NEC LCD Technologies Succeeds in Development of New TFT LCD Module That Enables Control of Viewing Angle

NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd., along with its sales and marketing channels in Europe and the Americas, NEC Electronics Europe and NEC Electronics America, Inc., today announced the successful development of a new color TFT LCD module that enables the viewing angle to be switched from wide to narrow in accordance with display contents, use and application of the LCD.

NEC LCD Technologies has realized the new LCD module by its own unique value integrated TFT-LCD (VIT) technology, along with the addition of a new angle-switching control on  the polarizer adjacent to the backlight system. The angle-switching control enables the light from the backlight system to be switched from a diffused pattern to a straight pattern by control signals, allowing easy switching of the viewing angle mode from that of wide to narrow.

Recently, the use of industrial automatic processing equipment incorporating LCDs, such as ATMs and ticketing machines, has been increasing dramatically in public spaces like stores, hotels and airports. Security concerns have likewise escalated with the increased possibility of information being viewed by third party bystanders, and countermeasures such as the use of film to limit the screen viewing angle have been adopted. Meanwhile, LCDs are increasingly being used to display public information and advertisements when terminals are not in use to enhance business model value. However, such public information can only be viewed by the person who is actually using the terminal due to the film on the screen.

This has brought about a need for LCD devices to fulfill two needs simultaneously - secure viewing of personal information achieved by a narrow angle mode and broad viewing of public information realized by a wide angle mode. Various new technologies have been introduced to address this need; however, none fully prevent the leak of personal information while also allowing broad display of public information.

“NEC LCD Technologies has succeeded in creating a new LCD that prevents personal information from being viewed by a third party when a device such as an ATM is in use, while simultaneously allowing the device to display public information such as advertisements for broader viewing when not in use, offering added value to both the provider and the user,” said Masaaki Hiroshima, Product Planning Department Manager, NEC LCD Technologies. “The adoption of a new angle-switching control will allow various industries to benefit from secure dual mode use of LCD devices and is expected to expand the range of application in the future.”

NEC LCD Technologies strives to create products and solutions that take the unique needs of the industrial market into consideration by leveraging its cutting edge LCD technology and unmatched know-how in the field. It will continue to strengthen its product lineup by effectively utilizing its core technologies to expand application of LCD modules into new fields and markets.

The new LCD module will be displayed at FPD International 2007, which is being held at the Pacifico Yokohama, Japan, from October 24 - 26.

For more information about NEC's TFT LCD modules, please visit

http://www.nec-lcd.com/en/technology/sft_viewing_angles.html

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