New Tech on the Way from Samsung Display

To an increasingly large part of the population, seeing is believing. In support of this proverbial truism and recent research pointing to an irreversible trend toward greater visual communication, Samsung Display has been busy innovating within the realm of consumer-oriented visual technology. We’re determined to make the visual experience with automobiles, smartphones and virtual reality the most versatile, as well as the safest and most breathtaking. We have been enhancing what consumers see and how we can improve image and sound accessibility in ways that are far-reaching in their implications. Here is a glimpse at our latest innovations, which were recently demonstrated at Display Week 2018 2018 in Los Angeles. Flexing our Automotive Display Muscle • Rollable Central Information Displays (CIDs) make use of Samsung Display’s core flexible OLED technology, which enables a display screen to be stretched and retracted from nine to 14 inches. Easy to control, Samsung Display’s highly promising rollable display technology will allow drivers to select their GPS system, car music player and Internet-based features with just a light touch across a rolled-out screen. • A new CID accentuates the latest in curved elegance to support rising industry interest in beautifully contoured, interior car designs. It presents a clear image with a 1200×1920 resolution (182ppi) and a high brightness of 800 nits. • A 6.22-inch unbreakable steering wheel display features a flexible OLED substrate with a highly advanced, plastic screen material that will eventually be able to minimize display-related damage in many types of car accidents. Weighing only 6.8 kilograms, a prototype of this display was able to function, without any damage, after car crash tests at a speed of approximately 15 mph. • A glass-free display across a fully-digital instrument panel features AMOLED technology that should help increase the rate at which a driver recognizes essential driving information, through the use of live 3D imagery. Water-pushing Picture Taking • ‘Aqua sensor’ is a ‘future display’ product that will allow consumers to use a waterproof smartphone underwater. While many displays are waterproof today, none allow picture-takers to snap their shots when submerged, without a great deal of difficulty due to the resistance of fingers to movement underwater. Soon, Samsung Display’s development of ‘in-water, multi-pressure touch’ technology will make it super easy to snap a photo with a waterproof camera while submerged. Goodbye Sound Receivers • Samsung Display will introduce a next-generation sound system that will enable smartphone users to enjoy a smooth, yet beautifully complete display screen free from gaps. The display panel will no longer need even a small hole through which to transmit sound! Called SoD (Sound on Display), this new Samsung Display technology will enable the display panel to transmit sound by vibration only. Richer 8K Resolution • The prototype of a new QD glass panel features a quantum dot substance dispersed evenly across a glass-diffusing plate to increase color reproducibility, instead of using the conventional method of attaching QD sheets onto the backlight itself. This ultra-high resolution LCD screen can reproduce remarkably clear color images including extremely dark blacks, together with another a technology called direct local dimming, which makes dark colors darker and light colors lighter using a series of small, individually-driven backlights. A New Look at VR and AR • We have now perfected a display resolution of 1200 ppi (pixels per inch) for virtual reality (VR) devices. By combining two 1200-pixel displays in a 2.4-inch OLED design, a resolution as high as 3840×2160 pixels can be achieved. This is twice as high as that used in today’s premium smartphones, and can provide extremely clear, live VR imagery onscreen without any annoying ‘screen door’ effect. • We have integrated state-of-the-art 3D functionality with a new type of augmented reality (AR). This ‘AR light field’ technology delivers characters and settings in virtually perfect 3D for the next wave of leading-edge AR games. These changes are expected to be launched within the next few years, some as early as 2019. Regardless of when they are to be introduced, each should have a lasting impact across a swathe of key market segments. Furthermore, all show Samsung Display’s determination not only to underscore its market leadership, but also to aggressively advance technology in directions that will positively impact how the world views electronics.