Philips previews 8mm thick lcd
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Philips Research is showing its thinnest 32in lcd at this year’s IFA show in Berlin. Featuring a 1mm light guide, the prototype is just 8mm thick.
The ultra thin backlight technology is intended to allow tvs to be hung on walls more readily than they can be today. “At just 8mm thick”, said Fred Boekhorst, senior vice president Philips Research and program manager Lifestyle, “our ultra thin display concept will enable the thinnest 32in lcd tvs. Our concept is also very light – around 5 kg – enabling a 32in lcd tv that is around 10 kg lighter than existing comparable TV sets. As a result, hanging such an lcd tv becomes simple and easy.”
The approach involves a very thin light guide plate illuminated from the top and bottom by high power energy efficient leds. Using Philips’ patented light in coupling structure and a fine tuned outcoupling pattern, light can be distributed uniformly over the whole display area. “We’ve managed to cut the size of the light guide – the thickest part of an lcd – from around 25mm to just 1mm,” says Boekhorst. “Hence, the thickest part of the display has now become one of the thinnest parts.”