New chip enhances video playback quality on mobile phones

Relatively blurry screenshots (1-seg digital TV broadcast for portable devices in Japan)

Toshiba Japan managed to develop a prototype chip that makes it possible to view videos on cell phones and portable media players with the same quality as LCD TVs.

Large-size LCD screens use special chips that can speed up the slow switching response of liquid crystal molecules, which makes it possible to display moving objects with blur-free clarity. Up to 10% more space would be needed if these chips were used in portable devices.

Toshiba claims they came up with a simplified algorithm for the chips used in LCD TVs, cutting the size of the chips by 50%. The company also says these new chips require just 2-3% more space than the image-processing chips used in existing portable video devices.

Mass-production of the new chips is scheduled to begin by 2011.

Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]