Seiko Epson Corporation has developed a new high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) liquid crystal panel that will boost the performance of 3LCD front projectors and large-screen LCD projection TVs.

The company has begun shipping samples of the 0.7 inch (diagonal 1.9 cm) panel, which is designed for HD-ready (1080p) large-screen LCD projection TVs.

Use of high-resolution technology in the new panel achieves unprecedented aperture ratios - a greater than 20 percent improvement over conventional TN panels. By enhancing aperture ratios, this new design technology improves luminance while using the same lamp as preceding models. It also enables the use of a lower-watt lamp to achieve the same levels of luminance or smaller HTPS panels to achieve the same resolution.

The sample products now being shipped feature this new technology plus compatibility with true-HD broadcasting, which will enable users to more easily enjoy high-definition images on large-screen 3LCD projection TVs manufactured with the new panels.

New high-resolution technology vastly enhances aperture ratios:

* More than 20 percent improvement in aperture ratio compared to conventional TN panels. Aperture ratio enhanced with no change in product size.
* Enables use of smaller panel size to achieve same resolution.
* Example: True-HD (1080p) resolution for large-screen LCD projection TVs previously required a 0.9 inch panel. Now it can be achieved with a 0.7 inch panel, enabling manufacturers to produce TVs that are much more cost competitive.