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Seamless Display™ Wins a UK Government Grant of £45,000 ($70,000 USD) to Continue Further Development in 2003 January 28th, 2003 – Oxford, England: Seamless Display™ Ltd has been awarded a Smart Feasibility Study Award of £45,000 ($70,000) from the UK Government’s Department of Trade and Industry to design and build an LCD prototype that produces a continuous image across a multiple two-dimensional array of display screens. This prototype will be the company’s first LCD model that applies Seamless Display™ technology over both horizontal and vertical screen borders, as well as internal corners, and represents an important step towards creating Seamless Display™ screens of unlimited size. The company’s underlying technology, which was developed at the University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science, works by digitally compressing a portion of the image near the screen border and then using specially designed lenses to spread this compressed image over the inactive borders between adjacent screens. Reaction from industry experts to the technology has been strong. The company’s first working LCD demonstrator, which incorporates three LCD screens in a horizontal array, was unveiled in October 2002, by Dr. Bernard Stark, Chief Technology Officer, during his presentation at the US Display Consortium's Workshop on High Resolution Display Systems in Arlington, Virginia. Dr. J. Norman Bardsley, Director of the US Display Consortium, remarked on the technology’s importance: "Eliminating the seams between [LCD] modules without the introduction of image distortion has been attempted unsuccessfully by many groups and has become the ‘holy grail’ for developers of tiled display systems. Seamless Display™ has an innovative approach and has made remarkable progress towards achieving this goal in a very short time. Their technique could provide a low-cost solution to this important problem facing the display industry.” The company is eager to continue development of the technology through construction of the four panel prototype. According to Dr. Duane Nash, CEO, this prototype represents a critical step in the production of Seamless Display™s of unlimited size: “Once this is perfected, display screens can be joined together side-by-side as well as above-and-below to build a continuous display of enormous proportions.” Seamless Display™ Ltd is especially appreciative of support from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, Oxford Science Enterprise Center, the Engineering Science Department and Seamless Display™’s technology partners ESP Plastics and Displaze for their collaboration.
Contact Information: Notes to editors: · The Smart Award is a grant scheme provided by the Department of Trade and Industry that is designed to encourage businesses to make better use of technology and to develop technologically innovative products and processes. Individuals and small businesses may apply for Smart Awards to carry out a Micro Project, Feasibility Study, Development Project or Exceptional Development Project. · The Oxford Science Enterprise Centre (OxSEC), part of Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, builds on the University’s strength in interdisciplinary collaborations in the academic fields. It was developed to extend these collaborations into the field of entrepreneurship by introducing university researchers to the concepts, and people, of the Saïd Business School in particular and the business world in general. · Oxford University’s Engineering Science Department is one of the largest unified engineering departments in the UK and one of the largest departments in the University. There are some 60 established members of academic staff and many others engaged in teaching, research and support. Of the 35 spin-off companies which contributed to Oxford’s nomination as the UK’s most innovative University in 2001, nine originated in the Engineering Science Department. · ESP Plastics Limited has pioneered the application of technologies such as 3D-modelling and 5 axis machining to establish vacuum forming as the most versatile process for product development and manufacture. Contact Nick Algar, ESP Manufacturing Centre, Tel: +44 (0) 1388 765400 www.esp-plastics.co.uk · The United States Display Consortium was established in July 1993 as a partnership of public and private industry. The Consortium provides a neutral forum for flat panel manufacturers, developers, users, equipment and material suppliers. USDC's mission is to help develop a world-class and competitive display industry. www.usdc.org |
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