Japan Display paves the way for 1000ppi LCD panels for VR headsets

Posted on Thursday, December 14 2017 @ 14:28 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
Japan Display announced it created a new 3.6" LCD panel with a pixel density of 803ppi. The screen is designed for virtual reality (VR) headsets and the company is confident it can deliver an even better model with over 1,000ppi in the first half of 2018. That's over double as much as the pixel density of current VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

The 803ppi panel has a resolution of 1920 x 2160 pixels, it features a 90Hz refresh rate, 150 nits brightness, 4.5ms gray-to-gray response time, and a 700:1 constrast ratio.

JDI was formed in April 2012 and consists of the display panel units of Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba.

JDI VR panel with 803ppi
Japan Display Inc. (JDI) today announced the development of a 3.60-inch 803ppi low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) TFT LCD specifically designed for virtual reality (VR) head mount display (HMD) applications. JDI is accelerating development of even higher [resolution/pixel density] LCDs for HMD and plans to finish development of over 1000ppi in the first half of 2018.

JDI's LTPS TFT LCD for HMD that is currently in mass production has a super-fine pixel density of approx. 600ppi, which provides a sense of reality to users. We, however, realized that a pixel density even over 600ppi is not sufficient to avoid seeing the pixel structure in all cases, and that a display with pixel density of 800ppi is necessary. Furthermore, in order to decrease the size and weight of the [HMD/device], both decreasing the size of the display and increasing the magnification of the lenses are effective, which requires even higher pixel density of 1000ppi or higher.

Comparison of Pixel Density
Today, the amount and speed of the display data which a VR-dedicated-HMD processes is much greater than a smartphone. Therefore, the receipt of VR-dedicated-HMD display data via current telecommunication networks is practically not possible, and most VR-dedicated-HMDs use hard-wired systems. However, when the next generation "5G network" comes into place, HMDs will be able to receive the required display data via the telecommunication network, which will enable the broadening of VR applications and services. We expect the market size of VR-dedicated-HMDs will expand along with the expansion of 5G networks.

JDI intends to maintain our leading position in displays for VR-dedicated-HMDs by leverating our long experience in the development of high resolution LTPS TFT LCDs.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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