sxrd lcd panel manufacturer

Sony’s super popular VPL VW285ES projector uses SXRD display technology. SXRD, which stands for silicon x-tal reflective display, is Sony’s take on liquid crystal on silicon display, more commonly known as LCoS.

As a refresher, LCoS, which has been on the market for several years now, is a hybrid of DLP and LCD display technologies. It’s basically constructed of a layer of liquid crystal sitting on top of a reflective surface. The light created by the lamp reflects off this surface, unless the liquid crystal twists to block it.

Since their debut, LCoS projects have been notoriously difficult to manufacture. Sony streamlined the process by producing their SXRD panels in their own dedicated manufacturing facilities.

Sony’s SXRD panels are just as advanced as LCoS, if not more so. The SXRD projectors use a vertically aligned nematic (VAN) liquid crystal that changes state with lightning-fast speed. This enables the microdisplay to run as fast as 200 frames per second, with very little image smear.

Liquid crystal displays - whether in a LCD or LCoS panel - have an inherent minuscule motion blur. To overcome this, Sony’s HW40ES SXRD projector has a high 240HZ refresh rate. Advanced settings like film projection mode and a built-in motion smoother make for ultra smooth movement.

SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) is Sony"s proprietary variant of liquid crystal on silicon, a technology used mainly in projection televisions and video projectors. In the front and rear-projection television market, it competes directly with JVC"s D-ILA and Texas Instruments" DLP. Sony has discontinued the production of all of its rear-projection televisions, including those that used SXRD display chips, in favor of flat-panel sets utilizing LCD and OLED displays. Sony has now concentrated SXRD on HD home front-projectors and next generation 4K digital theater projection.

A lineup of two types of liquid crystal devices - the reflective type SXRD™ and the transmissive type BrightEra™. The type can be selected to fit the application.

The SXRD utilizes SSS’s original fine pixel pitch technology, pixel flattening technology and inorganic alignment technology to achieve a compact size, high reflectivity and high contrast ratio performance.

SSS"s unique high image quality signal processing function maximizes the characteristics of SXRD/BrightEra. In addition to the keystone correction that is found on many general projectors, there is also a “geometric correction function” for correction to an undistorted image when the projection screen is curved, and an “edge blending function” to eliminate the feeling of joints when multiple projectors are used to create a single image. These functions make it possible to increase the freedom in the projector installation.

As an example, there are 2.07 million pixels (full HDTV: 1920H x 1080V) arranged on the 0.37-type SXRD, which has a rectangular shape with a 0.37 inch diagonal (and 16:9 display aspect ratio). The size of a single pixel is 4.25μm square and the pixels are arranged with extremely narrow gaps, with only around 0.2 μm between the pixels. This realizes a smooth image with no feeling of mesh like a screen door.

In general, on microdisplays for projectors, the narrower pixel pitch is, the more likely it is that light will leak to the pixel driving element and that the performance of the pixel driving element will be degradess, which can easily lead to deterioration of the image quality. However, on SXRD, the addition of a light shielding layer and the optimization of the pixel structure have greatly improved the light shielding characteristics. It is even possible to maintain the image quality performance when there is strong incident light.

The last--and most impressive--were the OLED samples on display. Small organic light-emitting diodes are already in use in some phones and music players, but manufacturers are constantly working to enlarge them in the hopes that they"ll eventually be a viable alternative to LCD and plasma TVs. Sony"s showing a decently sized 27-incher with a thickness measured not in inches but in millimeters. It may not yet be ready for prime time, but it"s certainly a tantalizing view of what the flat-panel future may hold.

Tech: The SXRD technology appears to be similar to that of Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) displays such as those marketed by JVC (D-ILA), as well as a few rear-projection models from Toshiba (apparently discontinued) and Mitsubishi. Sony claims some proprietary refinements and, most important, a high enough yield to make the products practical, particularly in the quantities needed to eventually bring costs down. It"s this issue that has discouraged more than a few other manufacturers from entering the LCoS market.

This means that, in a reflective LCD, the space between the pixels, called the pixel pitch, can be far smaller. In the QUALIA"s three SXRD devices (one for each of the primary colors), this pitch is 9µm, or 12% of the thickness of a human hair. Thus, the 2,073,600 pixels of the 1920 x1080 device can fit on a chip measuring just 0.78 inch diagonally (Fig.2). This both dramatically increases the amount of light that can reach the viewer and reduces the visibility of the pixel structure—the so-called "screen door" effect.

Sony claims other important characteristics for the SXRD panels. A thin (2µm) liquid-crystal layer results in a response time (rise and fall) specified as only five milliseconds, with none of the image lag that afflicts most LCD devices. A contrast ratio of 3000:1 is claimed for the SXRD panel itself, somewhat less for the overall projector. The liquid-crystal layer is said to be thermally stable for a long operating life. The pure xenon lamp—the type used in commercial movie theaters—has a more even color spectrum than the UHP lamps used in most digital home-theater projectors. The lamp is surrounded by an elaborate heatsink ; as a result, the fan can be very quiet, particularly in the Low lamp mode. There"s also a high-altitude fan setting. I"m sure Sony must have forgotten something here, but I haven"t yet figured out what that might be.

VW60 BRAVIA SXRD 1080p Home Cinema Projector provides the complete picture in home theater entertainment. Three SXRD micro-display panels deliver Full HD 1080p resolution while Anamorphic Zoom Mode -- when paired with an anamorphic lens -- takes full advantage of panel resolution and screen size for a true cinema experience. BRAVIA Engine further enhances contrast and ensures that the picture is crisp and clean by reducing visual noise and accurately reproducing rich colors. VPL-VW60 refinements extend to the hardware, too, including improvements to the cooling system that cut fan noise down to a whisper-quiet 22 decibels.

For 70 years, Sony has been synonymous with pushing the envelope in all aspects of video quality and innovation, from creation to reproduction, from lens to living room. Almost everything we watch is affected by Sony technologies in some way. Sony is a content producer through Sony Pictures, Sony Television, Sony Animation and Sony PlayStation. On the video production side, Sony"s Venice Digital Cinema Camera and its BVM-X300 Mastering Monitor are utilized by most major content producers. As the lead developer of Blu-ray, Sony pioneered digital video compression technology. From its Trinitron, WEGA and premium XBR CRT TVs, and now through its BRAVIA and MASTER Series flat panel TVs, Sony displays remain the standard against which all video reproduction innovation is measured.

Sony first demonstrated its commitment to and leadership in innovative home cinema projection in 2003 with the Qualia 004, its first 1080p SXRD projector. Then, in 2011, Sony again demonstrated its projector preeminence when it introduced the VPL-VW1000ES, the world"s first native 4K consumer home theater projector, setting the 4K transition firmly in motion.

At the heart of these projectors are two key technologies: the company"s own SXRD—Silicon Crystal (or X-tal) Reflective Display—panel technology, and the new X1 for projector processor family.

SXRD overcomes the most glaring deficiencies in fixed-panel projector technologies. SXRD"s densely-packed LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) panels have a high 93% fill factor, meaning that 93% of the on-screen image is made of pixels and only 7% black lines separating the pixels. By comparison, competing 3-panel LCD projectors exhibit a fill factor closer to 70%. The result for SXRD is vastly reduced "screen door" effect. SXRD also delivers fast response/low latency, and offers longer operating life and more stable color. Beyond these benefits, Sony"s proprietary SXRD imaging chips employ tighter engineering standards than most LCoS imagers. Notably, contact divots and beveled edges are removed, which improves native contrast by ensuring that light is reflected more uniformly.

The key to Digital Focus Optimizer is Sony"s long familiarity with the custom-designed lens that was specifically developed for use with its 4K SXRD panels and has been employed for some time in most of its home cinema projectors. Company engineers have spent years observing how different portions of this lens affect the image. With Digital Focus Optimizer, the projector is able to determine from the lens shift and zoom settings where the light is actually passing through the lens. By then analyzing every pixel of an image with X1 for projector-powered algorithms, the software can anticipate any inherent optical degradations in advance and perform processing to improve focus, even in typical problem areas like the corners and extreme edges of the image.

Sony"s flagship home cinema projector, the VPL-GTZ380, is unique to Sony"s SXRD models and rare among all high performance home theater projectors thanks to its ability to output 10,000 lumens, at least four times the brightness of the average projector and about twice as bright as an average flat panel LCD TV.

SXRD"s high fill factor and superb native contrast mentioned earlier provide a solid foundation for such a projector. But to achieve its ultimate light output goals, the company developed a smaller 0.74-inch native 4K SXRD panel that features a new liquid crystal material to dramatically improve light stability and durability. A side benefit of the small panel size is that it allows for a relatively tight footprint for such a bright projector.

To these SXRD panel upgrades was added the even more powerful X1 Ultimate for projector processor and, critically, a third laser to Sony"s usual two-laser array. Along with the two blue lasers found in prior projectors with Sony"s

The LCOS technology is based on an innovation in microchip design that packs 2048 x 1536 pixels on a single 1.3" chip (labeled a QXGA device). Keep in mind that with all of the flavors and versions of LCOS-type technology the resolutions vary more than I care to include here. This makes possible display of HD images at full-spec resolution of 1920 x 1080 (with support for 1080p possible). Overall, LCOS projectors produce higher resolutions, better contrast ratios, less image artifacts, and better tonal and color information than just about any LCD front projection device.

JVC just announced July shipment of the next-generation of D-ILA products containing their new 0.7" chip (1920 x 1080) which is designed to take advantage of higher yields (and lower costs) while offering true 1080p HD resolution. Screen sizes include 56-, 61-, and 70-inch models. Sony is constantly dazzling people with its new SXRD line of products which continue to look fantastic so far and Syntax-Brillian is pushing new 1080p models out the door as fast as it can. This should create much needed competition for next-generation LCD and DLP projectors if they can get manufacturing costs down and feed more of these units to consumers. Right now the contrast ratios on these projectors is greater than LCD, but continue to be less than even single-chip DLP projectors. LCD technology, be it reflective or transmissive has a long way to go to gain significant ground in this one area, but its unique characteristics put it somewhat into a class of its own.

The 1080p (progressive) KDS-R60XBR1 and KDS-R50XBR1 Grand WEGA models compliment two existing SXRD products -- the 70-inch QUALIA 006 micro-display and the QUALIA 004 front projector.

"SXRD is the next milestone in the evolution of high-definition television and a standard for the ultimate picture performance," said Randy Waynick, senior vice president of the Home Products Division for Sony Electronics. "If you"re looking for the full power of HDTV, these models deliver like no other."

At the heart of the models are three new 0.61-inch SXRD panels, making them the world"s smallest - one each for red, green and blue color reproduction - delivering more than 2 million native pixels (1920 x 1080) for a full high-definition picture.

The panels produce a contrast ratio of 5000:1. Refinements to the panel circuit layout enabled Sony to reduce the pixel pitch on an individual panel to just seven micrometers, resulting increased pixel density, yields, quick response time and a brilliant film-like picture.

An "Advanced Iris" combines with the three panels and Sony"s Cinema Black Pro mode to maximize up to 10,000:1 contrast based on overall light levels of the original signal. The result is exceptional brightness and sharp contrast. Additionally, the aperture of the iris shutter has been reduced in size, resulting in more faithfully reproduced blacks.

For greater brightness and improved color reproduction, especially with reds, the new SXRD televisions incorporate a 120-watt high-output lamp, along with a new optical engine.

**The 2005 3LCD models are unique in that they are the only models between 2003 and 2007 that have not had a Sony warranty extension.***The expiration date of the extended warranty was originally 10/31/2008, but, based in part on the settlement of a class action lawsuit, on 11/12/2007, Sony extended the expiration date to 6/30/2009.

****The expiration date of these extended warranties was originally 6/30/2010, but, in mid-June 2010, Sony extended them to match those in the pending Cardenas SXRD2 class action lawsuit settlement.

liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) technology ("SXRDTM" models).All of the 2002-2006 and some of the 2007 modelsuse the WEGATM video processing engine and are generally known as Grand WEGAs. The remaining 2007 models use the newer BRAVIATM engine and branding.

SXRD models (green, yellow, purple, pink, or magenta blob, stain, haze, halo, or tint, and other discolorations)Image of a yellow stain (lower-right of image) by Mightyp on AVS Forum:

The optical blocks in SXRD models appear to have defects that cause predominantly green blobs, green haze, and/or yellow stains, although other discolorations (e.g., magenta-colored tint) also occur.An Opinion and Order from a class-action lawsuit on the 2005 models provides unique insight into the causes of the discolorations. A majority of the green issues that appeared in the 2005 SXRDs (the green blobs) arose almost immediately after they were put into service, often occurring near the middle of the screen, sometimes being donut-shaped. Sony claims that they identified and fixed that issue ("temperature fluctuations at the calibration stage of the assembly line") within a month of the start of production. Sony claims that this only affected the first ~7,000 TVs to be produced.Sony also claims that other minor causes of green issues (the green haze) were identified and fixed by 1/2006, although no details were provided.

Most likely, all of the green discolorations occurred due to the presence of improperly polarized light in the green channel, arising from defective green polarizers and/or SXRD panels. There is more recent evidence from a subsequent SXRD class action lawsuit that green haze can be caused by skin oil or debris introduced during the manufacturing process (presumably, optical block assemblers touching the parts with their bare fingers). However, Sony claims that they cleaned such optical block parts in a clean room prior to releasing them.

Sony further claims that the yellow stains in the 2005 SXRDs, which tend to start in the upper or lower right corner, were caused by a "microscopic material" in the liquid crystal panels, disrupting their uniformity over time during prolonged exposure to UV light produced by the projection lamp. Sony claims that the extent of the discoloration depended on the amount of microscopic material present in the panel, which varied from TV to TV, and the frequency of usage by the consumer. They also claim that service records indicate that the issue always appeared within the first 3,000 hours of usage, if it was going to happen.

Sony convinced the Plaintiffs counsel and judge in the class-action lawsuit that virtually all of the defective TVs that were subject to the problems would have exhibited them by the optical block warranty extension expiration date (6/30/2009), given the claimed 0-3,000 hour time period to appearance. However, inconsistent with Sony"s claims, many 2005 SXRD owners have experienced the same failures on the allegedly re-engineered optical blocks. In addition, original optical blocks have continued to fail after the extended warranty date and the claimed 3,000 hours of usage. Furthermore, similar issues are now being reported by owners of both the 2006 and 2007 model year SXRDs, which were largely produced after the alleged 10/2006 fix on the 2005 models.

A variety of other discolorations also affect SXRD models, including magenta or purple or other colors "tinting" various parts of the image. Some discoloration may be evident when the TV is first turned on, but then it may change or disappear after a period of time. SXRD technology is highly reliant on precise light polarization, so smaller degrees of degradation of the parts in the optical block and/or temperature changes can affect the image in these ways.

The blue discolorations seem to be the most common, particularly in the earlier (2003-2005) 3LCD models, although they are also observed in the more recent 3LCD models, as well as the SXRD models. These discolorations can take the form of blue blobs, haze, lines, bands, dots, star pattern, etc. In some cases, the discoloration is centered around an oval-shaped anomaly in the middle of the screen. In many cases, the discoloration (e.g., haze) is most visible on a gray background, but in other cases, the discoloration is visible on a black background (e.g., blobs). Once they become evident, the discolorations tend to accumulate and spread across the entire screen over the course of a few weeks to months.

The precise cause(s) of these discolorations have not been revealed by Sony, but the problem is well-known in the industry.Thediscolorations tend to be bluish in color,because the parts in the blue light path (particularly the blue polarizing filters and liquid crystalpanels) aresubject to the highest energy light (including UV) and heat. Photochemical and heat-based degradation of the blue polarizing filters can allow stray, improperly polarized blue light to pass through the blue LCD panel and onto the screen, leading to blue blobs on images that should be black. Photochemical and heat-based degradation of compounds in the blue LCD panel (e.g., the liquid crystal itself and/or alignment layers) can cause irregular distribution and/or alignment of the of the liquid crystal. This can lead to improper polarization of blue light as it passes through the damaged areas of the panel, resulting in the projection of stray blue light onto the screen.

images--typically called burn-in on older CRT and plasma displays. For example, this can occur in areas of black bars (e.g., letterboxes), in news ticker areas, or when pausing a program on a DVR.As the liquid crystal panels degrade over time, the

While the 2003-2004 3LCD models tend to have primarily blue discolorations, as described above, they can also suffer from stains in the yellow range, and this seems even more common in the newer 3LCD models (e.g., 2005-2006), particularly the A10s. These discolorations tend to start on the edges or appear within oval-shaped anomalies, and to spread over time. Similar to the yellow stains in the SXRDTM models, the yellow color arises due to light being completely blocked in the blue light pathdue to photochemical and heat-based damage (e.g., darkened areas on the orange-colored polarizing filter in the blue light path). The improper blockage of blue lightleaves the predominantly yellow light from the combined green and red light paths. TriState Module sells the orange-colored polarizing filter for the blue light path and reports that it can fix yellow discolorations.

On top of the high risk for blue discolorations described above, some2003-2004 3LCD modelsare also susceptible to developing an opaque, non-moving pattern on the screen, which is particularly evident on white or light backgrounds. This is referred to variously as stationary scribble, squiggly, random line, or road-mapping, and tends to be a solid color such as yellow, purple, or blue-green on a white background, but it varies somewhat depending on the specific color of the image on the screen.The problem tends to grow worse over time.

For the most part, this problem seems to have been caused by defective materials in a specific lot of LCD panels that were installed in the optical blocks, whichare particularly sensitive to damage arising from hot-cold (on-off) cycling. The color of the scribbles likely correlates with the light path with the damaged LCD panel. For example, damage to the blue panel may selectively block blue light in the damaged areas, leading to a yellow scribble (green plus red), damage to the green panel may lead to a purple scribble (blue plus red), or damage to the red panel may lead to a blue-green scribble. In some cases, different colored scribbles appear in different areas on the same TV, suggesting damage to multiple panels.

There is some evidence that leaving the TV on for an extended period (e.g., several days) can, at least temporarily, resolve or reduce this issue, perhaps by causing the defective panel to heat up, but this is not a complete or permanent fix.

For reference,in addition to liquid crystal projection technology (3LCD andLCoS/SXRDTM), othernewer technologies at the time included digital light processing (DLP) projection,plasma flat-panel,and LCD flat-panel. In the large screen market, DLP and plasma were in direct competition with liquid crystal projection in its heyday, and LCD flat-panels have overtaken the market as prices have come down on larger panels.

An industry group of LCD projection manufacturers called the "3LCD Group" was formed in 2004 to help market the 3LCD microdisplay technology. Sony is a member of this marketing group, and, along with Epson, accounted for most of the production of the LCD microdisplay panels used in the projection models. Although the current 3LCD Group web site refers only to front projectors, it included rear-projection TVs when they were in production. For example, see this version of the 3LCD Group web site archived in January of 2005. Here is an excerpt from a 1/7/2005 3LCD Group press release:

“As the U.S. market leader in microdisplay televisions, Sony has always been committed to providing consumers with video products that exceed their expectations,” said Mike Fidler, senior vice president in Sony Electronics’ Home Products Division. “3LCD technology fulfills this role by offering an ideal balance between superior performance, overall reliability and manufacturing efficiency.”

Liquid crystal projection TV sales and marketing efforts attempted to steer customers away from competing plasma TVs by citing a short 10,000-20,000-hour lifespanof the plasma tubes (less than 10 years at 3-6 hours per day).In addition, the longevity of competing DLP projection TVs was questioned based on the use of moving parts (DLP technology uses a spinning color wheel with millions of hinged micromirrors). Consistent with this, Sony and its 3LCD Group have released marketing statements such as the following:

It is generally accepted that liquid crystal flat-panel displays have an expected life span of about 60,000 hours(about 27 years at 6 hours per day)(e.g., site 1, site 2, site 3). The liquid crystal microdisplay panels in Sony"s 3LCD and SXRDTM TVs are a bit different than flat-panels. However, Sony and the 3LCD Group do not differentiate LCD flat panels and microdisplays when speaking about reliability. For example, the following statement can be found on the 3LCD Group web site:

Reliable, Road-Tested Tecnology: LCD technology surrounds us – HDTVs, PDAs, mobile phones, monitors and more...this powerful and road-tested technology is an optimal way to achieve sharp, beautiful images. 3LCD systems are reliable and use a simple optical design: 3 chips and 1 prism.

Furthermore, the estimated 60,000-hour lifespan of an LCD flat panel is actually based more on the longevity of the fluorescent back-lighting than the liquid crystal components themselves. So, if the lighting systems were replaceable on these units, the lifespan could, theoretically, be much longer.In liquid crystal projection systems, the lamps are, in fact, user-replaceable, and Sony has exploited this to further promote the longevity of the technology. They strongly promoted that their TVs only needed a lamp change every several years to restore the TV to a like-new condition. Here are some quotes from some of Sony"s marketing:

The Fountain of Youth - User-Replaceable UHP Lamp. In the past, the gradual loss of picture quality was just part of owning a TV. Once the picture got to a point where it was unwatchable, the TV was replaced and the process started over. Sony recognizes the investment in time and money that a TV represents. That is the reason that Grand WEGA comes with an ingenious user-replaceable UHP lamp. After countless hours of enjoyment, simply replace the lamp and your Grand WEGA is as good as the day you bought it. In fact, with Sony"s renowned quality, Grand WEGA may be the last TV you ever own.The implication from these quotes is that liquid crystal rear-projection TVs could have an even longer life than a liquid crystal flat-panel display, and even CRT-based TVs, due to the user-replaceable lamps. In fact, a "white paper" from Sony on their projection systems directly suggests that liquid crystal microdisplay (fixed-pixel) projection panels offer "far longer life" than CRT-based TVs (e.g., see page 23):

CRTs have phosphors that are subject to burn-in when an image stays on the screen too long...Fixed-pixel projector display panels are immune to burn-in, offering far longer life. And the SXRD panel is particularly robust.However, unlike flat-panel liquid crystal displays with non-damaging fluorescent back-lighting, the UHP lamps in Sony"s rear-projection TVs create substantial direct heat, direct light (e.g., ultraviolet), and indirect heat (produced by conversion of reflected light). This damaging energy is focused on the small filters and liquid crystal panels within the optical block, significantly reducing lifespan.