Arizona based Three-Five Systems which claims to be a leading supplier of display products has announced the availability of a new development kit targeted for 720p resolution, the current high definition television broadcast standard. Based on Three-Five's 1280 x 768 resolution liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) Brillian 768 Microdisplays, the kit offers OEMs a quick, cost-effective method to build and test pre-production versions of microdisplay-based products prior to production commitment. When integrated into a projection system, the small 0.7" diagonal mcrodisplay projects high quality, bright images from both computer and television generated signals.

An official release informs that the company's goal is to provide a comprehensive product line to meet the unique needs of the customers and provide the most value for the specific design or application, To keep OEM development costs low the company claims to have a line of standard products targetted at each of the large product categories. The Brillian Z86D-3 is designed for near-to-eye applications, the 1024 for front projection products, and the Brillian 1280 and 1920 for next generation front and rear projection applications that require ultra high resolution. The 768 is a perfect compliment to this product line. It meets the current HDTV broadcast requirements, offering the high resolution and brightness required for projection applications, at low cost points.

The 768 kit, the fourth kit for projection applications available from the company, is unique in that it is capable of multiple resolutions. In addition to meeting the needs of applications that require 720p, the Brillian 768 is also capable of XGA (1024 x 768) or lower resolutions. New convergence products, such as PC-TVs in which the display functions as both the computer monitor and high definition television, will benefit from the Brillian 768's multi-resolution capability.

Three-Five's President and CEO, Jack Saltich, said, "With the recent legislation by the FCC setting the standard for digital television it is evident that consumers are going to demand a high quality image that optimises the HDTV signal. We have developed and are continuing to develop display technologies that will help OEMs address the market demand for improved image quality."

Designed as a "plug-n-play" development tool, the Brillian 768 kit provides all the necessary hardware and software to quickly demonstrate prototype performance. Kit components include:

-- 3 (RGB set) Brillian 768 Microdisplays and flex extenders for easy mounting in OEM optics systems,
-- Three-Five's "Prescott" Board Set with panel connectors all contained neatly in a protective, custom box designed for easy handling,
- Power supply and all necessary cables,
-- Easy-to-use CD ROM, which includes all the kit documentation and the software utilities needed to test prototype performance,

A microdisplay is a small display, about the size of a thumbnail, that when combined with an optics system has the unique advantage of being able to make the apparent size of the image viewed larger than the size of the actual display. The advantages of Three-Five's LCoS Brillian Microdisplays include: extremely small size, light-weight, and the ability to hold up to 2.6 million pixels in less than one diagonal inch for high-definition or ultra-high resolution displays.



Click here for more TV Technology Update