The application of FPDs is not limited to TVs. LCDs, as representative of FPDs, have been used in a wide range of products across many fields.
LCDs were first used in watches and calculators in the 1970s, after which their application expanded to display devices on various products, including photocopiers, facsimile machines, AV equipment, and cameras. When lager screen sizes, high resolutions, and color display became available, LCDs started to be used in image monitoring systems in place of CRTs. A typical application for LCDs as monitors was for laptop computers, which started gaining popularity in the late 1980s. As the PC market expanded sharply in the late 1990s, LCDs were gradually used not only in laptop computers but also as monitors for desktop computers. The technological developments that followed and the mass production effect brought improved performance and reduced costs for LCD products. Today, LCDs have become mainstream displays for PCs.
In addition to large-screen applications such as TVs and PC monitors, LCDs are extremely well suited for small, slim displays for use in mobile devices. For example, LCDs have become essential display devices in any and all modern digital equipment such as in-vehicle equipment (including car navigation system displays), video cameras, digital cameras, portable game machines, mobile phones, and PDAs. As these products improve in performance and diversify in function, more is demanded of LCDs: higher resolutions, improved moving image display performance, wider viewing angles, lower power consumption, and enhanced durability.
Meanwhile, applications for PDPs have grown to include more than just consumer-level large-screen TVs. Large-screen PDPs are now used in public spaces such as airports and train stations to provide information and display advertisements. As the number of applications increases, demand is growing for even larger screens, lower power consumption, and lower prices.
In addition to LCDs and PDPs, other types of FPDs, such as organic ELs, inorganic ELs, and LEDs, are under development. |
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