced Olevia LCOS TV line, a 63-inch model with true 1080P images and 1500:1 contrast ratio, end-used priced below $5,000.

About Syntax GroupsHeadquartered in Southern California, Syntax Groups Corporation (www.syntaxgroups.com) is a complete vertically integrated R&D, manufacturing and channel sales company of high value consumer electronics and computer technology convergence products for the post-PC era. Syntax currently sells its full-featured 20-inch ($649), 27-inch ($1299) and 30-inch ($1699) Olevia LCD TVs though a growing channel network of consumer-direct online partners, and regional and national retail stores. Syntax Groups maintains a competitive advantage over global brands due to its technology and engineering, lower prices, lower cost infrastructure, rapid channel distribution, and quick response to market dynamics. Through its joint venture company, DigiMedia (www.digimedia.com.tw), formed in Taiwan with Taiwan Kolin Company (TSE 1606.TW, www.kolin.com.tw), Syntax Groups controls a powerful end-to-end supply chain including R&D and manufacturing of backlights for its LCD TVs, optical engines for LCOS TVs, a strategic relationship with Chi Mei Optoelectronics (TSE 3009.TW, www.cmo.com.tw) for Olevia's high-grade LCD panels, mass production manufacturing of LCD TVs and LCOS TVs, quality control, channel sales, marketing and distribution with a solid back-end customer support program.

News october 2004

By JVC:

Just relax and look at the pretty pictures, and let the D-ILA light

engine in JVC's 61-inch HD-61Z795 rear-projection HDTV handle the

rest. D-ILA stands for Direct-drive Image Light Amplifier (more

commonly called LCoS, for liquid crystal on silicon), which has three

chips for rendering images at 1,280 x 720-pixel resolution. The fine

spacing between individual pixels is said to create a smoother image

than other types of fixed-pixel TVs. Plus the TV has all the latest

HDTV perks: a built-in tuner for receiving high-def programs over the

air, a slot for a CableCARD — which you'd lease from your cable

provider — for unscrambling premium channels without a cable box, and

both HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) and FireWire inputs

for digital video and audio signals.

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10.2005

Secondo quanto riportato dall'Electronic Times, LG Electronics si appresta a lanciare il primo display full high-definition (HD) basato sulla tecnologia Liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS).

LCoS rappresenta una conquista significativa nel campo delle tecnologie per display piatti. LCos utilizza un chip al silicone quale elemento chiave per la generazione dell'immagine. Inoltre, il silicone serve sia come matrice attiva sia come strato riflettente. Le connessioni utilizzate per accedere ad ogni singolo pixel sono nascoste dietro agli stessi pixel al fine di evitare il blocco della luce. In questo modo la superficie riflettente occupa il 95% circa dell'area di visualizzazione. Nell'immagine proiettata gli spazi tra i pixel risultano praticamente invisibili, migliorando la qualità dell'immagine.

Poiché la tecnologia LCoS utilizza silicone a cristallo singolo invece di transistor a film sottile (schermi TFT), i sistemi basati su LCoS sono caratterizzati dalla commutazione a elevata velocità di questo materiale. Inoltre, la struttura riflettente del sistema LCoS consente una modulazione estremamente rapida della luce che migliora la capacità dell'occhio di percepire un'immagine a colori uniforme e senza sfarfallio.

I primi esemplari di Tv LCoS LG avranno dimensioni pari a 62" e 71", formato 16:9. Equipaggiati con un set-top box interno, entrambi i modelli vantano una risoluzione full HD di 1920x1080p. Inoltre queste offrono un rapporto di contrasto di circa 10.000:1. Allo stesso tempo inoltre queste presenteranno un sistema dolby 5.1 integrato.

Tra le altre cose, questi display adotteranno il chipset VSB di quinta generazione e 2005-type XD Engine tecnology. Per quanto riguarda l'aspetto delle connessioni, queste disporrano di ingressi s-video, video-component, PC e HDMI. La versione da 71 pollici misura 1833x1155x564mm, mentre il modello da 62 1608x1019.5x495mm.

Infine stando alle dichiarazione di LG, il prezzo di questi nuovi display ancora non è stato stabilito, ma al tempo stesso hanno garantito che questi saranno i precursori dell'era delle tv a grande schermo a basso prezzo.

Attendiamo fiduciosi.

LCoS can be implemented differently by manufacturer. Sony calls their version SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display), JVC's version is D-ILA (Direct-drive Image Light Amplifier). While using the underlying technology may be the same, viewers may have a preference for one manufacturers implementation over another. Currently, there is empirical reason to choose one over another.

Intel has closed down their LCoS development because of problems they encountered. However, that doesn't spell doom for this promising technology, it just opens up the field to smaller technology companies who don't have to fear Intel dominating the market. As production increases, prices will decline. As the cost comes down, and in light of the clearly better picture, LCoS should become an obvious choice for consumers.

2006

The LCoS Renaissance

After the disappearance of Intel and Philips from the LCoS manufacturing scene, most consumers wrote off the display technology as a failed experiment. Thomson (under the RCA brand) and Toshiba (which used Hitachi LCoS panels) had already been burned by first-generation LCoS products and wasted no time beating a hasty retreats.

As of January 2005, Current Analysis retail field collectors could locate only a few remaining Philips 55-inch LCoS-based 55PL9773/17 models left in stores, selling for a close-out price of $1,799. In February 2005, Mitsubishi weighed in with its gargantuan 82-inch WL-82913. At a street price of $14,999, the TV seemed to underscore the point that LCoS was beyond the reach of ordinary consumers and was therefore unsuited to the high-volume retail CE channel.

Finally, as winter turned to spring in 2005, a perceptible thawing of the LCoS market began. The first signs of returning life came courtesy of Sony, which introduced the long-awaited Qualia KDS70Q006, featuring the company’s proprietary SXRD variation of the LCoS process. The April 2005 debut of the 70-inch TV, at an introductory price of $12,999, did little to dispel prevailing attitudes regarding LCoS: too big, too expensive, too late. However, the impressive visual quality of the systems, coupled with the charismatic Sony nameplate, had the effect of reinvigorating interest in LCoS products – even if they still fell short of generating actual demand.

JVC turned on the taps for its own second-generation HD-ILA family of LCoS TVs beginning in May 2005. The company continually pumped out at least one new model each month to the end of the year. Most importantly, the average introductory price of these new LCoS TVs was only $3,200, placing LCoS back within the reach of ordinary mortals. Sony followed suit with two additional SXRD TVs in November: the 50-inch KDS-R50XBR1 and the 60-inch KDS-R60XBR1, bearing average street prices of $3,879 and $4,874, respectively. As the saying goes, we now had a ballgame.

The greater availability of LCoS, bolstered by a staggering 38% drop in the average price of LCoS-based TVs during 2005 – and helped in no small part by the blessing of Sony’s brand name – created a turning point for LCoS in the market. As a result, the technology began to carve out a slice of the U.S. retail business in the latter half of the year. In fact, by year’s end, LCoS had risen from a 0.0% shelf share (the percentage of products for sale in U.S retail chains) to a tie with direct-view LCD TVs in the 40-inch-and-up category. Both LCoS projection TVs and direct view LCD TVs currently stand at about 5% of available product placements among major retailers.

The future for LCoS displays appears infinitely brighter than it did a year ago. LG has announced plans to join the fray this quarter with a 71-inch 1080p model. Hitachi is also waiting in the wings, having reportedly postponed a planned November 2005 launch of new 60- and 70-inch LCoS models. Syntax, best known as a supplier of low-cost, direct-view LCD TVs, also has an LCoS model on the market, acquired through its controlling interest in Arizona-based LCoS specialist Brillian; a 50-inch Syntax model was briefly available at retail last year in CompUSA stores for $1,899. Lastly, Canon, which hopes to enter the digital TV market later this year with a revolutionary new display technology called SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display), also has an LCoS image engine that it currently sells in the front projector market.

At this juncture, LCoS seems to have risen, phoenix-like, from its own ashes. With major and minor brands driving it forward, the display technology should continue to make a dent in the big screen marketplace during the remainder of 2006, perhaps even doubling its shelf share by the beginning of 2007. The growing interest in 1080p display resolution – despite the continuing absence of true 1080p broadcast content in the United States – will also provide a reason for consumers to consider buying LCoS TVs in the coming year.

For consumers ready to take the plunge into HDTV viewing, the expanding number of choices is both a blessing and a curse. Picking the right TV for your home has never been more difficult. In addition to excellent “microdisplay” projection technologies such as DLP, LCD and LCoS, there is a growing selection of LCD and plasma flat-panel offerings that are becoming ever-larger and less expensive. If LCoS TV manufacturers continue to provide TVs with stunning visual quality at competitive prices, the hybrid display technology will successfully occupy the home-theater high ground.

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