Max resolution?

Interesting article, primarily about changing properties of materials.

It does answer a different question for PicoP Technology.

I have often wondered what the maximum resolution of an image drawn with PicoP would be, and thought we might be close to maximum. 

Recently Microvision has announced a new High Resolution Mems Scanner. 

When does physics kick in and make it impossible to be better?

I have thought that the most significant upper limit would have something to do with how fast a laser can be turned off and on.

This may help get a ball-park on that upper limit.

Each pixel from PicoP is drawn individually. The mirror moves in a raster pattern and as it does, the lasers turn off or on as necessary to generate the correct color -- one pixel at a time.

So to do the math they have to be able to turn a laser off and on for each pixel of the image.

Recently they shipped samples of the next generation scanner.


MicroVision Ships Samples of Next Generation of High-Resolution MEMS Scanner

“The new MEMS scanner utilizes two mirrors, an ultra-flat piezo-electric 2mm diameter mirror, combined with a magnetic 6x5mm mirror, to achieve industry leading resolution of 2560 x 1440 for laser beam scanned displays. Providing users with a flicker-free experience, the new scanner operates at 120Hz.."

So, doing the math... 

To see how many time a laser may change in a second, we need to know how many pixels, and how many frames per second: 2560x1440 = 3,686,400 pixels. At 120 Hz the projector will be potentially changing the laser more than half a billion times per second. (589,824,000)

So, what would be the upper end resolution?

Rochester.edu

 but you will be able to generate currents faster than ever before,” Franco says. “You will be able to develop electronic circuits a few billionths of a meter long [nanoscale] that operate in a millionth of a billionth of a second [femtosecond] time scale. 

1,000,000 * 1,000,000,000 = 1,000,000,000,000,000 (That's millionth of a billionth time scale.)

8K at 120Hz = 3,981,312,000 pixels per second.

At a millionth of a billionth of a second that could be accomplished 251,000 times over.

I realize there are a LOT more factors at play, such as the precision of the scan, the time it takes to apply current to a laser before one gets light from it, and how long after current stops until the light stops as well, but given this, I suspect that display clarity will improve for a long time to come. (And each improvement will be a new product cycle)

Of course, by the time this limitation is reached, the ability to use multiple projectors at the same time to tile the image should be much improved, resulting in probably no limits.



Published on C|Net

SELECT LARGE-SCREEN RESOLUTIONS

Resolution name	Horizontal x Vertical pixels	Other names	Devices
8K	7,680x4,320	none	Concept TVs
"Cinema" 4K	4,096x[unspecified]	4K	Projectors
UHD	3,840x2,160	4K, Ultra HD, Ultra-High Definition	TVs
2K	2,048x[unspecified]	none	Projectors
WUXGA	1,920x1,200	Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array	Monitors, projectors
1080p	1,920x1,080	Full HD, FHD, HD, High Definition	TVs, monitors
720p	1,280x720	HD, High Definition	TVs

If I got any of this wrong, (engineers?) please set me straight.

Technological leaps, revisited

In a conversation with a friend, this came up again. Then I remembered that I'd posted about the same phenomena before.

Take a step back and look at video delivery. Incredible new television and screen technologies. New ways to make content portable, Huge amounts of content, and people demanding more content. A lot of competition for the new screens, and the new content. 

I've yet to hear anyone rave about a 4K TV, or a curved television. Never. The picture can be good, but it's almost too much. Unlike standard HD -- there's no burning desire to upgrade. It just doesn't make the jokes funnier or the game more interesting to watch.

Then something new comes along.

If you're old enough to remember the media revolution in the late 1970's and early 1980's, what happened with sound systems then -- looks like the same thing is going to happen with video systems.

Check out the new Hulu Teaser -- it's all about moving around with your content... That's the future.



Technological Leaps - Ours begins now.

New About SONY

Interesting news from SONY today, the newest news from an out of the way place.

First, from a review of the SONY FMPX10 4K Ultra HD Media Player: Here's a KEY bit of information we should pay attention to:

From 4K.com

"he final awesome feature of the FMP X10. In addition to the streaming content options it offers, this particular device also delivers access to Sony’s huge Video Unlimited 4K content library. We’re talking about hundreds of hours of 4K UHD feature content, movies, documentaries and other programming, all available for downloading and with a number of the most popular movie titles available pre-loaded to get you started watching and seeing the content quality in native 4K right out of the box."

If they include content with their devices, this will be a superb perk for new owners of PicoP devices when they start including memory (either included in a phone, game system sled, or stand-alone device.) I'm quite confident that a device like MPCL1 that includes a TV tuner (streaming & on air) and memory (like a TiVO) included will happen soon. Only because it makes so much sense to do so. When it does, it could come loaded with a lot of SONY content.  [ I've been saying this for a while, go back here: "Thoughts on Apple TV" & "Sony TV Tuner"

SONY CEO at Wall Street Journal (More at the article)

"MR. BAKER: You think one of your core growth areas is going to be making parts for phones and cameras and various other things.

MR. HIRAI: Indeed. We’ve always had cutting-edge image-sensor technology, both in terms of the technology of the sensors themselves, as well as the manufacturing that goes into it. And we have the No. 1 market share. We’ve had that for a long time. And we want to make sure that that’s part of a strategy for continued growth of Sony."

PicoP is a nice part for a phone or a camera...

Sony buys Toshiba Image Sensor Business

TOKYO—Sony Corp. is likely to strengthen its image sensor business by acquiring a competing arm from Toshiba Corp., people familiar with the matter said Saturday.

Rethink Wireless

Whatever the future of this activity, Sony is certainly shifting its emphasis to areas where it has greater competitive strength, including displays and various types of sensor chips. Hence the reported bid for the Toshiba unit, which Bloomberg sources said would cost it ¥20bn ($165m). Toshiba is looking to raise case after a recent accounting scandal removed $1.3bn from its profit figure since 2008.

Sony supplies CMOS smartphone imaging chips to Apple and Samsung, among others, and is the market leader with about 40% share of the $8.7bn pie. It is pushing this expertise into other devices, such as gaming consoles and wearables, too, as the sector looks set to grow sharply to about $12bn by 2019.

Sony is targeting a revenue increase of 62% by 2018, which would bring in ¥1.5 trillion. Acquiring Toshiba's unit would add about 100,000 units a month and up to ¥70bn in additional sales, and operating income of up to ¥20bn, according to estimates by SMBC Nikko Securities. Toshiba supplies CMOS image sensors to Microsoft, HTC, LG and Nikon, among others. The most important element of its dowry would be its plant in Oita, which would increase Sony's output capacity - seen recently as a potential brake on its growth.

And also posted recently

SONY to Build new smartphone factory

8K TV: $133,000 --- Portability: priceless.

Sharp is selling the first available 8K television for $133,000 soon.

A tiny portable laser projector is becoming available to make viewing content anywhere easier than ever.

• The comedian isn't funnier if you can see all of his pimples.
• Spiderman's heroics aren't more heroic if the scenes have more detail than you can see.
• Your football team won't make more dramatic plays if you see more detail.

Resolution is great, but why we watch isn't going to change. We watch for the laugh, the information, the excitement the drama. Improving our ability to SHARE what we watch, wherever we are, with whoever we're with, that will improve and enhance our lives dramatically.

PicoP vs 4K TV -- the value question

PicoP Will Outperform 4K

I've been watching the emergence of 4k with some interest. If my memory serves me, I saw a 4k TV the first time last fall. What is happening is very interesting, and gives me more confidence than ever about the future of PicoP. People will prefer portability over high-resolution.

Whenever I see 4K televisions displayed, I try to take a look. When I imagine one in my living room, I don't get all that excited about it. I haven't seen much of the content that I watch on a 4K TV yet.  I don't think it will particularly enhance the experience. (they play some trailers from "House of Cards") 

When I look at a 4K display of video content that is common now, I get frustrated. I'm sure it's because they flash to the next scene while I'm still absorbing detail from the picture. The 4K display shows more in a picture than I can absorb. The scenes progress from one to another faster than I can take them in.

When I see 4K pictures, I want to study the pictures - I'm not looking at it for the reasons I tune into regular video.

I watch video to see the story, to be involved in it, to be entertained, to laugh or learn. 4K doesn't enhance that.

The VALUE QUESTION -- why do I want a display?

4K Display Value

I want a display to see the CONTENT that is being presented to me. It doesn't have to dazzle me -- when I watch video I'm watching it to experience the story, it makes me laugh, it appeals to my emotions -- I'm not there to study the resolution of the display. I will gain little if anything from 4K resolution when I'm watching the kind of content I currently enjoy. 

If we change the kind of content, and show more still pictures, detailed information, and slow the scenes, I think 4K may gain some legs. When current filming techniques are used, I get frustrated - because I'm looking at additional details of a scene and it flashes to a new one.

PicoP Display Value

PicoP's value is in its portability. It's at the near sweet-spot for resolution -- we can see the content well, and enjoy the content for the reasons we enjoy it with an immersive "big screen" display -- with a portable pocket-sized package.

SHARED experience. The display from PicoP is big enough to have a shared media experience with others. We WANT that. 

Portability: We carry little computer/communication/media devices around with us. We like them a lot. More than a Billion of them are sold annually. PicoP is the portable accessory (currently) and future embedded solution that makes them significantly more valuable.

Bigger Screen, smaller device: There are two value criteria that mobile companies know Everyone wants a BIGGER screen with their portable device, and they also want the device that has it to be SMALLER. These are very inconsistent desires that are perfectly consistent when PicoP is available.

In my own home, I will use the PicoPro over my higher-resolution television if I'm more comfortable in a different place. Higher resolution isn't worth the 13 steps it takes to get from the comfort of my bed to the alternate comfort of my living room.

Ecosystem Readiness

4K ecosystem isn't ready.

The current state of 4K TV must be frustrating to 4K screen brands -- there is so little content for them that it makes little sense to purchase one unless the television you are using now breaks or is destroyed. It took a decade for traditional HDTV to come down in price this far. Yesterday at a Walmart, I saw a 20% price rollback on a 4K TV (amazing display, I must admit!). You don't discount things that are seeing huge demand, not by that much. There isn't even a player I could find that plays content in 4K or any media to play on one if you had it. I think I saw a DVD player (very expensive) that would up-scale traditional DVD media. I suspect trying to divide each pixel into four pieces and show it will cause some funky looking video.

PicoP ecosystem is ready to go.

Virtually every mobile phone sold now has screen-mirroring capabilities, either wireless or through mini-HDMI connections (and soon with USB-C).

Content is widely available -- people are "cutting the cord" and going with internet and mobile deliverable content.

Wireless Carriers are Ready: they are primed with advertising, and mobile content. ATT bought DirecTV for it's content and content delivery, Verizon purchased AOL for it's video advertising capabilities. (Verizon and ATT see Huge Opportunity for Mobile Video)

I think we're onto the sleeper investment of a lifetime.

technological leaps