Display Standard - Veritas et Visus

Veritas et Visus Display Standard February 2009
By 2004, the notebook PC market had adopted the 16:10 aspect ratio as a general standard – standardized early on
through the efforts of the Standard Panels Working Group (SPWG) at 12.1-, 14.1-, 15.4-, and 17.0-inches, all at a
16:10 aspect ratio, at a variety of pixel formats – 1920x1200, 1680x1050, 1440x900, and 1280x800. Until recently,
the vast majority of all notebook PCs are sold with wide aspect ratio displays, and most all of them are at a 16:10
aspect ratio.
The notebook PC market transitioned from displays at a 4:3 aspect ratio to displays at a 16:10 aspect ratio – with
experiments at various formats during the transition process. Interestingly, the geometry of the formats results in a
situation where the smallest diagonal results in the largest total surface area.
On October 21, 2008 Samsung announced plans to introduce LCD panels designed for notebook PCs at a 16:9
aspect ratio. Samsung announced two versions, one at 16.0-inches and the other at 18.4-inches. According to the
Samsung press release, “these new panels allow notebook users to optimally view high definition movies, digital
TV and next-generation gaming, all of which were designed for a 16:9 aspect ratio”.
16:10 vs. 16:9: Each of the primary LCD manufacturers has now introduced 16:9 panels for both the notebook PC
and LCD monitor markets. The market research firm DisplaySearch has been actively predicting a rapid transition
from 16:10 panels to 16:9 panels. The DisplaySearch analysis cites several “driving forces behind the fact that 16:9
panels become more popular eventually”:
� 16:9 provides better economic cut (panelization) in existing TFT LCD fabs.
� 16:9 products provide higher resolution and wider aspect ratio.
� The widespread adoption of high definition in the consumer entertainment sector will help end users
readily adopt the new products with the wider aspect ratio.
� The new 16:9 panels provide an opportunity for PC brands to further diversify their products.
Based on these explanations, DisplaySearch has
justified forecasts for a rapid transition to 16:9,
as depicted in the transition charts to the right,
(which DisplaySearch presented in late 2008).
While I very much respect the market research
conducted by DisplaySearch, I should point out
that in the area of aspect ratios, the company
does not have a good track record. In 2001, for
example, DisplaySearch was predicting that 1/3
of the LCD TV market would still be shipping
at 4:3 aspect ratios. (By 2004, virtually 100% of
the market was at 16:9). Less than two years
ago, DisplaySearch was not predicting that
notebook PCs or LCD monitors would be
shifting to 16:9, and in fact they were
comparatively bearish about the transition from
4:3/5:4 to 16:10. (See charts from March 2007):
DisplaySearch’s predictions about the transition from 4:3 and
5:4 panels, to 16:10, to 16:9 panels – notebooks on the left;
monitors on the right.
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