This headline is, of course, just for fun. Nonetheless, the extent to which LCDs dominate the display market is truly remarkable. The point of this article is, however, to remind ourselves that opportunities for other, emerging display technologies exist and can actually be very attractive. This need is exists because there are applications and display requirements not well served by LCDs.

Art Berman
Insight Media Consultant

"Alternative technologies are still required because they can overcome some of the disadvantages of LCDs, and have some special capabilities that LCDs cannot match," said Jennifer Colegrove, Senior Analyst for Display Technology and Strategy for iSuppli. These technologies include touchscreen, bi-stable, near-eye, miniature projection and Head-Up Displays.

• Touchscreens
  • Demand for touchscreen displays is being driven primarily by the mobile phone and consumer electronics industries - specifically portable game consoles, personal digital assistants and portable navigation devices. However, as the market matures, touchscreen displays will find a role in nearly every aspect of life from planes, to automobiles, to machine-control systems, to home appliances. Global shipment revenue for the leading touchscreen technologies is expected to rise to $4.4B by 2012, up from $2.4B in 2006.

    

• Bi-stable Displays
  • The ability of bi-stable displays to sustain images without electricity thus reducing power consumption make them well suited for smart cards, removable flash storage devices and e-book/e-paper. Other applications include electronic shelf labels, point of purchase/point of sale and mobile phones. Shipments of bi-stable displays are expected to reach 350M units by 2012, up from a mere 29M units in 2007. By the way, Insight Media analyst Paul Beatty is working on a new report on e-paper-like displays and applications for publication in the spring.

Consumers love tiny handheld electronic devices, but do not love tiny displays that can show only tiny images. Because of this, makers of handhelds - including portable media players, DVD players and mobile TVs - hope to improve the viewing experience by offering products with embedded projectors, near-eye or head-mounted displays. Such display solutions not only offer a larger viewing area, but also lower costs, less power consumption and reduced weight and size.

• Near-Eye Applications
  • Near-eye displays are designed for use on a helmet, visor or eyeglasses close to the user’s eye, providing a virtual image that is larger than the physical dimensions of the display. Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) can display a virtual image ranging in size from 20 inches to 100 inches, providing a much more comfortable and compelling viewing experience than the displays typically found on cell phones. According to iSuppli, near-eye display revenue is expected to grow to $724M by 2012, rising from $209M in 2007.
• Miniature Projectors
  • The miniature projector market is growing due to the high demand for portable presentation equipment. Travelers prefer miniature projectors because they allow delivery of presentations to small groups of people instantly at any time and in any place required. Most of these projectors can run on batteries. With the rear projection television market losing momentum, microdisplay manufacturers should view this market as an opportunity for growth. (See http://www.insightmedia.info/reports/2007picoprojdetails.php for more on Insight Media’s just-released report on pico-projectors)
• Heads-Up Displays
  • Head-Up Displays enhance safety by keeping drivers’ eyes on the road. Currently, there are many vehicle manufacturers offering HUDs including General Motors, BMW, Toyota, Nissan, Ford and Honda. The global HUD module market is expected to reach $107M in revenue by 2012, up from $26M in 2006. Insight Media will also update it HUD market segment report next spring.

Add all this up and the opportunities for alternative display technologies seem quite attractive. What does not seem like a good idea is to take on LCDs in their strongest applications - as seems the intention of some companies developing OLED and SED TV displays. Maybe even plasma should worry big time in the long term.

Reply to the author