Seoul (Korea) – Samsung said it will demonstrate a new LCD technology at the upcoming SID 2008 International Symposium that will double the maximum image refresh rate of current LCD panels. The manufacturer believes that 240 Hz panels will reproduce images closer to that of a real moving image perceived by the human eye.

After HD, skyrocketing contrast and brightness ratios that treat consumers to already life-like experiences in front of their TV (at least if I compare today’s image quality to the snowstorm picture on my parent’s 1970s and 1980s TVs), there’s a new idea that promises to come even closer to an out-the-window view on future LCD TVs. Samsung’s “Blue Phase” technology upgrades the current maximum image refresh rate of 120 Hz of to 240 Hz. The manufacturer will show a prototype panel at the SID 2008 International Symposium and promises that the device will display “more natural moving images.”

Samsung said that a “superior response rate” enables it to increase the speed without a need for any overdrive circuit. According to the company, Blue Phase does not require liquid crystal alignment layers, unlike today’s most widely used LCD modes such as Twisted Nematic, In-Plane Switching or Vertical Alignment. Instead, the technology mode can create its own alignment layers, eliminating the need for any mechanical alignment and rubbing processes. This reduces the number of required fabrication processes, resulting in considerable savings on production costs, Samsung said.

Another benefit of the technology that brightness changes across the screen are a thing of the past:, as they are not vulnerable to pressure on certain parts of the panel. The term “Blue Phase” relates to the developer’s observation of “bluish hues while watching their new liquid crystal mode in operation,” Samsung said.

The technology is still far from being offered in commercial products: Samsung believes that Blue Phase LCDs could be put into mass-production sometime in 2011.  These LCD panels are expected to be used mainly in “TVs that require high-speed video reproduction,” the manufacturer said.

Plasma

May 14, 2008 13:49     

or you could get any old plasma and not have the issue at all note: plasma burn in is ancient history from quality manufacturers
Ryker Abel report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

What about content....

May 14, 2008 17:47     

Most LCDs these days still work only at 60Hz, and most movies are 24fps converted to 29.97fps. I already watched a 100fps sample movie on my CRT @ 100Hz, and it does look much more life-like than what is currently available. The only problem is that there's almost no high fps content available, so 240Hz doesn't really have any uses for the moment, maybe except to remove the annoying effects of 3:2:3 pulldown.

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Overkill

May 14, 2008 17:59     

120 HZ is plenty enough. Seems like touting 240 HZ is marketing gimmickry. How about using LED back-lighting? This way the inverter for the CCFL tubes won't fail after six months.
J Doe report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -3

OLED

May 15, 2008 08:27     

I wish companies would just focus on OLED (or insert tv tech here) and be done with LCD. Even the best LCD panels with 2ms or less response times seem to still have motion blur. Then you have issues with TN panels viewing angles and color smearing, IPS low response times, etc... Plasma are defiantly the better looking display but after having one fixed 4 times in 5 years i lost my taste for the plasma display.

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240Hz for 3D

May 15, 2008 10:20     

When we are able to play games in 120fps. We will need 240hz displays to see them in 3D FTW also I Prefer OLED tech to LCD.
WPJ report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

Response Time

May 15, 2008 15:59     

Mr. Action Jackson, you need to understand how response time is measured. Almost never are LCD panels actually at 2ms. Measuring GTG (Grey to Grey) measures the change of one pixel color to another, whereas RF (Rise and Fall) measures the change of a pixel that turns off to on. Obviously, GTG measurements will be much much faster than RF, and marketing will distort such claims as 2ms response time.

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@MingoDynasty

May 16, 2008 07:57     

I understand the response time distortion. Honestly when I look at LCDs I worry about the panel type far more than the response times. I was just trying to make the point that LCD has a lot of issues and maybe it's time to move on.
Action Jackson report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Yeah uhh.

May 16, 2008 08:37     

Um, guys, at 120Hz or higher, the only thing that will be giving motion blur is the video source. besides, the whole idea of the higher frequency seems, from what i understood from the article, to be some sort of out of order pixel switching system, or just bloody fast screens.
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