Based on recent news reports, it sure seems like the VR industry is moving away from Fresnel lenses to Pancake® optics and switching from glass-based OLEDs or LCDs to microdisplays based on OLED-on-silicon. And major display makers seem to be getting the message too. LG Display used DisplayWeek to showcase their new OLED-on-silicon microdisplay and […]
What’s the Best Display Architecture for VR?
A new blog on the wearables-era.com web site features an interview with Kopin CEO John Fan. It provides a very nice summary of the thinking of Fan and Kopin and their approach to developing the VR market. The full-length interview is reprinted below with their permission. I want to highlight a couple of key elements […]
VividQ and iView announce a New Partnership to bring holographic display to Augmented Reality devices
Holographic software provider VividQ and optical modules manufacturer iView develop an innovative display solution for next-generation Augmented Reality (AR) devices using Computer-Generated Holography. Holography is a leading display technology for compact AR devices, projecting 3D images with natural depth of field. This joint development targets manufacturers of AR devices such as automotive Head-Up Displays (HUDs) […]
Kopin’s Ambitious microLED Project
Chris Chinnock, Insight Media Kopin has announced a new agreement to develop a 2Kx2K full color microLED display in a 1-inch form factor with a 100K nits target. That’s the kind of performance level that many have been saying microLED technology has the potential to achieve, but now there is a clear and public development […]
Kopin OLED Microdisplay Exhibits Breakthrough 7000 Nits Brightness with Good Color Fidelity
One of the key debates within the OLED industry is the best way to improve current efficiency as measured in candelas per ampere (Cd/A). Some say the direct patterning of red, green and blue materials is the way to go while others favor stacking 2 or more white emitting layers coupled with a color filter. […]
Kopin Announces Breakthrough in ColorMax™ Technology for Unparalleled Color Performance in Duo-Stack OLED Microdisplays
Kopin has developed a new backplane and frontplane architecture for OLED-on-Silicon microdisplays which can be used for AR/VR/MR applications. This new architecture brings together a number of innovations into one platform and offers a number of “firsts” in this display category. This includes: First duo-stack OLED with wide color gamut performance 10-bit processing for HDR-capable […]
Compound Photonics’ NOVA Display Drive Architecture Solves Critical Power and Latency Challenges for AR Integration
Chandler, Arizona, USA, June 11th , 2020 – Compound Photonics US Corporation (CP), a leading provider of compact high-resolution microdisplay solutions for Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) applications, today, announced multiple customer validations of its NOVA display drive architecture, an innovative software-defined platform, currently implemented in both of CP’s microLED and LCoS display […]
AR and AR HMDs continue to improve, despite apparent indifference from the mass market
AR and VR were pretty big this year at CES. Here’s our look at two of the most promising new headsets that were on show, and what they mean for the immediate future of the technology. Needless to say, there were dozens of companies at CES showing off AR/VR headsets or related technology. I certainly […]
Envisics Shows Impressive Augmented Reality Auto HUD
After working for a year in stealth mode, holography pioneer and auto head-up display (HUD) developer Envisics showed off their advanced solution at CES 2019. I missed that demo, but the company invited me to their Detroit office to discuss the technology. What I saw was clearly the best auto HUD I have seen to […]
IDEA Group Formed for Advanced Display Distribution Standards
A press conference at the 2019 NAB Show was used to launch the Immersive Digital Experiences Alliance (IDEA). Its mission is to create a suite of royalty-free specifications that address all immersive media formats, including emerging light field technology. Founding members, including CableLabs, Charter Communications, Light Field Lab Inc, Otoy, and Visby, created IDEA to […]
A Tour of the Vuzix Waveguide Factory
By Chris Chinnock I recently had the opportunity to meet with Vuzix CEO Paul Travers and get a tour of their waveguide manufacturing and AR headset assembly facility in Rochester, New York. These waveguides are the key optical element in their new Blade AR headsets. I am aware of only a few companies that have […]
INT is a New Player for High-Density Displays
by Chris Chinnock, Insight Media I recently had a chance to speak with executives from a new company, Taiwan-based INT Tech, which is short for Innovation and Transformation. They are a technology development house that has created AMOLED displays on glass with an industry-leading 2228 pixels per inch (ppi). That’s in the range of AMOLED […]
Microsoft Scores with $480M Hololens Army Contract
by Chris Chinnock, Insight Media Microsoft announced they have received a $480M contract from the U.S. Army to develop special versions of their Hololens device dubbed the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS). The contract calls for the delivery of 2550 units in the next two years, but options could enable the Army to purchase up […]
Is Better Supply Chain Coordination the Key to AR/VR Adoption?
by Chris Chinnock, Insight Media Adoption of VR has been a rocky road. Early estimates of headset sales fell by the wayside, although they are respectable in the low millions range. The same can be said of the AR market where early consumer enthusiasm is giving way a belief that enterprise applications will lead the […]
BOE, Olightek and Kopin form JV for OLED-on-Silicon Manufacturing
One of the display technologies that is being used in Virtual Reality (VR) headsets is OLED-on-Silicon. Recently, a new partnership was formed between US-based Kopin and two Chinese partners: BOE and Olightek. The three have agreed to form a Joint Venture (JV) to build new state-of-the-art OLED-on-Silicon manufacturing facility in China to serve anticipated needs […]
News Appetizers for Thanksgiving
Yes, it is Thanksgiving tomorrow in the U.S. In thinking about a topic to cover for the day before Thanksgiving, I reviewed some recent news for ideas. Rather than expand on one of the topics, I thought I might summarize a few items I found of interest – and make some comments. For example, I […]
DigiLens Secures $22M from Key Strategic Partners
DigiLens, a provider of diffractive waveguide technology for Augmented Reality (AR) and Head-up Displays (HUD), announced they have closed a Series B round of investment to the tune of $22M. “The round was oversubscribed and met our key objectives of securing investment from strategic partners in the market segments we are focused on, namely AR […]
Kopin’s New OLED Microdisplay Foundry Model is Innovative
Kopin has just issued a press release that states their intention to enter the OLED microdisplay market, offering panels that will serve augmented and virtual reality applications. At CES 2017, they will announce more detail on the first panel and demonstrate it in novel optical solutions as well. I will get a sneak peak at […]