As I have expressed many times in my various articles, I am not a fan of rear projection HDTV, least of all being the single panel DLP variety. Oh, yes, one can get from such DLP applications a bright, high-contrast image with definition a little bit better that SDTV, but certainly not HDTV. That added with the spinning color wheel with its whirling noise, motion artifacts, and poor (very poor) color tracking makes a mockery out of the perceived "definition" of HDTV.

But, now, there is new light shining that ameliorates many of these deficiencies to a great extent. Enter the elegant Light Emitting Diode (LED) luminance technology called "Phlatlight," an acronym for Photonic Lattice Light Source, developed by Luminus Devices Inc, Woburn, Massachusetts.

Physically, the Phlatlight technology is deployed as individual panels, one for each primary color, red, green and blue. The light output from each panel is sequentially switched and focused on a single DLP. The DLP then generates the full color HDTV image that is, in-turn, projected to the viewing screen.

Individual Phlatlight LED Light Panels

Advantages of this type of solid-state, micro-panel light source over arrays of separate LED's are numerous. But, arguably, the most salient characteristic offering the key to these advantages is the "lattice" structure of the emitting surface. This type of nanostructure fabrication allows the emitted light to be self-collimating, meaning that parallel rays are emitted from the surface without light loss from the panel edges. Self-collimation also eliminates the need for additional collimating lenses, thereby further increasing efficiency.

Other significant advantages accrue from such single panel color light sources, including customized light-engine design, allowing the light panel to be matched precisely to given display chip parameters, simplified optical paths and enhanced reliability. The benefits to the users of this combination of advantages are bright, noise-free HDTV images with high contrast and superior color depth all in a very compact enclosure. Add these benefits to greatly enhanced system reliability, and the result is compelling.

Manufacturers such as Samsung and NuVision are now marketing DLP RPTV's with PhlatLight technology in several screen sizes. Many of these models are even brighter, thinner second generation PhlatLight units. In addition, LG is employing PhlatLight chipsets in its HS101 pocket (front) projection unit.

The PhlatLight system is also being developed for LCD flat panel display applications. In these applications the PhlatLight light emitting panels are located on the edge of the LCD display panel array, with the light being distributed to the array by light pipes. All of the advantages of Phlatlight sources described for RPTV are realized with flat-panel LCD applications. Look for these units in the market next year.

It's getting better every day.

Ed