Himax Technologies, Inc. ("Himax" or "Company"), a leading supplier and fabless manufacturer of display drivers and other semiconductor products, announces an industry-leading, ultra-low power consumption eDP 1.4 timing controller ("TCON") that supports ultra-high resolution panels for tablets, notebooks and monitors.
Himax is one of very few pioneers who have enabled the next generation development of ultra-high resolution panels with a total solution that successfully addresses the power consumption issue. Leading LCD panel makers and system OEMs in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan are actively adopting this new technology, and Himax is planning to enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Himax's eDP 1.4 TCON is unique and very competitive in that it pairs with nVIDIA's G-SYNC™ and AMD's FreeSync™ technologies for graphic cards to process 3D graphics on ultra-high resolution displays, eliminating screen tearing and minimizing stutter and input latency. For gamers or anyone looking for superior visuals on ultra-high resolution devices, eDP 1.4 TCON is key to achieve such performance. The eDP 1.4 TCON supports up to the latest G-SYNC™ version 1.0, a development beyond industry pace.
"With the launch of our next generation eDP technology, we believe Himax will benefit from our first mover advantage in the ultra-high resolution market with high barriers of entry," commented Jordan Wu, Himax's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Thanks to the growing demand from consumers for better display quality, the ultra-high resolution panel has expanded from its initial application in TVs to applications in monitors, notebooks, and tablets. Our technology addresses the major issues our customers are facing - power consumption and battery life. Himax has been working with leading LCD panel makers and system OEMs in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan on the introduction of eDP 1.4 TCON products, and we believe the eDP 1.4 TCON will enter mass production soon."
Himax's eDP 1.4 TCON supports the latest version of VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) standard and enjoys its competitive edge through two technological advantages. First, the product has a high speed interface at 5.4G BPS per lane to support 4K2K displays and beyond. Second, the innovative PSR (Panel Self Refresh)/PSR2 technology intelligently incorporates the CPU/GPU dormant concept that lowers display-related system power consumption through allowing the CPU/GPU to flexibly switch from normal state to intermittent low-power state during a static image condition. Himax's eDP 1.4 TCON includes an integrated frame buffer that stores the display image while the system enters panel self-refresh mode, which reduces the power usage of the CPU/GPU to extend battery life. When the display resolution is higher, power saving benefits will be more substantial. This feature is an advanced solution that addresses battery issues in ultra-high resolution mobile devices which consume much power from panels and GPU.
Himax believes its eDP 1.4 TCON is the best solution on the market to meet the ever-growing high resolution and power saving expectations needed for mobile devices, and will be universally adopted.