By Patrick Avenell
JAPAN: Casio has announced it has developed a new LCD display module, which is designed to improve outdoor LCD visibility and save power.
The new module, titled Blanview LCD, eliminates the need for excessive backlighting when using LCD devices in outdoor, well-lit environments. This is of particular import to mobile phone handsets, which often requiring shadowing in order to read.
The original solution for this on transmissive LCDs was to increase backlighting, which inevitably led to reduced battery life.
The secondary solution was semi-transmissive LCD, which combined transmissive and reflective LCD technology. Casio derided this innovation, saying “Semi-transmissive LCDs are not able to offer as clear a display image as transmissive LCDs”.
Casio claims that Blanview LCD solves these problems, with the Japanese company claiming it “[reduces] power consumption without sacrificing visibility”. The breakthrough is credited to two key factors: “optimizing color balance” (sic) and “a light transmissive factor about 30% higher than conventional units”.
According to Casio, the main features of the Blanview are:
-Greater visibility, both in low indoor light and bright sunlight.
-Reduction of energy consumption to approximately half the power of conventional models.
-Improved “whiteness” in a variety of environments.