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When I started working in video the resolution of choice was 1024x768. It doesn't seem like very long ago, but by today's 4K standards, that resolution is little more than a postage stamp. In that same time frame, the medium we view video on has also radically changed, shifting from tubes, to liquid crystal, to plasma, to light emitting diodes.
Sony has been a big contributor and a driving force for many of these advances. They have consistently made a commitment in the world of video imaging. This is most recently notable by Blu-ray winning the high-definition optical disc format war.
Now Sony is demo'ing the next advance in digital imaging technology, Canvas, at Infocomm 2016. Based on the spec sheet, Sony has taken LED panels to the next level. The new technology, Crystal LED Integrated Structure (CLEDIS), uses Sony's ultrafine LEDs in a unique surface mounting structure as its light source to deliver a visual experience not possible with even the highest-end conventional LED array. The pixels that make up this structure are small; only 0.003 mm2 in size. They utilize self-emitting display technology, which uses R (red), G (green), and B (blue) ultrafine LEDs mounted on the display surface, with each pixel emitting light independently. The advantage of these small pixels is you can pack more of them per inch to increase resolution, compared to current LED technology.
The unmatched resolution and viewing angles are breath-taking.
However, it appears that is not what Sony has done. Rather than squeeze them together they have given each pixel lots of space. This gives you a large surface area that will remain black even when the pixels are generating light. While that seems counter-intuitive, they may have struck gold with this concept, because having so much black surface allows your images to have a higher contrast ratio. Why is contrast ratio important? One of the hot topics coming out of the NAB Show this year was High Dynamic Range (HDR) video, which Sony's new Canvas display will support. It will produce imagery with 10-bit color depth and a wide color gamut (approximately 140% of sRGB). It also has a brightness of 1000 cd/m2 (1000 nits) giving you a serious range of contrast.
“It's a new type of canvas for limitless flexibility and creativity in public spaces and high-end visual entertainment,” says Kevin O'Connor, senior manager, sales and marketing, visual simulation and entertainment at Sony Electronics. “Compared to the technologies currently available for large-scale display, it's a leap forward in depth, contrast, color, resolution – and pure visual impact.”
Another unique factor to Canvas is it features Sony's pixel drive circuitry, to achieve fast video response with a frame rate of 120fps. This is critical for sports, concerts, or training simulations, where users need to present large screen visuals with no delay or motion artifacts. According to our sources at Sony “Canvas is not for IMAG, it is for the background of the platform or for areas where people are up close to the wall. To see and understand the experience of Canvas, the viewer needs to be close (in person) or see it on camera. This is the future, much like how Sony's pioneering technology called JumboTron changed the world by introducing ‘video walls' in the 1970s, Canvas will become the new standard of ‘video walls'” says Craig Harper, national manager, Sony Faith. “The unmatched resolution and viewing angles are breath-taking.”
According to the statements from Sony, this new display looks great through the lens, unlike current LED technology which can create an awful looking image as the camera pans across it. So this product could be uniquely positioned to fit that space behind your speaking pastor without creating a distraction.
Sony Canvas was first seen publically yesterday, the first day of InfoComm 16. Church Production staff was privileged to be at the introduction, and I have to say it is seriously impressive. Imagine the flexibility of LED panels with the with the tack sharp image of a TV screen. The individual LEDs are so small I'm not sure you could see them with a magnifying glass. Also there is no seam at all between the panels so off axis viewing is just as pleasing an experience as it is from straight on. During the press event I was looking at Canvas through the lens of my Canon 7D, testing Sony's claim that it looks good through the lens. There was no moray or shutter drag as I panned the camera across Canvas. Unlike standard LED panels this product does not become unpleasant to view the closer you get to it. It is going to be great in use cases where you want to brightness of LED panels, but your viewer will be really close the product. To sum it up, if seeing is believing, then you have to see this in person because my attempt to explain it, has fallen short of how great it really looks.
