LG debuts thin malleable screens made from contact lens material
- Reference: 1667973486
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/11/09/lg_debuts_thin_malleable_screens/
- Source link:
The display subsidiary of Korea's sprawling LG Corporation [1]said the full color RGB, 100ppi resolution screen – which stretches from a baseline 12 inches to 14 inches – is made from the same silicon materials as contact lenses.
Micro-LEDs sized at 40 micrometers or smaller over a spring-like system of circuits allow the screens to be twisted and stretched without permanent distortion.
[2]
The display resembles a heavy plastic wrapping, like something that might be used as a stiff book cover or even a tablecloth.
[3]
LG display malleable screen – Click to enlarge
"Easily attachable to curved surfaces such as skin, clothing, furniture, automobiles and aircraft, this unique innovation expands the potential of the display in various industries including fashion, wearables, mobility and gaming," suggested the South Korean display panel maker. If LG has a plan for how a screen on a shirt might be washed, or how the displays would attach to the skin, it didn't reveal them.
Time is on the company's side, though. This week's reveal was touted as work in progress, due to deliver a finished item in 2024.
[4]
[5]
The project comes with pros and cons.
To start with, as a Micro-LED, the display will likely consume less power and have brighter colors than rival display techs like organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Furthermore, the use of a resilient screen could be welcome to clumsy people, who would no longer have to deal with unsightly cracks in their electronic devices.
[6]
Additionally, the tech opens the possibility of displays on almost any surface with less bulk than is needed for other screens.
And while that's exciting, it's also scary that any surface at any time could be used to show advertising.
[7]Slow your roll: LG reportedly puts new smartphone on ice as it mulls future in market
[8]Germany orders Sept 1 shutdown of digital ad displays to save gas
[9]Samsung shows off rollable and foldable displays, suggests they'll arrive in 2022
[10]Xiaomi reveals bonkers phone with bolted-on Leica lens that will make you look like a dork
Resolution of 100ppi is decent, but it's not that good. The standard resolution for web images is 72ppi and the iPad Pro comes in at 264ppi. So LG's stretchy screen is not ready for smartphones, tablets and TVs in its current form, but could end up in places that people interact with on a less intense, and often unwilling, basis – like digital signage.
LG does reckon that the stretchable screen will do better than other recent display innovations.
"The display's free-form nature offers a cutting-edge solution surpassing the existing foldable and rollable technology," said the company. LG already offers [11]foldable [VIDEO] and [12]rollable displays – and [13]curved screens too.
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The company has even [15]debuted [VIDEO] a 14mm transparent silicon-based LED film that can be stuck on glass.
Despite LG Display's myriad innovative offerings, it suffered a loss last quarter. In late October, the company [16]reported a quarterly operating loss of $560 million and an unprecedented decline in demand for sets and panels. ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://news.lgdisplay.com/global/2022/11/lg-display-unveils-the-worlds-first-high-resolution-stretchable-display/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y2uIYgEd1Q5ix1lK-w0U1QAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/11/09/lg_display_malleable_screen.jpg
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y2uIYgEd1Q5ix1lK-w0U1QAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y2uIYgEd1Q5ix1lK-w0U1QAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y2uIYgEd1Q5ix1lK-w0U1QAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/22/lg_reportedly_puts_rollable_phone/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/29/germany_digital_ad_display_shutdown/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/18/samsung_bets_on_rollable_and/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/04/xiaomi_concept_phone_with_mounted/
[11] https://youtu.be/LqLkRgCxISg
[12] https://www.lg.com/global/lg-signature/rollable-oled-tv-r
[13] https://www.lg.com/global/lg-signature/rollable-oled-tv-r
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y2uIYgEd1Q5ix1lK-w0U1QAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqkRl-1jsCg
[16] https://news.lgdisplay.com/global/2022/10/lg-display-reports-third-quarter-2022-results
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
This new product seems to be very promising, with many potential usages
And while that's exciting, it's also scary that any surface at any time could be used to show advertising.
For that one, spray paint can be a solution.
==Bring us Dabbsy back! ==
Could LG put some effort into making the user interface of their tellies not shit first please?
Maybe if people stopped buying the bloody things by the truckload they might be arsed to change them.
Unfortunately, as long as how well they sell is governed by how gushing the tech reviews are over the panel, the UI isn't on their radar of things to worry about.
HINT: A decent panel on a top notch system beats teh wurld's bestest panel on a meh system every day. Better Down/Upscaling and streaming performance is worth the odd few-thousand nits for 90 plus percent of use cases.
Resolution of 100ppi is decent, but it's not that good.
And worse: it gets less when stretched!
obv: the one with the LEDs in the pocket --->
When you say not good enough for TVs
You don't need the same pixel density as something handheld on something a few metres away.
4k at 50" is about 44" across, and 3840 pixels, that's under 90ppi.
A larger screen obviously has even lower density.
Of course Wii controllers aren't smashing into TVs as often any more... so this is probably limited to to rollable displays (which could be really quite nice in various circumstances, but are almost certainly niche to say the least)
Now, if they really want to impress
Why not come up with reflective rather than backlit LEDs. I'm sure it is very difficult but would be worth it I think.
3 in 1 win
Inorganic LEDs aren't just more efficient than OLED. They can run efficiently at retina-searing brightness for tens of thousands of hours. UV-A chips can incinerate pretty much anything at close range except optical silicone.
It looks like LG figured out how make micro-LEDs, mount them, and prevent thermal stress all in one demo.