IZGO Laptop Screens, a new lease of life for the LCD industry?

"The iPad 3 will be based on this new technology"

The marketable success of a product rests on two age old factors: supply and demand. When both experience steady and equal growth, a product is likely to perform well. However, given the current period of general economic hardship the supply of flat-panel screens for both laptops and televisions has vastly outweighed consumer demand.

Despite this, the production of screens, driven by company competition, is at its zenith. This disparity between supply and demand has forced down product prices to such an extent that they no longer cover production costs. In a bid to ease losses, companies have curbed their overheads in expectance of a financially difficult 2012. 

However, there are signs that 2013 may be more promising thanks to a material called IGZO and a new brand of ultra high resolution screens.  IGZO is the abbreviated name for Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide which is a semi-conducting material that is currently being used to fashion transparent thin-film transistors, the key component of LCD and OLED screens.

Unlike the silicon found in most trasnsaparent-thin film transistors, IGZO possess a greater capacity for electron mobility, thus making it 40% more efficient than silicon based transistors. This increased efficiency means that IGZO screens are able to contain smaller pixels capable of shifting states more quickly and efficiently than silicon models.

Equally, smaller pixel sizes means a greater number can be fitted into any given area, helping lay the ground for the production of ultra-high resolution screens in the same vein as Apple’s anticipated 2048x1536 iPad 3.

Furthermore, the use of smaller pixels allows more light to pass through the screens, meaning backlights need not be so fierce and the models don’t consume vast amounts of energy.  In terms of production it is not particularly difficult to modify an LCD line so that it produces IGZO screens, as point evidenced by Sharps’ swift alteration of their production line to produce such screens in the closing quarter of 2011.  The world of television may not absorb this technology as quickly as computing companies however, as content providers in that field are only just getting to grips with the demands of HD viewing (which requires resolutions well within the scope of the old silicon based screens.)

In the computing world though, Apple have been formulating resolution independent graphics in an anticipatory bid to cope with the ultra high resolution technology materials such as IGZO produce. If this is an early indicator of Apple embracing these new screens, we can expect their competitors to do the same, in a move which “Displaysearch” believes will inflate demand, gradually in 2012 and vastly in 2013.

When married with the  limited IGZO supply in relation to older LCD models, inflation in demand would help restore both the economic equilibrium and LCD manufacturer margins. 

What is Laptop LCD Screen EDID?

You may have heard the term EDID used by laptop screen suppliers, you may have purchased a screen that appears to physically fit, or may even look identical to the original but fails to function correctly. 

Believe it or not, the same model of laptop screen can come in different hardware and software versions. Hardware versions may denote subtle differences like Matte or Gloss or the position of a connector for the LVDS LCD cable; The software or firmware version is known in the industry as EDID or Extended Display Identification Data. The screen has it's own mini operating system that runs on the panel and communicates attributes and settings to the laptop's BIOS and Operating System.

EDID is a VESA display standard format that contains basic information about the screen and it's capabilities including information about the manufacturer, resolution, orientation, colour characteristics and factory timings such as response rates and refresh frequencies. The display's name is included and serial number and also other custom settings that may be specific to it's type of usage. Some manufacturers may request LCD screens from the LCD manufacturers with modified EDID and then program the laptop's BIOS to only recognise the modified screens and no other versions.

For example, DELL may take a model of screen that is used in HP laptops, and modify the EDID for a specific purpose, so the screen functions in a different manner in their laptops. This then makes the 2 identical screens incompatible with each other, you need one for DELL and one for HP. So screen FW (firmware) numbers then become important to the LCD suppliers when supplying screens for different brands.

Communication between the LCD screen and the laptop is made via the LVDS (LCD data DDC cable) cable, and usually one of the connector pins (2nd from last is normal) is used for EDID signalling. The laptop's BIOS will request EDID information and the screen will supply it, via a handshake type data transfer, who are you? I'm LP156WH2 TLA1 EDID version 1.3, 1366x768, 65hz, etc. Then the laptop's BIOS confugures the screen and begins video transfer. The boot up process starts.

Incorrect EDID information or missing EDID information can result in screens staying blank, lighting up white, or displaying odd or inverted colours. The image can be chopped into 4 copies or split or scrambled or not fit on the screen as though the resolution is wrong.

The Windows display drivers and monitor INF files can also override the EDID settings and cause problems.

Transferring EDID between screens

EDID can be transferred between screens of the same make via an LCD burner connected to a PC's USB connection.

The latest version of EDID is 1.3 that can be used in LCD laptop screens, future EDID versions promise more parameters and configurability.

Understanding Laptop Screen Part Numbers

Contrary to popular belief, most of the time, the laptop screen that is fitted inside your laptop is not made by the laptop manufacturer. If you take a popular brand like Sony for example, and dis assemble the laptop, you'll find that the screen inside it will most likely be made by Sharp, Chunghwa or Chi Mei, the hard disk drives usually by Toshiba, Seagate or Western Digital and so on and so forth.

The main reasons for this, is that these components, such as LCD screens and hard disk drives are complicated to manufacture and require extensive investment and specialist knowledge and conditions to manufacture. Because of this, there are only around 11 main manufacturers of laptop screens worldwide, mostly in Asia and of these around 5 or 6 are used in most laptops.

Whilst it is true to say a few laptop makers do also produce laptop screens, such as Toshiba and Samsung, they often do not fit their own screens to their own laptops, usually because the laptop manufacturing side of their business is completely separate to the screen manufacturing side of their business and ironically it's often cheaper for them to buy screens from others.

AU Optronics is one of the most widely used brands inside all major laptop models, alongside LG Philips and Chunghwa. Samsung, Toshiba and Sharp screens are used alongside Chi Mei, however less often.

Why are you telling us this?

The trend for self repair has risen in recent years, mainly due to the provision of DIY instruction manuals and videos online, and the demystifying of technical information. Users are finding that laptop screen replacement is actually a very simple task and have been going off to buy a replacement screen themselves rather than sending their laptop back to the manufacturer for repair which has risks, expenses and long repair times.

As users have become more technically Savvy, they have change in trend from searching for a replacement screen for their laptop by laptop make and model and started to box clever and search for the laptop screen's model number instead. You know the old story of a little information being dangerous :)

There is a common mis conception that the screens are made by the laptop makers, and so people armed with this incorrect information are searching for the wrong thing, and of course finding nothing.

The reason we want you to understand this, is that we collect internet search data and analyse it, and recently there has been a large amount of searches for incorrect products, and users are failing to find what they need, so we would like to help with this situation.

Common mistakes include buyers searching for incorrect products:

ACER LTN160AT01 (Samsung Brand Screen, obsolete now)

ACER B133XW01 (AU Optronics Brand Screen)

SONY CLAA133WA01A (Chunghwa Brand Screen)

DELL LTN133AT17 (Samsung Brand Screen)

And so on.

These searches yield no results as they are incorrect, the user has mixed up the laptop manufacturer's name with the screen model number, made by somebody else.

What they should do is either search by screen model number, without the laptop make included or search for the laptop make and model, like this:

Search type 1: By laptop make and model, search for:

Acer Aspire 3810t

Sony Vaio VPCS12X9E

Dell Latitude E4310

Search type 2: By laptop make and model, search for;

AU Optronics B133XW01

Chunghwa CLAA133WA01A

Samsung LTN133AT17

How to determine your laptop screen make:

On the rear of the LCD you'll find stickers, the largest sticker usually has the model number in bold. It's often the most prominent set of digits on the back of the LCD display that contains the model information.

Laptop Screen Maker Model Starts with Examples

Making life easy

This innovative company have an excellent laptop panel search facility that has been simplified, all you need to do is choose "laptop screen part number" from their search, and enter the 8-12 digit part number (similar to the examples above right 3rd column) and the website will do the rest. These kind of intelligent websites make searching for awkward model numbers a breeze.

Has your laptop screen gone blank or developed lines or bars or does it just white out?

Have you ever had your screen go blank, only to be replaced by coloured vertical lines, yet, when you plug in an external monitor, the original image is displayed correctly?

Such circumstances are most likely caused by a hardware fault, specifically a problem with either the screen, the graphics adaptor or the ribbon cable which connects the two. The fact that a normal image can still be viewed on an external monitor would make the problem indicative of a screen, rather than a graphics card fault. If this is the case, two clear options are available.

You could either try and locate an external monitor or take the cost effective step of purchasing and fitting a replacement screen yourself.  We offer a wealth of information on our blog to guide you in choosing and fitting a screen. Below are some links you may find helpful: 

1. How to choose a reputable LCD supplier: http://blog.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/post/2011/07/05/Laptop-Screen-Suppliers-How-do-you-choose-a-reputable-LCD-supplier.aspx
2. Laptop screen connector positions explained, when choosing a replacement screen you may find multiple choices with different connector types: http://blog.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/post/2011/05/26/Laptop-Screen-Connector-Positions-Explained.aspx
3. How to replace a Laptop Screen, this is a neat 6 min video that gives you the training you need to replace your screen without the expense of a repair house: http://blog.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/post/2011/04/13/How-To-Replace-A-Laptop-Screen-6-Min-Tutorial-Video.aspx
4. Laptop Screen troubleshooter http://www.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/troubleshooter, will assist you in determining where the fault is with your machine.
5. 7 reasons why you should repair your own laptop screen http://blog.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/category/Laptop-Screen-Information.aspx
6. Information for people who are thinking about trying to upgrade their current display http://blog.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/post/2011/05/11/Upgrading-Your-Laptop-Screen-Resolution.aspx
7. Understanding what sellers mean by "Compatible" replacement screens http://blog.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/post/2011/05/04/Compatible-Laptop-Screens.aspx
8. Understanding what different screen resolutions mean and terms like WXGA, WUXGA, WSVGA, HD and FULL HD, http://blog.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/post/2011/04/23/Laptop-Screen-Resolution-Explained.aspx

Or, perhaps your laptop screen is not broken but intermittently turns black, only to be restored by holding down the button designed to inform the machine that the lid is closed. In this instance, the cause may be one of two things.

1. The machine’s power settings have been altered so that the screen turns itself off after an extended period sitting idle, in which case, one need only go to the computer’s start menu, locate the control panel and adjust the power settings accordingly to rectify the problem. OR, most likely
2. There is a problem with the laptop’s screen latch or other elements which connect directly with the operation of the display, (such as the ribbon cable,) faults often caused by extensive wear and machine ageing. A quote could be sought for inspection and repair; however, one may be better served by purchasing a newer model.                              

A question often heard is how one connects their laptop to a TV so that they are able to watch their favourite TV shows, or share personal videos and photos. This is how it is done:

1. Firstly, you need to locate on both your laptop and TV a connecting port-you should see one of the following connections-Composite, S-video, VGA, DVI, HDMI, in   order to connect an external display. You must locate the connector on your laptop which corresponds to the same connecting port on your TV. (As a side note, if you’re using S-video audio will be produced through the laptop speakers rather than the TV.) 
2. Next you need to configure these settings from your laptop. Click o the start menu, select control panel and then Appearance and Personalization. From the display menu select, “connect an external display” and ensure the display on your laptop is fully duplicated on your TV. 
3. From the current window you can also adjust the resolutions for both the laptop and the TV (If there is a disparity between them it will lead to image distortion.) Click on the display menu, select the used display and then press the resolution button. Use the slider to achieve the correct resolution. (Using recommended settings will produce optimum results.) 

Now you should be able to view the content stored on your laptop on your TV. 

Gorilla Glass Laptop LCD Screens

If you have been reading the screen news recently, you'll have no doubt heard of the many new promises for brighter, crisper, higher quality laptop screen display units that are being produced for Intel's new range of Ultrabook Laptops that are going to emerge quickly starting from this year, 2012.

By the end of the current year, we believe Ultrabooks may out sell tablet devices, and probably then moving forwards out sell laptops. Why not, they're every bit as powerful as a desktop machine, and super slim and tough. The new plans for a tougher laptop extend to the LCD display manufacturers also; they are improving displays by making them thinner and stronger and with a higher scratch resistance. They're calling the new type of glass being produced for these units, Gorilla glass. The name says it all really :)

Gorilla glass is the name given to a specialist type of alkali-aluminosilicate glass (used for screens in a variety of electronic devices-eg, phones, laptops,) which is manufactured by Corning and is specifically designed to be thin, damage resistant, hardy and durable.  It is also able to produce optimum optical clarity, making it ideal for use in HD and 3D television displays. Early in the New Year Corning announced the innovation of Gorilla Glass 2.0, 20 percent thinner than the first, to enable greater touch sensitivity, whilst simultaneously maintaining the wear resistant qualities of its original counterpart.

The glass is produced by being placed in a bath of molten potassium salt. During this process, sodium ions leave the glass to be replaced with larger potassium ions derived from the salt. The larger ions possess a greater surface area and they are duly pressed together when the glass cools. Such compression helps create a material with a greater resistance to everyday use.  As with all glass derivatives, the product is capable of being recycled. 

More Information:

Gorila Glass 2 Promises Stronger Laptop Screens - read more about this new technology in this BBC news bulletin.

Read about how this new type of glass is being used to make thinner tablet devices in this NY Times news article.

More information from Gizmondo can be found here about what exactly this new type of glass is. Read the Gizmodo Article.

A New Display Era Approaches Us

A flexible Samsung AMOLED screen - Looks nice huh?

Through the provision of information by organisations such as laptop screen replacement specialists, people in general are becoming aware that there are a handful of low grade laptop screens being produced and fitted to the majority of mainstream laptops. In addition to this, these low cost screens are even being fitted to supposedly high end laptops and gaming machines.

The truth of the matter is that the people are not stupid, they know this and a huge public demand for better quality displays has pushed the LCD industry to research technologies that provide higher quality viewing devices. This issue has been compounded by Apple's retina dispay technology. Retina claims to provide a display image of a quality that at a distance of 12 inches from the display unit - is indescernable from real life. In other words the display shows a resolution and colour depth that matches the capabilities of the human eye. It looks real.

Samsung have released the Samsung WAVE phone, which uses a technology known as AMOLED, we believe that laptop screen will do an "about turn" and go back to the higher quality we used to see in models such as the 10.4 and 10.6 inch Sharp panels that used to fit to the Fujitsu Lifebooks and the 11.1 Toshiba panels that went in the Sony VGN TT and TZ machines. These kind of displays gave a rich vibrant colour depth, a black that was really black and could be viewed from almost any angle without degraded viewing pleasure. They were better for watching movies than most large screens.

AMOLED - What is it?

As highlighted by a document source entitled, “Samsung Display,” and posted recently on the OLED-Display website, the year of 2012 will see the arrival of AMOLED screens. Whilst ordinary laptop screens, (often TN displays,) allow only restricted contrast and viewing angles, AMOLED screens offer the viewer far greater contrast levels and facilitate generous viewing angles. The first of such screens however will no doubt appear, firstly, in high end laptop models as they cost a significant amount to produce. The aforementioned source goes on to forecast that, by 2014, Samsung will be producing as many AMOLED laptops screens as they do currently for tablet models.  It is as this time that we can expect production costs to decrease and AMOLED screens to appear in more affordable laptops.

The future is bright - The future is AMOLED :)

samsung_display_4-5-inch_flexible_amoled.jpg (216.12 kb)

After replacing your laptop screen, you may find that the screen resolution does not appear correct. The screen maybe stretched so that some parts of the display are out of the range of the physical glass, or you may find the desktop is shrunk and duplicated across the screen.

This problem would on first inspection indicate a faulty or incompatible replacement laptop screen, however this is not always the case. Often overlooked is the Windows Screen Driver. This is not the laptops video driver package/display drivers, however this is a specific driver for the display you are using. Usually Windows will use the standard PNP display driver, however often a specific driver file is needed for your replacement LCD display.

The file you need to create is known as a custom EDID for the monitor (custom INF file); you will need to extract the settings from your old .INF file, we recommend doing this with the old screen attached, the registry settings of my old LCD panel (Samsung, LG, AUO) can be extracted and added to the new INF file created when the new screen is fitted. Otherwise, if you do not have the old screen or the old settings, you will need to know the exact monitor setting for the new panel you are adding.

INF files are stored in the folder C:\WINDOWS\INF

You can find out which current INF file your old screen and replacement are using by opening the Control Panel, Display Settings, Going to the Settings tab and choosing Advanced.

The Inf file in C:\Windows\INF can be edited with Notepad.

Instructions for creating a custom .INF file can be found here http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/7947-force-dvi-hdmi-resolutions-refresh-rates.html

Problem:

After replacing the LED screen in your DELL laptop, you may find the brightness controls no longer function. Pressing the brightness up and brightness down on the keyboard has no affect on the display brightness. You may also find that when running on battery power the display is not dimmed; therefore the battery life whilst not using the mains power will be considerably shortened.

Solution:

You’re not alone this problem Is being reported everywhere http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&q=Windows+7+Laptop+Brightness+Control+Problem&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=Windows+7+Laptop+Brightness+Control+Problem&gs_rfai=&fp=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&cad=b

You can try updating the following:

Update your DELL Graphics Drivers at DELL Support
Update the DELL System BIOS at DELL Support

Install the Latest Dell QuickSet: Win7 32-bit Win7 64-bit

If this solution does not work for you, try the neat Freeware stand-alone brightness control called Desktop Lighter

It runs unnoticed in the system tray, uses only 1.5mb RAM, launches with Windows and uses Ctrl+> and Ctrl+< keys to control the brightness rather than the Fn keys.

Systems Affected:

17.3" DELL systems including the DELL 17, XPS 17, Studio 17, 1700 series, 1731, 1740, 1749 and other models that are fitted with HD resolution 17.3 inch LED screens.

Ivy Bridge

In the coming year Intel intend to release new laptop models equipped with Ivy bridge processors. Whilst new and current Ultrabooks, for example the Acer Aspire S3, possess 11.6-13.3 inch displays with a resolutions of 1366x768, future Ivy bridge models promise to increase display capacities to 2560x1400, equalling retina quality and greatly exceeding current Macbook air specifications of 1366x768 and 1440x900. The 1080p-HD resolution would also be perfectly suited for watching films and certain applications. This greatly increased resolution will no doubt place pressure on Apple to integrate retina displays into their current Macbook models.

The apple retina display (made by LG Philips) claims to offer as much detail as the human eye can process from a distance of 12 inches. In other words there can be no higher quality display that can be appreciated by the human eye.

Ironically enough the new ultrabooks by Samsung, Acer and Lenovo look identical to the original Macbook Air 13" model, with aluminium unibidy chassis and large glass trackpads. We are wondering whether Apple will decide to take their usual route of legal action for infringment of their californian (Chinese built) designs. The coming 18 months will be a very interesting time for laptop screens with 3D designs coming from Sony, Toshiba and LG and new ultrabook and higher resolution screens being produced by other vendors.

Sony’s lenticular sheet-no need for 3D glasses-free 3D achievable on any laptop.

New innovations suggest that Sony Corporation has devised a way of equipping any laptop with the tools for 3D technology, without the need for the now commonplace 3D enhancing glasses. The manufacturer has developed what is called a lenticular sheet which you simply place across your screen. Whilst not an original development Sony’s design does incorporate some impressive new facial recognition technology. For example, through the use of the programme’s own software and your web cam the lenticular sheet assesses the position you are sitting in and adjusts the picture on the screen accordingly to provide an optimum viewing experience. Sitting between 30cm and 1 metre away from your screen should allow you to enjoy high quality visuals. But how does the sheet work independently of those features one so commonly associates with the 3D effect you may ask. The answer is that lenticular sheets of the type used by Sony consist of lenses which direct the light from the pictures on the screen to your eyes. Each eye is presented with a different image, thus helping to foster the illusion of a 3D picture. Despite this, however, several complaints have been voiced about lentiular screens, most notably that they create blurry images and that prolonged viewing in awkward positions can sometimes lead to physical discomfort. This particular sheet was designed by Sony for the Vaio S series, but there is no conceivable reason it could not be produced to suit a range of laptop models. GlobalWave’s similar  Pic 3D technology has been manufactured to be compatible with several screen sizes, however, their product does not incorporate the facial recognition feature utilised by Sony. Sony’s product will go on general sale to the public in October 2011 priced at £113.