Kopin Introduces Advanced Controller Chip and Evaluation Kits for High-Resolution Displays

TAUNTON, Mass. - Kopin Corp., a manufacturer of microdisplays for mobile consumer and military electronics, has unveiled a new advanced display controller chip (A910) and evaluation kits for its high-resolution full-color displays. The A910 is capable of driving two CyberDisplay® WVGA LV (854 x 480 resolution) or SVGA LV (800 x 600 resolution) displays, either in 2D or 3D stereoscopic mode at frame rates up to 60 Hz, or one CyberDisplay SXGA LV (1280 x 1024 resolution) display.

"The versatile A910 chip will enable low-power, compact solutions to high-end industrial and consumer products as well as defense systems," Kopin President and CEO Dr. John C.C. Fan said in a company statement. "3D stereoscopic operation of two CyberDisplay SVGA or WVGA LV displays with one A910 is very attractive for 3D gaming and virtual reality. For the advanced soldier systems, our high-definition CyberDisplay SXGA LV display and the A910 chip can provide an ideal solution for combining night vision and thermal imagery with situational awareness data and digital maps. The evaluation kits will enable OEMs to reduce their time to market for a range of mobile information applications."

According to information from Kopin, the A910 offers flexible scaling features, supporting digital data formats in 3:4, 4:5 and 16:9 (HDTV) aspect ratios at input video rates ranging from 25 Hz to 120 Hz. Integrated D/A (digital-to-analog) converters and video amplifiers drive the display directly, eliminating the need for external amplifiers. This powerful new chip provides functions such as de-interlacing, horizontal and vertical scaling, color space conversion, gamma correction and backlight (dimming) control. The A910 ASIC is available in a compact 12 x 12 mm BGA package. The A910 chip was developed with partial funding from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The evaluation kit consists of a display, a compact reference design board (1.5 x 1.5 inches) containing an A910 chip, and documentation. It accepts a wide variety of digital video formats, including 3D stereoscopic modes for binocular SVGA and WVGA LV applications. Horizontal and vertical scalers match the input format to the display's physical pixel array. The A910's memory controller interfaces to an external SDRAM frame buffer for use in scaling and stereo modes. The memory controller and/or PLL may be disabled for low power operation with native formats. All of the A910's options are configurable via an industry standard 2-wire serial interface. The evaluation kits for CyberDisplay WVGA LV and SVGA LV are available now.

According to Kopin, its microdisplays are the world's only transmissive active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs) that use high-quality single-crystal silicon transistors. They claim to offer the world's sharpest image quality and highest pixel density and resolution for their size. The CyberDisplay WVGA, SVGA, SXGA LV displays have diagonal dimensions of 0.58", 0.59" and 0.97", respectively. The CyberDisplay AMLCDs are based on the same color-filter technology and display architecture as the industry standard LCD monitor or TV, making it easier for design engineers to integrate them into their products.