Hitachi Displays Ltd announced a 4.5-inch 3D LCD panel that can be viewed with the naked eye July 20, 2011.
The brightness of the panel is as high as 470cd/m² in 3D mode. It is targeted mainly at smartphones, and Hitachi Displays plans to start volume production within fiscal 2011.






The number of viewpoints of the panel is one, and its 3D image is best viewed from a distance of 40cm. The optimal distance can be changed, Hitachi Displays said.
It is possible to switch between 3D and 2D images. In the 2D mode, the pixel count is 1,280 x 720. In the 3D mode, the pixel count decreases to half in the horizontal direction.
By using a "liquid crystal lens," which changes refraction index by controlling the orientation of liquid crystal molecules, it becomes possible to view 3D images with the naked eye. The LCD panel consists of two panels. One is for forming the liquid crystal lens, and the other is for displaying images.






When the liquid crystal lens is not formed, the panel displays a normal 2D image. Compared with the parallax barrier method, which uses slits to block light for realizing 3D display viewable with the naked eye, the use of the liquid crystal lens realizes a higher use efficiency of the backlight.
In addition, because the liquid crystal lens plays a role of concentrating the backlight, 3D images have a higher brightness than 2D images, Hitachi Displays said. The brightness of the newly-developed panel is 470cd/m² in the 3D mode and 400cd/m² in the 2D mode.

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