DISPLAYTECH MICRODISPLAYS FEATURED AS VIEWFINDERS IN MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERAS
Visit Displaytech During SID 2001, June 5 - 7, 2001 San Jose Convention Center, Booth #1042
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 5, 2001 -- Displaytech Inc., the leader in the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) microdisplays, today announced at SID that two new Minolta digital still cameras will feature Displaytech's LightView QVGA microdisplays as viewfinders.
"Displaytech is extremely proud of being included in these new Minolta cameras," said Haviland Wright, Displaytech's CEO and chairman. "The design of these cameras shows how serious Minolta is about digital photography, and makes serious use of our microdisplay as an integral part of their photographic system."
Minolta will be using Displaytech's LightView QVGA Display Module in its single-lens reflex (SLR)-type DiMAGE 7 and DiMAGE 5 digital still cameras. The DiMAGE 7 features an image capture capacity of 5.24 megapixels, and the DiMAGE 5 captures 3.34 megapixels. Many of the features on these cameras were previously only available on professional-quality digital cameras.
Displaytech's QVGA Display Module is the basis of Minolta's Digital Hyper Viewfinder (EVF). The EVF functions as an information center, showing a full array of shooting information and monitoring effects of image manipulation and control. Displaytech's microdisplay provides photographers with clear images, even under bright light, and delivers a visual resolution equivalent to almost 220,000 pixels. The variable position viewfinder can be tilted up to 90 degrees, and allows photographers to simultaneously monitor the image and camera settings.
"Displaytech's microdisplay makes our newest DiMAGE7 more attractive by its small form factor, FLC's quick response and digital input," said a spokesperson at Minolta Corporation. "This display's high fill factor realizes smooth images unlike other EVFs, resulting in a natural image in conjunction with our superimposed digital effect and 100 percent image capturing."
Displaytech's LightView QVGA Display Module uses the company's proprietary FLC material, which switches faster than common liquid crystals, translating to smoother, more accurate image reproduction. With a resolution of 320 X 240, the tiny 0.19" screen easily displays full-color images and accurately represents text. Because of its size, the QVGA uses significantly less power than conventional displays, meaning the battery life of digital cameras is greatly extended.
The Minolta DiMAGE 7 will be commercially available in July 2001, and the DiMAGE 5 will be available in August 2001.
View a complete listing of Displaytech press releases, images and photos is available on the company's SID Web site.
About Minolta Corporation
Minolta Corporation, headquartered in Ramsey, New Jersey, is the largest subsidiary of Minolta Co. Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, a leading manufacturer of cameras, business equipment, radiometric instruments and planetariums. Minolta Corporation's Consumer Products Group (CPG) markets 35mm film and Advanced Photo System cameras, digital cameras, binoculars, accessory lenses, photographic light meters, 35mm and Advanced Photo System film scanners and other consumer products.
About Displaytech
Displaytech, Inc. makes and sells LightView and LightCaster® microdisplays with superior image quality to performance-driven consumer electronics companies, providing sustainable competitive advantages to their digital still cameras, camcorders, business projectors, projection TVs, and mobile communication devices. Displaytech offers high-quality, patented Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal (FLC) display products that use less power and have small form factors, allowing product design innovation and meeting tough manufacturing demands. Established partnerships with industry-leading manufacturers and proven manufacturing capabilities also position Displaytech to keep pace with the challenges of the high-volume consumer electronics market.
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LightView is a trademark of Displaytech Inc.