Coatable thin birefringent film retarders allow LCD screen viewing from oblique angles. They use less material and cost less than other LCD optical compensation films. They are produced by solution-processed technology (roll-to-roll, slot die, or spray coating) from proprietary lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) coating materials based on self-assembling organic compounds.

Technical advances for LCD TVs help them handle fast video motion more smoothly, and to look better in dark rooms. Both were disadvantages compared with plasma TVs. Pioneer introduced a line of plasma TVs last year, but now is quitting the display business entirely. Information Display looks at the future of plasma and LCDs.

Active-matrix OLEDs were the topic at the DisplaySearch U.S. Flat Panel Displays Conference. Benefits include lower power consumption, good color performance, fast response time, low weight, flexibility, and transparency. Better manufacturing methods were presented by UDC, DuPont, and Kodak per this PC Magazine roundup.

LEDs are remarkably efficient at turning electrical current into light, but not quite as good at emitting that light. Now, researchers in Japan and France report increasing light output by 20x, using an LED made of V-shaped ridges instead of flat wafers. Their paper in Applied Physics Letters explains the evanescent-wave-based system.

It's a pippin of a rumor! Apple doesn't offer a netbook for sale and has not said that it will — at least, not as of the day I'm writing this. But, Korean OEM components supplier LG has supposedly been in talks with Apple about providing OLED displays for a small computer, says the Apple Blog.

Mobile electronics that operate for a long time before recharging are increasingly popular. Look at the netbook explosion: customers overlook drawbacks to gain light weight and long battery life. The Xenium cell phone follows the netbook model: it doesn't skimp on the LCD and OLED displays and it provides a long 8 hour talk time.

Green is the thing, and plasma HDTV makers responded to criticisms of being energy hogs; they introduced new plasma TV models that use less power. But LCD makers aren't ignoring the issue either: LED-backlit LCDs are not only 40% more efficient than conventional backlit models, they are also exceedingly thin.

The DLP technology is ready for applications — now we just need devices. So TI is offering a DLP Pico Projector Development Kit. It includes the projector, power, and video cable with I2C capability. The company is also offering day-long Technology Days being held around the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Will innovative phones have been introduced at CTIA Wireless 2009 earlier this month? The editors of CNET describe what they expect to see at the big mobile phone show. Even basic phones have quite nice displays. The big news is more likely to be software that extends the capabilities of established hardware. Watch the six-minute video preview.

We're not talking about gadgets that capture or display images — we're talking about images of the insides of gadgets. These images are the topic of Satre Stuelke's Radiology Art project. The medical student used computed tomography — more often used to image human patients — to see past the surface of all sorts of gadgets. CNET also supplies a photo gallery. Can this technology find use on the plant floor?

The Perfect Home Theater?

If money wasn't an object and all the components were flat, how big a display and how powerful and complex a speaker system would you want in your home theater?