Microsoft Engineers Invent Displays That Top LCDs For Efficiency

MechEMark writes with this excerpt from a hope-inspiring article at the IEEE Spectrum, which says "Researchers from Microsoft say they've built a prototype of a display screen using a technology that essentially mimics the optics in a telescope but at the scale of individual display pixels. The result is a display that is faster and more energy efficient than a liquid crystal display, or LCD, according to research reported yesterday in Nature Photonics ... The design greatly increases the amount of backlight that reaches the screen. The researchers were able to get about 36 percent of the backlight out of a pixel, more than three times as much light as an LCD can deliver. But Microsoft senior research engineer Michael Sinclair says that through design improvements, he expects that number to go up — theoretically, as high as 75 percent."

Comments

Is this going to be vapor ware?

[mr_stinky_britches]

Well..is it?

--
Wi-Fizzle Blaahgish heap..

One problem.

[jd]

The only colour plane that works right now is blue.

Re:One problem.

[justhatched]

The only colour plane that works right now is blue.

But how do you know whether to reboot the display or the PC?

Re:One problem.

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo]

Perfect! BSOD of the future...today!

Re:One problem.

[Anonymous Coward]

The only colour plane that works right now is blue.

The blue is a feature. It has a calming effect while you contact tech support to ask why your computer was bricked by the new and exciting upgrade you just installed. The loud hum coming from the monitor is also supposed to be a relaxing sound and the smoke is supposed to remind you of a warm fireplace much like the smoke from an Xbox does.

Re:One problem.

[jd]

I dunno. It's hard to find good, solid paperweights these days.

Re:One problem.

[dwater]

I get some good ones when I go to the toilet...sometimes.

You can have one of them, if you like. ...or perhaps you'd prefer to make some of your own. I recommend a diet with a lot of eggs.

Re:One problem.

[unfunnyguy]

I thought personalized trolls were a subscriber-only option.

Re:One problem.

[somersault]

The Random Victim Limerick Troll:
he likes to poke fun at our holes.
He clicks 'post anon'
as he shouts at his mom -
cause the basement is getting too cold.

Re:contrast ratio: 20:1

[Anonymous Coward]

>And that's uselessly low.

I dunno, I think it'd be good enough for EGA... :-D

Re:OS Agnostic?

[Anonymous Coward]

If it got too big then Ballmer would scrap the project and allocate its resources toward futile attempts to dethrone Google.

I see what you did there. He has to take GOOG's chair before he can throw it at them!

already posted

[Anonymous Coward]

this has already been posted :(

Re:Microsoft invented?

[bursch-X]

It was done by a student, the Microsoft engineers were probably taking notes ;-) business as usual.

obviously

[r00t]

I can even think of two ways to block Linux.

If you can too, SHUT UP ABOUT IT!

Re:Haha, let's see "Linux" do something like that

[fluffman86]

Damn, I've got mod points and there's no "-1, Wrong"

If this is 100% right.

[AftanGustur]

That means that Microsoft has, for the very first time, invented something useful.

No, please, I'm dead serious about this !

it's microsoft...

[timmarhy]

... quickly bash them, before they do anything good.

Re:OS Agnostic?

[Jesus_666]

It comes from Microsoft Research so it isn't intended to ever be used anywhere.

Service Pack

[Linker3000]

Red Colour Hue on MVLB Displays

Some users have noticed a slight rosy color hue on their new Microsoft(TM) MVLB (MakeVistaLookBetter) displays. This is a design feature, but users who have downgraded their computer systems to vastly inferior Operating Systems (Windows XP or Lin.. [MSKb Editor: REMOVED - Mention that and you're sacked]) may wish to obtain MVLB Service Pack 1 to re-balance the colors to a more natural 'look-and-feel'.

Article ID : 45888372
Last Review : July 25, 2008
Revision : 1.0

SYMPTOMS:
You look at your MVLB display and the world seems rosy.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
MVLB display optics have been chromatically adjusted to emphasise the red end of the color spectrum to enhance the user experience with Windows(TM) Vista.

RESOLUTION:
Users can obtain MVLB Service Pack 1, which comprises 3932160 (1280x1024x3) colour-corrected nano-dots. Using the supplied grid alignment device (ruler) and tweezers, one dot should be carefully applied to the surface of the MVLB immediately above each pixel. Note that each nano-dot is color-balanced for a specific pixel color (red, green and blue) and so must be applied above the correct display pixel - each nano-dot has an identifying letter ('R', 'G' and 'B') stamped on its edge. Users will require a tube of superglue and possibly a scanning electron microscope.

NOTE: Do not sneeze whilst applying the nano-dots.

APPLIES TO:
MVLB V1.0 displays

KEYWORDS: MVLB, rosy, tinted, Vista

Re:W-what?

[nimbius]

HP and most major pharmaceutical companies do the same thing. set up shop on campus and reap the rewards. large companies see R&D just tend to fizzle out as they get bigger...something about all the "town-hall meetings" with management and "facetime" just sucks the will to create right out of 'em. heck, i work for a fortune 100, and i struggled to make a pot of coffee today, let alone do anything that might revolutionize....stuff.....

Re:OS Agnostic?

[tehcyder]

It's more of an Apple thing to do, and even *their* displays work fine on any OS.

Or you can just buy an LG at two thirds the price, spray paint it shiny white and bung one of your kid's fruit stickers on the front.