Sony Bets on SXRD Projector Technology
Microdisplay technology will compete with Texas Instruments' DLP.Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
LAS VEGAS-- Sony is betting that a microdisplay technology that it developed will give it the same edge in the projector TV market as its Trinitron technology has given it in the traditional cathode ray tube market, one of the company's senior executives said this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show here.
The company is hoping the technology, called Silicon X-tal Reflective Display, will be seen by consumers to be superior to both Texas Instruments' DLP, which currently leads the market, and other competitors such as 3LCD, a technology backed by Fujitsu, Hitachi, and other vendors.
"The full power of HD can only be realized through SXRD," says Mike Fidler, senior vice president of Sony Electronics and head of the company's home electronics division. "We believe SXRD will be the Trinitron of the 21st century."
High-End Technology
SXRD was first unveiled in Tokyo almost two years ago and was used only in Sony's luxury Qualia brand until recently. Within the next month Sony will begin selling a projection TV using SXRD in the United States. The XBR Grand Wega model has a 70-inch screen and is capable of displaying images up to 1080i resolution. It will cost about $7000, according to Sony's Web site.
Over time the company will push SXRD down through its projection TV range into lower-priced models, Fidler says in an interview. Sony also believes the technology will replace some of its higher-end flat-panel TVs, which at present are based on plasma display panels or LCD panels.
However, Sony isn't betting on SXRD for its entire TV range. It is currently putting the finishing touches on an LCD plant that has been built in South Korea with Samsung Electronics and will still use LCD panels in smaller TVs, Fidler says. The first panels are due to begin rolling off the new production line in the next few months.
Getting the (Projected) Picture
Projection TVs work by shining light through a small display, usually a few inches in width, and then projecting it onto a much larger screen. At present, most sets are based on either DLP or 3LCD, and this common technology base leaves manufacturers little room for competition on picture quality.
Building up SXRD as a recognized picture brand would enable Sony to offer something that none of its competitors have and could give it an edge in a very competitive market. It would also reduce Sony's reliance on outside companies for the technology at the heart of its projection TVs.
The deal with Samsung for LCD panels has a similar goal of bring production in-house so Sony can better control and develop the technology and also benefit from cost savings associated with making the panels internally.
For more CES coverage, see PC World's CES news page or our CES staff blog.