The Resurrection of LCoS

LCoS Outlook

The future for LCoS displays appears infinitely brighter than it did a year ago. LG has announced plans to join the fray this quarter with a 71-inch 1080p model. Hitachi is also waiting in the wings, having reportedly postponed a planned November 2005 launch of new 60- and 70-inch LCoS models. Syntax, best known as a supplier of low-cost, direct-view LCD TVs, also has an LCoS model on the market, acquired through its controlling interest in Arizona-based LCoS specialist Brillian; a 50-inch Syntax model was briefly available at retail last year in CompUSA stores for $1,899. Lastly, Canon, which hopes to enter the digital TV market later this year with a revolutionary new display technology called SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display), also has an LCoS image engine that it currently sells in the front projector market.

At this juncture, LCoS seems to have risen, phoenix-like, from its own ashes. With major and minor brands driving it forward, the display technology should continue to make a dent in the big screen marketplace during the remainder of 2006, perhaps even doubling its shelf share by the beginning of 2007. The growing interest in 1080p display resolution – despite the continuing absence of true 1080p broadcast content in the United States – will also provide a reason for consumers to consider buying LCoS TVs in the coming year.

For consumers ready to take the plunge into HDTV viewing, the expanding number of choices is both a blessing and a curse. Picking the right TV for your home has never been more difficult. In addition to excellent “microdisplay” projection technologies such as DLP, LCD and LCoS, there is a growing selection of LCD and plasma flat-panel offerings that are becoming ever-larger and less expensive. If LCoS TV manufacturers continue to provide TVs with stunning visual quality at competitive prices, the hybrid display technology will successfully occupy the home-theater high ground.