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By: Richard Del Cazzo
Web site: http://www.hdtv-hdtv.com
China's Ministry of Information Industry (MII) has recently
decided to join forces with Chinese TV makers to formulate
a set of standards for the manufacture of liquid crystal on
silicon (LCOS) rear-projection TVs (RPTV) in China, according
to sources familiar with China's LCOS industry.
The establishment of the standards is aiming at promoting
the development of LCOS RPTV technology in China, said the
sources.
Following the MII's move, a number of Chinese TV makers have
contacted eLCOS Microdisplay Technology, a California-based
developer of LCOS chips, for possible cooperation or solutions
for the manufacture of LCOS RPTVs, said Rong Hsu, president
of the IC design house, in Taipei yesterday.
DLP (digital light processing) RPTVs have begun gaining popularity
in China, and there is room for the market to also accept
LCOS RPTVs, Hsu asserted.
With demand in Chinese market for large-size 80- to 100-inch
models, the LCOS displays, which support resolutions up to
1,920×1,080 pixels, have some competitive advantages
over other large-size rear-projection applications, Hsu said.
In a recent interview with DigiTimes reporter Michelle Cheng
in California, eLCOS chairman Warren Shih said that LCOS RPTVs
will start being marketed in China this year.
While PDP (plasma display panel), DLP and LCOS TVs are expected
to dominate over the 40-inch TV market, LCOS TVs will be more
competitive in the 50- to 60-inch segment, Shih said.
The company is now producing LCOS chips supporting 1,280x768
pixels at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)
at small volumes per month, using a 0.35-micron process. Output
of this chip will reach several hundred units in the third
quarter.
By the fourth quarter, eLCOS monthly output of LCOS chipsets
that supporting both 1,920x1,080 and 1,280x768 pixels, will
total more than 1,000 units, Shih said. (LCOS chips supporting
1,920x1,080 pixels will also be made at TSMC with a 0.25-micron
process)
Current LCOS displays are available as three-panel solutions,
and Shih said that it will probably take about one year for
the industry to come out with dual-panel or even single-panel
solutions.
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