Samsung develops first 3" VGA screen for digital cameras

Samsung announced that it has developed the first 3" LCD for digital still cameras (DSC) that is capable of displaying a resolution of 640x480 pixels (VGA).

Typically, DSC LCDs use the ITU-R601 interface, which only support. refresh rates of 30 Hz and is incompatible with the 60 Hz of common LCDs. LCD manufacturers got around that issue by limiting the resolution of those displays to qVGA (320 x 240 pixels), which enabled them to use a 30 Hz signal.

Samsung now claims that is found a way to increase the resolution to 640x480 pixels, while keeping the refresh rate at 30 Hz on the standard interface. According to the company, the display can show 260,000 different colors, achieve a brightness of 300 nits, a contrast ratio of 350:1 and a color saturation of 50%. Power consumption is estimated at 60 mW.

Samsung said that it will demonstrate the device at the IMID 2006 conference in Daegu, Korea on 23 August. Commercial production of the display is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2007.