HD Projection Technology Shines Bright
"Research and development of new high-resolution video projection systems is in high gear, with JVC and Gennum among the manufacturers making significant advancements in 4K x 2K display technology.
JVC has been previewing what it bills as the world’s highest pixel density projection chip, one that could enable future 4K2K projectors to be smaller, lighter, and more affordable. The chip can deliver images that are more than four times the resolution of today’s high-definition video.
The newly developed 1.27-inch (approximately 43 percent area reduction) 4K2K D-ILA device chip offers 4096 x 2400—about ten megapixels—and a 20,000:1 contrast ratio.
Gennum, another major player in the fast-moving HD projection market, is showing an image processing solution and reference design to drive 4096 x 2160 pixel displays.
While previous industry demonstrations of 4Kx2K have used custom processing solutions, often utilizing multiple field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to manage the complexity, Gennum’s new 4Kx2K reference design incorporates two of its GF9450 image processors to power the display.
The GF9450s, powered by VXP technology, provide full motion-adaptive deinterlacing, professional quality scaling up to 4Kx2K, frame rate conversion and various image enhancement technologies such as 3D noise reduction, compression artifact reduction and detail enhancement.
The low power of the GF9450, under 3.5 watts, is also key to emerging 4Kx2K displays as it will eliminate the need for a fan to cool the device. This makes it possible for Gennum’s technology to be incorporated into the small footprint of flat panel display electronics while delivering the processing bandwidth and image quality expected of very high-resolution displays.
Gennum said it will have a single chip solution for 4K displays by the fourth quarter of this year, which would enable new projection products based on the design to be available for sale by the second half of 2008."
By Michael Grotticelli, Studio Daily
