LG developing 16:9 LCDs, more for ultraportables
updated 11:15 am EDT, Fri April 18, 2008
LG extra-wide micro LCDs
LG Display promises to break open the micro notebook business with a series of new LCDs, according to observations by purported industry insiders. Seeking to up-end the market, the company hopes to develop a 10.1-inch LCD with a 16:9 ratio similar to many HDTVs. At 1024x576, the screen would have a lower vertical resolution than the 600 pixels of sharper ultra-small displays but would cut down on the vertical size of budget notebooks and more properly fit movie ratios. The screen is due in October.
The Korean company also plans to more directly chase after the 8.9-inch display size becoming popular with the ASUS Eee PC 900 and HP Mini-Note, those same sources claim. LG is believed to be producing a model with the same 1024x600 resolution as its rivals but may also be incorporating an LED backlight into the screen, reducing its thickness and boosting its color accuracy.
Both future Acer micro systems as well as unknown HP models are slated to use the panel, though whether this includes an update to the Mini-Note is uncertain.
A largely unknown 9.4-inch screen is also set to join the line of LCDs but won't be available until approximately a year from now, in April of 2009.
