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From large outdoor interactive screens on buildings to micro-displays in watches, the display industry has created applications and entire industries in the past 60 years, changing our entire society. Look at laptops, tablets, mobile phones and other handheld devices, all thanks to innovations in display technology.

Old TVs take up half of your room; now they are like a picture on the wall, and in some cases thinner than a portrait frame. Modern displays are now everywhere-from the seat backs of airplanes and taxis, to stadiums and other public places, kiosks that serve one person at a time, and of course medical equipment, military vehicles, and so on. Display innovations can also be found in factory equipment, oil rigs, trains, trucks, ships, and airplanes. Other unique display applications include displays embedded in credit cards.

Innovators in the industry are replacing shelf labels, printed signs in stores, and printed timetables at bus stops and train stations.

In the past 25 years, it has been exciting to be a part of this industry. Immediately after graduating from engineering school, I started working on vacuum tubes—CRT was dominant at the time—and later studied monochrome LCDs. I really started working on displays at Standish Industries in Wisconsin, a company that pioneered wide-temperature monochrome TN (Twisted Nematic) and STN (Super Twisted Nematic) LCDs for a variety of rugged applications.

It's exciting to work on rugged displays that provide the valuable information that makes them indispensable—from gas pumps to ATMs, parking meters, aircraft displays, and John Deere tractor consoles. Later, I was fortunate to work on TFEL displays at Planar; on TFS’s early AMLCD; on Sharp’s best-in-class AMLCD; on E Ink’s electrophoretic electronic paper; now, I started to research every major cutting-edge display technology.

I think one of the attractive things about this industry is that when new products enter the market, you can't cancel any display technology. Some of these technologies have existed for much longer than you expected; some people should have exited the industry 20 years ago, but they did not-they found niche applications and continued to make a living for someone.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Information Display Association (SID), I would like to look at some direct-view display technologies (excluding projectors) and their impact in the past 60 years:

CRT (Cathode Ray Tube): Traditionally used in computer monitors and televisions, but also in military and even maritime applications. The demand for CRT screens declined in the late 2000s and was replaced by LCDs.

VF (Vacuum Fluorescent Lamp): It was originally used for car stereo displays, but it has gradually become obsolete in the past ten years.

FED (Field Emission Display): A technology similar to CRT that relies on electrons hitting the phosphor coating surface in a vacuum environment. It has not become mainstream.

LED (Light Emitting Diode): Popularized in handheld calculators and other similar devices in the 1960s, and entered digital store signs and larger outdoor digital signage, such as in Las Vegas; continued to dominate the outdoor signage space.

TFEL (Thin Film Electroluminescence): Sharp demonstrated TFEL in 1975 and manufactured the first commercial display in 1983. Mainly used in industrial, medical and rugged applications. For example, the military uses such displays in main battle tanks.

TN and STN LCD monochrome: This display technology was very popular before the color version appeared. It is still used for air pumps, parking meters, and simple appliances.

Plasma display: Some people still refer to flat-screen TVs as plasma. This technology has a short term, but it paves the way for the next generation of flat-panel TVs.

Rear-projection displays using DLP/LCoS: They were originally designed when large-area LCDs could not be manufactured and to replace rear-projection CRTs. Using a projector, you can create a 100-inch image. These displays still exist in older conference rooms and home theaters.

AM LCD (active matrix liquid crystal display): The most influential and most successful product in the history of display technology, with approximately 80% of the global market, valued at approximately US$100 billion. It is used in almost all applications with displays, but has quickly given way to OLEDs in the past five years.

PMOLED (Passive Matrix OLED-Monochrome): OLED technology was initially monochromatic, and initial progress has been made in applications that require higher contrast and faster response. Now, its share is eroding as quickly as monochrome LCD.

AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode): The second most influential and successful display technology after AMLCD, which can be used in personal devices, such as Samsung Galaxy folding phones, high-end iPhones, and LG's "wallpaper" TVs. This is the fastest growing technology in the past decade.

Electronic paper: Use dual-pigment electrophoretic displays for reading applications such as Amazon Kindle. The low power consumption and paper-like appearance make this technology valuable.

Quantum dots: Technically speaking, this is not a display, but it enhances the display effect by making LCD colors "pop" in TV applications.

MiniLED: This small form factor LED introduces this technology to indoor signage applications, and users are closer to the display compared to previous generation products that are mainly used outdoors. This is relatively new and may give way to MicroLED, which itself will be downgraded to backlight applications.

Electrochromic/Electrowetting/MEMS/Electrofluidic/Cholesteric LCD: These technologies are aimed at a wide range of "electronic paper" applications, but this has not been achieved. Some of them, such as electrochromic and cholesteric LCDs, have achieved some success in non-display applications, such as airplane windows, car mirrors, toys, and writing boards.

MicroLED: An emerging flat panel display technology, I think it is very promising in the future. It brings some of the most needed display features, and the industry has seized this opportunity, and every major display company is studying this technology.

I found this good timetable for Samsung's development in 2015. Note that only six of them have no displays (and pay attention to OLED TVs in 2012!)-Edit

Speaking of the future, I now want to delve into some of the innovation trends in display applications that I will see in 2035:

AR/VR glasses: These glasses will be ubiquitous and lightweight, just like today's glasses. They will last a long time without recharging. The display will not be intrusive, it will be enhanced, and its computing power will exceed today's notebook computers. But it will not suit everyone.

Immersive displays: Holographic and 3D displays can replace the walls on which TVs are hung today; they will also replace kitchen countertops, dining tables, student desks, and tray tables on airplanes.

Cars: The entire windshield is like a movie screen of a self-driving car; the inner roof will be your display, and the sides of taxis and Uber cars will convey useful information.

Meeting room: Each video call will replicate a virtual meeting room, which contains realistic 3D images, directional voice, communication capabilities (chat function is obsolete), and the ability to stand up to speak to the room or teach a lesson-the virtual course will be Seamless.

Entertainment: Just like today’s surround sound, we will have surround visual displays, just like IMax cinemas, but in every home, car, and airplane seat.

Buildings and roads: In Times Square, the bricks on the walls of tall buildings will be made into "display blocks." Every display will be curved, and every road sign will be an electronic display.

Game: The console will be better than the Universal/Disney Studio experience today-you will find yourself playing the role of a player or movie actor in the game, dunking in a major league game, or hitting a cricket ball on the border.

Brand: Handbags, suitcases and shopping bags will be displayed in thin paper, which can be depicted, disguised and promoted according to your inner needs.

Observe the world: monitors will replace windows to save space, create the atmosphere you want, and double as solar panels and privacy glass.

Smart surface: Each display surface will support writing, touch and voice activated input. The display will make the surface "smart".

Mobile: Your mobile phone will completely replace your wallet, remote control, car keys, door keys, admission passes and event tickets-all of which have already happened, but with changes in display and related technologies, this transformation will be 100%.

Digital Art: Murals and art will be digital displays, showing your favorites, and will change every day or every minute, and adjust according to what happens in the room. It will be difficult for you to tell the difference between a monitor and an oil on canvas.

I am excited to think that my young industry colleagues will be the pioneers of display technology in the next 60 years. Devices will continue to become smaller, smarter and multifunctional. From mobile phones to cars to artificial intelligence devices, display technology will improve the way we live, work and play. I hope that the displays made by the industry will exceed the expectations set by every futuristic display we have seen in any science fiction movie so far.

Whenever we reach the limit that we think the display technology can do, there will be an industry colleague with a new chemical formula, or be able to bend some light or stretch some physical laws to keep it running. This is a wonderful journey. I can not wait anymore. (SP)

Thank you SID for moving this article out of the Display Daily pay zone so that it will not be counted as one of your free articles.

Sri Peruvemba is the CEO of California Marketing International. He also served on the executive committee and served as the former marketing chairman of the Information Display Association for many years (SID’s 2022 Display Week will be held in San Jose, California from May 8th to 13th, 2022). With more than 30 years of experience in the technology industry, Peruvemba has always been an influential advocate for the advancement of electronic hardware technology. He is a recognized expert in the fields of sensors, electronic displays, haptics, touch screens, electronic materials and related technologies; he consults, writes and introduces these topics on a global scale. Contact Mr. Peruvemba at This email address has been protected by an anti-spam plug-in. You need to enable JavaScript to view it. .