Samsung LCD Catching Up With Science Fiction Flicks

By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter

Three-D televisions and paper-thin monitors that have so far been available in sci-fi movies are about to become a reality, as Samsung Electronics’ president predicts that those shown in the movie ``Minority Report’’ will be available within a few years.

``In the not so distant future, displays shown in the `Minority Report’ will appear,’’ Lee Sang-wan, the head of Samsung’s LCD division, told some 500 students during a lecture held at Yonsei University on Tuesday. He also said that Samsung aims to take more than a quarter of the $100-billion LCD market by 2010 by taking advantage of its technology leadership.

The remark came right after Samsung’s announcement that it has developed the thinnest liquid crystal display (LCD) panel ever reported, which is thinner than a credit card at 0.82 millimeters.

It was a counterattack on its rival LG.Philips LCD, which unveiled a 1.3-millimeter panel in September, which was the world’s slimmest at the time. Lee said that the intensifying battle for the ``world’s best’’ will eventually help bring those future gadgets into reality earlier than most people have expected.

``The display market is smaller than the semiconductor or mobile phone markets as of now. But it has unlimited growth potential,’’ Lee said. ``Korean makers like Samsung and LG.Philips have never lost our leadership in the display industry since we bypassed Japanese manufacturers in 1998.’’

In the 2002 movie, which depicted the future world of year 2054, John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, and his fellow cops use various thin, transparent displays in their daily businesses of pursuing criminals. At home, Anderton uses a 3-D image projector in reminiscing of the days with his family.

In reality, Samsung’s latest LCD model is far smaller than Cruise’s. It is only available in 2.2 inches in the diagonal size, as it is designed for mobile phones. But its executives think the company is quite close to achieving larger models.

``Samsung’s R&D initiatives, including LCD module thickness reduction and reinforced shock resistance, will enable our customers to develop truly differentiated and more reliable, ultra-thin mobile products,’’ said executive Vice President Yun Jin-hyuk, in charge of the mobile display team of Samsung.

As for 3-D displays, LG Electronics has come quite close to the movie. During last month’s Korea Electronics Show, LG displayed a 40-inch TV that shows 3-D images without the need for special glasses.

``It is the first time for us to develop a 3D display for the naked eye,’’ LG’s public relations official manager Kim Kyung-hwan said. `` It may look a bit unusual but it feels alright when people’s eyes get accustomed to the 3D images,’’ he said, adding that the company aims to sell the display to commercial sites such as airports, exhibition centers and shopping malls.

Lee of Samsung also predicted paper-like flexible displays will become the next-generation standard. They were seen in ``Minority Report’’ as an electronic newspaper that updates its front page once in a while, and as a cereal box that has a video advertisement on its reverse side.

LG.Philips in a partnership with E-Ink of the United States is leading the flexible technology field with a 14.1-inch flexible e-book already available as a black-and-white prototype.

By The Korea Times, 11-22-2006