Panasonic outs 'world's smallest and thinnest' 4K x 2K IPS LCD monitor
The world's smallest and thinnest 4K x 2K monitor? According to Panasonic, you're looking at it. Unfortunately the company conveniently also left out its actual size, but what looks to our eyes like a 15 or 17-inch display that's also only 3.5mm thin? Alright, we'll bite. For those that can do math, that's an array of 8 million pixels and vibrant from all angles thanks to IPS-Pro technology. That's great Panasonic, but put it in a tablet or a laptop and we'll show you the greenbacks.
Update: Turns out it's 20.4-inches, and rocks an official total of 8.29 million, hit the official PR after the break to see for yourself.
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Panasonic Develops The World's Smallest, Slimmest, Highest Definition 20-inch IPS Alpha LCD Panel
OSAKA, Japan, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Panasonic Corporation, a leader in high-definition display technology, has developed a 20-inch 4K2K (3,840 x 2,160 resolution, approx. 8.29 million pixels) IPS Alpha LCD panel, the smallest(*1) as a 4K2K-resolution display. The new panel has the world's highest pixel density of 216 pixels per inch (ppi) and the thickness of only 3.5 mm, the thinnest in the world(*1) . A prototype panel will be unveiled at the 2012 International CES to be held in Las Vegas, United States from January 10 to 13.
IPS Alpha panels are suitable for making ultra-high definition displays because of their simple pixel structure(*2) – one of the characteristics of the IPS panels(*3) – as well as their high contrast ratio, excellent color reproducibility with rich gradation and the industry's highest-level light transmission rate that were implemented by Panasonic's unique IPS-Pro technology(*4).
The 4K2K IPS Alpha LCD panel employs two new technologies, "Pixel structure with ultra-high aperture ration structure" and "New liquid-crystal molecular orientation process technology".
Panasonic's new technologies enable viewers to enjoy, from any angle, ultra-high definition videos that show fine lines and texts crisp and clear on the screen and faithfully reproduce lifelike images with subtle textures and even a sense of depth.
With the evolution of technology, flat-panel displays are now available in ultra-high definition, 3D and a variety of screen sizes. As a result, the flat-panel display market has been growing, in response to rising demand for consumer products such as TVs and mobile terminals and professional applications in the medical, educational and commercial fields.
In the flat-panel display field, Panasonic has produced many industry-leading technologies. In regard to high-definition flat-panel displays, the company introduced the world's first 150-inch 4K2K (4,096 x 2,160 resolution, approx. 8.84 million pixels) plasma display panel (PDP)(*5) at the 2008 International CES, followed by the development of a 103-inch 4K2K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) PDP(*6) in 2009. In 2010, Panasonic developed a 58-inch 4K2K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) PDP(*7) in collaboration with the NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories. Now, the company has succeeded in producing a 4K2K panel in an even smaller size by utilizing the ultra-high definition signal processing technologies Panasonic has cultivated through the development of PDPs and maximizing the advantages and potential of IPS Alpha panels.
Panasonic continues to work to open up new possibilities for flat-panel displays through technological innovations.
The detail explanations of the technologies and the main features of the new IPS Alpha panel are following.
Detail explanations of the technologies:
(1) Pixel structure with ultra-high aperture ratio
Panasonic has developed a new pixel structure that significantly reduces the effects of the electric field that are generated due to the increase in pixel density, and improves IPS Alpha panel's already industry-leading light transmission rate approximately twice as much as the panels having the conventional structures(*8).
(2) New liquid-crystal molecular orientation process technology
The orientation performance of the liquid crystals in a plane parallel to the TFT (Thin Film Transistor) substrate is further improved.
Main features of the new IPS Alpha panel:
1) Smallest size and highest definition(*1) in the world
Thanks to the newly developed pixel structure with ultra-high aperture ratio, the effects of the electric field have been significantly decreased. As a result, the 4K2K (3,840 x 2,160: 8.29 million pixels) ultra-high definition, approximately four times the full HD (1,920 x 1,080: 2.07 million pixels) resolution, has been achieved on the world's smallest 20-inch panel, while the IPS Alpha panel's high contrast ratio and high-gradation color reproducibility are maintained. The 216 ppi resolution – the highest in the world(*1) on a 4K2K display and hardly distinguishable with the naked eye – delivers details of an image with extreme precision.
2) Thinnest in the world(*1) and energy-efficient
Thanks to the newly developed pixel structure with ultra-high aperture ratio, the industry's top-level IPS Alpha panel transmittance becomes approximately twice that of the conventional structures(*8). Since the new pixel structure allows for effective use of backlight, the thickness has been reduced to 3.5 mm, the thinnest in the world as a 4K2K panel. Furthermore, compared to full HD LCD panel of the same size, the new ultra-high definition 4K2K panel produces four times the volume of information using the equivalent amount of electricity.
3) Wide viewing angle was achieved in all directions
An IPS Alpha panel conventionally has wide viewing angles of 178 degrees both horizontally and vertically. Thanks to the new liquid-crystal molecular orientation process technologies that further improve the liquid-crystal molecular orientation performance, the diagonal viewing angle has been significantly improved. The new IPS Alpha panel will let viewers enjoy high-quality videos with excellent color reproducibility from wider angles.
