Some actual science news...razor thin TV

metavac · Post by **metavac** » 2007-05-26 05:38pm

Here's a link to a story with video.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-05-26 05:42pm

The article:

In the race for ever-thinner displays for TVs, cell phones and other gadgets, Sony may have developed one to beat them all - a razor-thin display that bends like paper while showing full-color video.

Sony Corp. released video of the new 2.5-inch display Friday. In it, a hand squeezes a display that is 0.3 millimeters, or 0.01 inch, thick. The display shows color images of a bicyclist stuntman and a picturesque lake.

Although flat-panel TVs are getting slimmer, a display that's so thin it bends in a human hand marks a breakthrough.

Sony said it has yet to decide on commercial products using the technology.

"In the future, it could get wrapped around a lamppost or a person's wrist, even worn as clothing," said Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa. "Perhaps it can be put up like wallpaper."

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2007-05-26 06:33pm

Oh man, wasn't stuff like that featured in Children of Men in some of the applications they suggest?

If developed further this could lead to some really awesome possibilities.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2007-05-26 06:35pm

They had a special about that type of stuff on TV a few days ago. Was pretty awesome. They were talking about a huge wide screen TV you could mount on your wall and roll up to take with you when you move.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2007-05-26 07:59pm

OLEDs have life problems right now, the organic polymers used denature quite quickly when used, so they won't even rival first generation plasmas right now. They do, on the other hand, lack the problem of true black LCDs have, use far less power than plasma displays and are quite cheap now. Most phones tend to use such displays.

I recall seeing special systems like this years ago from some Cambridgeshire based technology group working with the university there. Perfect, high-res images on a tiny plastic film, but they could only do it in one of the three primary colours at the time.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2007-05-26 11:12pm

Woah.

We live in the future.

Eris · Post by **Eris** » 2007-05-26 11:19pm

This makes me feel neat - my science fictional displays on the insides of a soldier's helmet aren't so science fictional after all!

Although I have to admit in regards to having one of these myself that I could roll up and move around... I'd always be way too nervous about breaking it, no matter how sturdy I knew it to be. These just sound like they should be so fragile...

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2007-05-26 11:34pm

I'm just waiting for those hand-held, fold-up communicators from Earth: Final Conflict...those were just plain cool.

Cao Cao · Post by **Cao Cao** » 2007-05-27 05:44am

Sounds awesome.
But then again, this is Sony. They'll probably find some way to mess it up and make it uncool.

His Divine Shadow · Post by **His Divine Shadow** » 2007-05-27 08:24am

I'm imagening the future of the newspaper, instead of getting one in paper you have this newspaper like magazine that is blank. But you can download new issues and then they appear on the pages. This could work via subscription or buying individual issues. That way you can have one paper for many issues.

Ofcourse there would probably be a need for several models of magazine, I imagine a tabloid sized paper wouldn't work well being displayed on a full sized paper model.

Pulp Hero · Post by **Pulp Hero** » 2007-05-27 11:55am

His Divine Shadow wrote:I'm imagening the future of the newspaper, instead of getting one in paper you have this newspaper like magazine that is blank. But you can download new issues and then they appear on the pages. This could work via subscription or buying individual issues. That way you can have one paper for many issues.

Ofcourse there would probably be a need for several models of magazine, I imagine a tabloid sized paper wouldn't work well being displayed on a full sized paper model.

I a film, "Minority Report"(?) did something like that already.

His Divine Shadow · Post by **His Divine Shadow** » 2007-05-27 11:57am

Never seen this film.