Dave Horvath
12 Mar 2007 6:30
Electronics manufacturer, Philips has decided to drop the plans to include the fluorescent stroboscopic lights that illuminate many of their flat screen televisions and provide much of the clean up duties for getting rid of motion blur and smear that tend to plague those types of TVs. Instead, Philips has decided to focus on LED backlights that give a more precise burst of light, take up less space and are more efficient to run.
Current LCD TVs emitt a constant stream of light, while Philips' plans with their LED backed televisions actually send out small bursts of light which trick the human eye into thinking the picture is brighter and sharper than it really is. While their previous fluorescent technology, dubbed Aptura was touted as a major advance in technology and a potential cash cow for the lighting division, Philips has since rescinded their support for such technology.
"If we want to continue developing this backlighting technology, we'll have to make new investments. At the same time, LEDs (light emitting diodes) are getting ripe for the market and they enable thinner TV sets, so we've chosen to invest in those," says a Philips spokeswoman.
Philips actually unveiled its flickering backlight technology some time ago and it is featured in several high end flat panel televisions, however it may take some time for televisions equipped with this technology to reach a cheap enough asking price for mainstream consumption.
Source:
Reuters