Hitachi Display Products Group (DPG) has released details of a series of displays it has developed that leverage its patented In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology to deliver a premium user experience for viewing video content on mobile phones. Statistics from research firm iSuppli suggest that mobile video will attract more than 100 million subscribers and more than 300 million handsets will ship with Mobile TV chips, by 2010.
The displays, Hitachi says, deliver the industrys only crisp, high resolution picture, with viewing angles of up to 176 degrees in any direction and in all usage conditions, IPS has been specifically engineered for the mobile phone and automotive industries (for in-dash and satellite navigation displays) to enable operators and manufacturers to maximise revenue potential and increase customer satisfaction.
Figures from ABI Research suggest that the global mobile marketing and advertising market is expected to reach 1.5bn by the end of 2007, while Telephia estimates that revenues from mobile video subscriptions in the US totalled $148 million in Q4 2006, up 188% from the start of the year. Hitachi DPG is predicting IPS to become the leading display technology for these markets.
“Mobile video has had a slow start, though take-up has been steady, but the recent figures are showing this is finally growing says Hitachi DPG Sales Manager, Matt Tapping. It is not a coincidence that where previously consumers had been disinterested, following the appearance of technologies like IPS, mobile video is now one of the fastest growing markets.
Hitachi DPG has already developed a 2.9-inch wide, high definition WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) IPS liquid crystal (LC) module for mobile phones. IPS technology, the latest LC solution for television, is employed in mobile phones to provide high definition images, in addition to a wide viewing angle and high image quality. This enables mobile phones to display images of a higher quality and definition. Employing a screen with VGA resolution or higher in a mobile phone will enable users to see the entire width of websites, without having to scroll laterally, says Hitachi.
IPS technology is not limited to high resolution mobile applications, Hitachi points out that it has also developed a 2.2 inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixel) display that delivers the same outstanding viewing angles and image quality. Theres more information here. 
