Sharp Users Look Both Ways

Buy some headphones and lock up your remotes! Sharp has announced a new LCD screen which can display separate images to viewers on the left and the right.

Will it end domestic disputes over which show to watch, or merely escalate the home entertainment arms race? Osaka-based Sharp Corporation announced it has developed a new LCD display which can show different images to viewers on the left and the right, enabling viewers to use the display simultaneously for completely different things. One viewer might be surfing the Internet while another plays a console game, or viewers might watch two completely different movies at the same time. The dual-view technology may have a variety of applications, from point-of-sale systems and kiosks to in-car systems and billboards—and, of course, consumer electronics.

The technology operates in a manner similar to Sharp’s 3D LCD displays by showing parts of each image in alternating columns; if both odd and even columns are fed the same image, the display operates as a standard LCD display.

Sharp says the system will go into mass production later this month, and that Sharp will offer its own products based on the technology as well as license the displays to other manufacturers. The systems will cost roughly twice as much as a standard display.

The system is not without its quirks, however. Viewed from straight-on, the left and right images overlap, so users may have to move a bit to either side to isolate the image they want to view, and the images don’t currently have very high resolutions because each side uses half the display’s available columns. And, of course, users with differing sound requirements"say, opera and an action-packed video game—may want to invest in some good quality headphones.