Audio Video News

Texas Instruments continues to push the envelope of high definition video. On August 8, the Dallas-based technology company announced a new version of its HD-1 Digital Micromirror Device (DMD). The semiconductor chip is the heart of TI's Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology, considered by many to be the best choice for creating high-quality images.

The new version of the HD-1 is a high definition device with 16:9 aspect ratio, optimized for front projection applications. "This announcement has long been awaited by home theater enthusiasts around the world," said Adam Kunzman, manager of home portable entertainment products for TI's DLP products division. "Everyone values the outstanding image quality for which DLP technology is renowned, but people want true HD, 16:9 capability in addition. Now, they can have it."

The first projector on the market with the new chip was Sharp Electronics Corporation's XV-Z9000U, which debuted at the 2001 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Other manufacturers will follow Sharp's lead in developing projectors based on the HD-1. With an array of 1280 x 720 pixels, the new DMD is said to offer "native support for 720p" as well as "improved sharpness for all picture formats and sources such as NTSC- and PAL-originated DVDs." Use of the HD-1 allows Sharp's XV-Z9000U to achieve a contrast ratio of 1100:1. Reduced pixelization is another advantage to the technology. "We're excited about the potential for the XV-Z9000, which we believe will set a new standard for performance in consumer home theater," said Sharp's director of product marketing Frank DeMartin.

"This new version of the DMD is the first we have developed specifically for front projection video applications," said Dale Zimmerman, TI's manager of DLP Home Entertainment Products. Texas Instruments is committed to "making DLP technology the market-leading technology for all home entertainment applications, whether front or rear projection," he said. TI supplies subsystems to more than 30 of the world's top manufacturers of video displays and projectors.