Tianma’s stand was divided between new technologies, automotive displays and point-of-sale/medical/industrial units. We began with the automotive models.
Several displays are available now. Two of these are passive monochrome LCD screens; they are called EBN (enhanced black nematic) and W-EBN (wide-EBN). These have 1,000:1 and 800:1 contrast ratios are intended for use in vehicle clusters.
The other automotive screens are part of Tianma’s SFT (Super-Fine Technology) brand. They range in size from 4.2″ to 12.3″, and in resolution from 480 x 272 to 1920 x 720.
A 1.8″ projected HUD display, using an LED light source, was shown with 480 x 240 resolution. It has a transmittance of 4.5%, 1,000:1 contrast ratio and 40% NTSC.
Tianma’s PoS/medical/industrial units are not intended for diagnostic use, but for clinical review. Four of these have long-term availability of at least five years: a 5.72″ LTPS unit with 1280 x 720 resolution and 170 deg viewing angles; 9.7″ and 15″ units with 1024 x 768 resolution; and a 12.1″ unit with 800 x 600 resolution.
A 7″ screen was referred to as a silicon-on-module type. It can switch between TFT and TN modes via the MCU or serial interfaces.
In the new technology area, Tianma was demonstrating an 18″ monochrome bi-stable display. It had 800 x 600 resolution and was drawing no power – it will hold an image “for years”, we heard. The 18″ was the largest prototype, and next to it was the smallest: a 1.54″ LCD display with a MIPI interface and on-cell touch. Resolution was 480 x 480 , with 500 cd/m² of brightness and 67% NTSC gamut coverage.
Much greater NTSC coverage – 103% – was provided by a quantum-dot LCD display, measuring 4″, although as production is simple (the only difference is a quantum dot film added to the backlight), multiple sizes can be produced. The display had 800 x 480 resolution, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and 160 deg viewing angles.
While Samsung dominates small-size AMOLED production today, many companies are attempting to enter the market; Tianma is one of them. It was showing a 5.5″ AMOLED display with 1280 x 720 resolution, 180 deg viewing angles, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and MIPI four-line interface. The backplane is produced at a G5.5 fab, with OLED encapsulation performed at a different (G3.5) facility. Tianma aims to begin mass-production in Q4’15.
A final new technology; display was not a prototype, but is actually available now. It was a 10.1″ panel with a MIPI eight-line interface and 2560 x 1600 resolution. An LTPS backplane was used. Brightness was 550 cd/m², with a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and 170 deg viewing angles.
