Sony's portable projector tech displays perfect images on curved surfaces
It also makes 4K more feasible for small projectors.
The future of portable projectors just got a whole lot clearer, as Sony launches two bits of tech that will give gives portable projectors both HD capabilities and the ability to provide a distortion-free picture even on curved surfaces. This means you could whip out your device anywhere and enjoy an almost crystal-clear picture, no matter what background you're projecting it onto.
The SXRD is the world's smallest full HD reflective liquid crystal display device. This uses Sony's original fine pixel pitch technology to give a full HD resolution on a 0.37-type chip. Usually, narrowing the pixel pitch results in a blurrier image due to light leakage into the semiconductor element under the pixel electrode, but Sony added light shielding layers to help optimize pixel structure. It's also added a new field-sequential color technique that manages RGB light sources to help ramp up resolution, contrast and brightness.
The other bit of kit is a high-definition signal processing drive, designed to maximize SXRD's functions. It comes with geometric compensation and edge-blending features, so it'll correct an image projected onto curved surfaces, and seamlessly stitch together multiple images when several projectors are used at once. This means greater freedom in where you use the projector.
According to Sony, the market for portable projectors is growing and they're expected to become even more popular in the future, especially as they become more compact and offer higher resolutions. The tech Sony has launched is typically used in very high-end, expensive devices, but that's likely to become more accessible as other companies get in on this growing market, so it won't be too long before you're carrying a 4K cinema screen in your pocket.
