Samsung's new mobile DDI promises better daylight viewing

Samsung has just revealed a new mobile display driver IC (DDI) which claims to deliver clearer images in broad daylight, and while this sounds like a promising development, we're gonna wait to see it in action before passing judgment. What makes this so-called "intelligent" DDI different from the ones currently driving LCD screens is that it contains a built-in photo sensor that detects 32 levels of ambient light and uses a proprietary algorithm developed in conjunction with the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology to adjust properties such as brightness and saturation at the individual pixel level. Basically, the new DDI promises to optimize display viewing in direct sunlight while at the same time reducing power consumption by ramping down the brightness in lower-light environments. Our skepticism stems from the fact that this tech doesn't sound like it really does anything to combat sun glare, and since we always keep our brightness maxed out anyway, we're not sure how much benefit we'd get from an auto-adjusting screen. Like we said, though, we'll wait until we see one of these Samsung-powered displays in action before completely dismissing its effectiveness, and it sounds like we won't have to wait too long, either -- mass production of the new mobile DDIs is scheduled to begin before the end of the year.

[Via Digital World Tokyo]

[Gil @ Sep 7th 2006 8:35AM]

My Nokia 6630 already does this. It turns on the keyboard light only when it's dark enough to need it and always adjusts the luminosity.

The feature is pretty nice but I don't know how much it affects battery life.

[betty @ Sep 7th 2006 9:29AM]

apple powerbooks have done this for years.

[mattie @ Sep 7th 2006 9:58AM]

OMG THAT CHICK HAS HUGE HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ODoile @ Sep 7th 2006 11:20AM]

Maybe it takes the brightness to eleven!!

Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right
across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven
and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any
louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's
not ten. You see, most blokes, you know,
will be playing at ten. You're on ten
here, all the way up, all the way up, all
the way up, you're on ten on your guitar.
Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if
we need that extra push over the
cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and
make ten be the top number and make that
a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause, blank look and snapping chewing
gum] These go to eleven