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3M and Nanosys team-up to roll out quantum dot-enhanced LCDs
Nanosys' eye-popping QDEF (Quantum Dot Enhancement Film) might be inching closer to a display near you. A new partnership with 3M aims to get the color-loving tech commercialized and into mainstream products. The film uses quantum dots to create an LCD with a wider color gamut -- apparently translating to up to 50 percent more color. The quantum dots are packed onto this film in their trillions (yes, trillions) which is then fitted within the backlight. As the new layer would replace the existing one within LCDs, Nanosys' solution aims to avoid the need for new equipment or processes. However, we're still waiting for high-color QDEF to become that "ecosystem changer" we were promised.
Nanosys QDEF screen technology ships in Q4, slips into iPad at SID 2011 (video)
We dropped by Nanosys' nook at SID 2011, and not only was it showing off its new Quantum Dot Enhancement Film, but had hacked the tech into an off-the-shelf iPad. A company representative presented the modified slate as an example of how quickly QDEF's high color gamut magic could be integrated into existing devices, offering "OLED color depth without OLED power consumption and OLED price." Sure enough, we were told to expect to see QDEF in a "mobile device," probably an Android tablet, sometime in Q4; when pushed for details, our rep could only tell us that the device would come from a Korean firm. (LG or Samsung, take your pick.) Integrating QDEF into new devices may be a snap, but company representatives told us the film could add as much as 100 microns to a screen's thickness, suggesting that smartphone manufactures aren't too keen on the idea of a thicker display. Still, Nanosys has high hopes for the new film and told us that it expects high-color QDEF to become an "ecosystem changer," as industry-altering as HDTV. The firm even suggested "wide color gamut" apps could be in our near future -- we love our color depth here at Engadget, but somehow it's hard to see Angry Birds: High Color (its suggestion, not ours) taking off. Check out our hands-on after the break. %Gallery-123854%
PaPaLaB's YC-3300 camera sees same colors as human eyes
We can't say that we've ever heard of PaPaLaB, but all it takes to get on the consumer electronics radar is doing something that no one has ever done before. It's one of those "easier said than done" things, we're guessing. Anywho, the Japanese outfit has just rolled out a camera system that has been proven to see the same colors as the human eye, a feat that was previously only achievable via huge, impractical camera rigs. The YC-3300, however, is far smaller and manageable than prior systems, and it has already been dubbed a "full-visible-color-gamut camera" by the powers that be. The creators expect it to primarily be used for photographing digital archives and for use in the medical field, but we're already anxious to see such technology miniaturized further and ushered into the consumer market. Surely someone can make that happen before the next PMA kicks off, right?
DS versus PSP: the battle for the best LCD
PC Magazine got a "display expert" from DisplayMate Technology to evaluate the screen performance of the DS Lite and the PSP. To a casual observer, both have stunning displays. But how do they fare when they're analyzed by the same methods used on high-end HDTVs? The report is incredibly thorough, so I'll just give you some key highlights:
