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It is potentially an exciting year for LCD displays in 2007. There are a number of new technologies emerging along with a new approach to display market sectors and promoted specifications. Below I will go over some of the changes we can expect during the coming year as well as linking to some references about the new technologies being used:

HDMI Interface

This is starting to become more common on larger displays where the line between desktop display and LCD TV is becoming blurred. Commonly the screens are aimed at a wide multimedia use and so feature a wealth of inputs, typically including Composite, S-Video, Component and now HDMI. The BenQ FP241W is an example of a new screen featuring HDMI connectivity, and the LG L245WP will also be equiped with this interface. The HDMI interfaces should offer full 1080p support and HDCP certification and in some cases are in place of a DVI connection. Obviously with modern multimedia devices (HD-DVD, Blu-Ray etc) being HDMI ready, this is a good choice for people who want to use their display for a range of applications, not just to connect to a PC.

Motion Blur Reduction

Perhaps the most promising improvements in panel responsiveness for the immediate future come in the form of BenQ's Black Frame Insertion (BFI) and Samsung's Motion Picture Acceleration (MPA) technologies. These technologies concentrate on reducing the perceived motion blur you experience from LCD displays, regardless of how fast response time becomes.

Black Frame Insertion

BFI is already in place in the BenQ FP241WZ but we will have to wait for the screens wide release before we get a true indication of it's effectiveness. When it comes to reducing perceived motion blur, even initial pre-release results look promising. This technology is based around the principle of inserting a black frame at a certain frequency (user controlled even) in the image to help 'clean' the human eye and reduce blur. This does not create a higher frequency though, and panels using BFI, at least at the moment, still function at 60Hz refresh rate with the screen still only showing 60 fps, whether they are rendered frames of black frames. BenQ will also be utilising BFI in their FP241VW model, and screens featuring this technology are being labelled as either 'AMA-Z' or 'PerfectMotion'.

100Hz / 120Hz Technology

Samsung were the first to release a 100Hz LCD TV as covered back in October. The LE4073BD was promising in initial tests at BeHardware and helped reduce motion blur in gaming. This again is a new technology but may well be the way forward for LCD TV's in particular.

Above: Samsung LE4073BD 100Hz LCD TV

Samsung achieve 100Hz from their LCD TV's by instering an intermediate image image between adjacent frames. This doubles the frame rate from 50 fps, to 100fps (since European TV's operate at 50Hz). This is achieved with the use of an internal processor which calculates the intermediate stage and predicts its appearance. In movies the performance was a little vaied, but in gaming it really helped improve moving images and reduce motion blur. Tom's Hardware France also took a look at the 100Hz Samsung LCD TV last year.
 
 

22" > 27" > 28" Screen Size

There has been a trend emerging towards the end of 2006 in regards to the diagonal size of desktop displays. 22" monitors have now become very common, but sadly still remain all based on TN Film technology. However, the increased screen size and low price has helped make the 22" sector very popular, and this looks like it will continue during 2007. There are rumours of additional panel technologies being released in this sector (AUO for example may release a 22"WS AMVA / P-MVA panel) but nothing is concrete at present. I would imagine non-TN panels may well find it hard to fit in within the 22" sector due to the low costs of those displays already available. We now already have 22" models from most of the main manufacturers including the Dell E228WFP, LG L226WT and Samsung SM226BW for example, and more are certain to follow this year. LG in fact informed me in a recent interview with the head of monitors in the UK that 2007 would see a continued focus on 22" screens and a move away from the previously popular 20" sector.

 
Above: The 27" Dell 2707WFP and 22" Samsung SM226BW

We've also seen a move into other previously un-explored diagonals recently, with the release of the Dell 2707WFP, and the impending arrival of Samsung's competing product, the SM275T. These 27" models offer an increased screen size compared with 23"/24" models, but remain only at a native resolution of 1920 x 1200. ViewSonic have skipped past the 27" sector altogether with their forthcoming model, the 28" widescreen VX2835WM. The larger models are starting to become a cross over between desktop displays and LCD TV's and typically feature multimedia interfaces and even HDMI. These may not suit everyone's tastes, particularly when it comes to the larger pixel pitch and massive screen size, but it is interesting to see the shift away from smaller size screens and into the 27" and 28" space.

  
Enhanced CCFL / 92% Colour Gamut

Displays featuring an improved gamut range are starting to become more common nowadays, and offer gamut covering 92% of the NTSC colour space. This exceeds the sRGB colour space offered from most screens available today (those using standard CCFL backlighting - 72% NTSC coverage). This is achieved with enhanced CCFL backlighting, and the Dell 2707WFP and Dell 3007WFP-HC are examples of recently released screens offering 92% NTSC coverage. This trends looks set to continue and marks a step in the right direction for LCD monitors, offering improved colour range and depth.

Above: Monitor colour gamut showing 72% (left) NTSC coverage and 92% (right) coverage 

LED Backlighting

Rather than use CCFL baklighting, some manufacturers are releasing screens this year with LED backlighting. These will offer improved panel uniformity, and enriched colours thanks to 114% coverage of the NTSC colour space. The Samsung XL20 is an example, and looks promising. Prices for these screens are expected to be high (the Samsung is expected to retail ~ $1999), but remember, these are aimed at professional graphics users, and colour enthusiasts.

Above: Samsung XL20 and Acer AL1917L displays, featuring LED backlighting

Back in October 2006, Prad.de reported that the Acer AL1917L would be the first more widely affordable screen to use LED backlighting. This was expected to be released at the end of December. Other more affordable screens may begin to emerge, but it is the corporate space where LED will most likely be used. Due to the growing popularity of LED, set to expand further in 2007, industry panel giants such as AU Optronics (AUO), Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) and Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) have inked deals with LED manufacturers. AUO, for example, acquired a 25 per cent share of Light House Technology, as the 'Wall Street Journal' reports. Calculations by US market researchers at Isuppli suggest that, by the year 2010, light emitting diodes may already make for 30 per cent of all LCD monitor backlighting. Further information reported by Prad.de in November 2006.

OLED

OLED based displays were originally expected in October 2006, but have now been delayed with no release date announced. BeHardware released details of this last June. There is information about OLED available from Prad.de, but this form of backlighting will negate the need for CCFL backlight tubes, and should in theory offer improved black depth, improved uniformity and reduced power consumption (since there is no backlight needed). Another benefit of OLEDs is their flexibility and the fact that they are really thin. OLEDs can be superimposed on flexible materials. Hence, a display that can be coiled up seems feasible. As it is with any new technology OLED is not technically mature yet and some problems have to be tackled before the OLED display will replace the LCD monitor on people's desks. It seems this may well be delayed even longer and we might not see OLED this year in the mass market. Further reading about OLED is also available from Wikipedia.