We got more information about Dialog's SmartXtend

As we reported last week, Dialog Semiconductor has announced an interesting new technology called SmartXtend. The technology gives PMOLED displays a boost in terms of video quality and performance - they claim it will be just ilke AMOLED, at a much lower cost.

Now we got some more information from them, attached below. The summary -

"SmartXtend™ reduces peak current by driving more than one row at a time. In particular, each video frame is decomposed into two sub-frames. During the first of these sub-frames the rows are driven two at a time with the same data. That is, a lower peak current is applied over a longer period of time. During the other sub-frame ‘corrective’ data is added to each row to give each pixel its individual color.

Dialog Semiconductor is the first to have found a way to perform the necessary calculations in a cost effective manner suitable for application to low power, mobile devices. Using this driving scheme SmartXtend™ can reduce peak current through each diode by up to 30 percent. For example, a PMOLED panel driven with the conventional scheme requires about 150uA per anode, whereas only 100uA is required to drive the same panel when SmartXtend™ is used."

Dialog also claim they can reduce power consumption - "SmartXtend™ reduces average power consumption using a number of proprietary techniques that reduce the number of pre-charge cycles, the current and the voltage. Using these techniques SmartXtend™ can reduce power of the whole display subsystem by up to 30 percent."

Posted: Feb 15,2008 by Ron Mertens