Philips mothballs scanning backlight
"Scanning backlight," which Philips marketed under the name Clear LCD, is one of the technologies that manufacturers of LCD flat screens use to reduce what is called "motion blur." Philips has already used this promising technology successfully in a number of high-end models; it replaces the conventional constantly illuminated backlight with a sequential one. At the beginning of February, the manufacturer presented the further development of scanning backlight, which is also part of the new generation of image processors: Perfect Pixel HD Engines. In combination with 100 Hz technology, reaction times are expected to reach an impressive two milliseconds.
Now, the manufacturer has announced that it will no longer be using scanning backlight. The subsidiary Philips Lighting will therefore be discontinuing the production of special hot-cathode fluorescent lamps (HCFLs), which scanning backlight requires. It is likely that the decision to drop scanning backlight was made primarily for financial reasons as the production of HCFLs costs much more than conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs), which produce only a third as much light.
Like Sharp, Philips wants to use only 100 Hz technology with interpolated images being added in-between the normal 50 images per second. This technology, which the manufacturer calls 100 Hz Clear LCD, allegedly enables reaction times of an almost as impressive three milliseconds. But the door to scanning backlight may not be closed for good: if backlight ever becomes part of LED screens, Philips may fall back on this quite clever concept.
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/86217
"Scanning backlight," which Philips marketed under the name Clear LCD, is one of the technologies that manufacturers of LCD flat screens use to reduce what is called "motion blur." Philips has already used this promising technology successfully in a number of high-end models; it replaces the conventional constantly illuminated backlight with a sequential one. At the beginning of February, the manufacturer presented the further development of scanning backlight, which is also part of the new generation of image processors: Perfect Pixel HD Engines. In combination with 100 Hz technology, reaction times are expected to reach an impressive two milliseconds.
Now, the manufacturer has announced that it will no longer be using scanning backlight. The subsidiary Philips Lighting will therefore be discontinuing the production of special hot-cathode fluorescent lamps (HCFLs), which scanning backlight requires. It is likely that the decision to drop scanning backlight was made primarily for financial reasons as the production of HCFLs costs much more than conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs), which produce only a third as much light.
Like Sharp, Philips wants to use only 100 Hz technology with interpolated images being added in-between the normal 50 images per second. This technology, which the manufacturer calls 100 Hz Clear LCD, allegedly enables reaction times of an almost as impressive three milliseconds. But the door to scanning backlight may not be closed for good: if backlight ever becomes part of LED screens, Philips may fall back on this quite clever concept.
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/86217
