Audio Video News

According to a recent Reuters report, London-based Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) has announced a very original product: a plastic video display. In the report, the company said, "CDT and its Japanese partner, Seiko-Epson Corp., have unveiled the world's first plastic TV display and will set aggressive targets for commercializing the technology." According to CDT chief executive Danny Chapchal, "The announcement will demonstrate that our technology is very close to commercialization for computer and video display applications."

The statement went on to say that,"unlike [liquid crystal display] LCD screens, the prototype display screen has no restrictions on viewing angles or blurring of fast action shots. The monochrome screen has the potential to be used as a monitor for portable VCRs and digital cameras. The joint development relationship [between CDT and Seiko-Epson] is expected to deliver further benefits later this year with the announcement of a full-size colour display screen."

The new technology is based on light-emitting polymers (LEP) that the company hopes will eventually replace the cathode-ray tube in your living room with glowing plastic. The TV should be thin enough to hang on a wall, much like the plasma displays seen at WCES '98 in Las Vegas. Other uses include computer screens and mobile electronics.

Investors in the company include Intel at $2 million, Genesis (the rock group!), Cambridge University, former British cabinet minister Lord Young, and technology soothsayer Esther Dyson.