Macroblock held its 2022 online symposium on November 9. The theme this year was Drive a Whole New World – Metaverse. The Macroblock lecturers went deep into the metaverse from different applications, including VR headsets, smart cockpits, and LED displays. In the presentation, they covered how to realize the metaverse concept and how to deal with those challenges within this area through Macroblock products and technologies. Here’s a video replay of the 2022 Macroblock Symposium:
First, the symposium began with opening remarks given by Mr. Robert Chen, Macroblock General Manager. Mr. Chen expressed that the metaverse brings incredible business opportunities. People can get into the metaverse via VR headsets or realize the glasses-free metaverse through LED displays. It can be assumed that the development of the metaverse will lead to critical requirements for display technologies and product specifications.
Improve the Performance of VR Headsets | mini-LED Backlight Solution – MBI6323
mini-LED backlight VR headsets are essential for accessing the metaverse, and common challenges of VR headsets mostly involve improving user experiences and improving comfort levels. Macroblock LED Backlight IC Product Manager, Mr. Chris Will Chen, explained that improving user experiences include lowering “screen door effect”, increasing contrast and eliminating abnormal conditions; improving comfort levels cover overcoming motion sickness, preventing eye fatigue and creating slim and sleek designs. Macroblock released MBI6323, which can address the above challenges, as well as this IC can bring better experience and comfort for users.
To address the contrast challenge, MBI6323 is a 32-channel, 16-scan, 512-zone design that improves contrast. To address the abnormal conditions challenge, MBI6323 features “Dynamic-Sync” to prevent flicker and uneven brightness. To address the motion sickness challenge, MBI6323 features “black frame insertion” (BFI) to minimize motion blur caused by liquid crystal twisting, thus reducing motion sickness. To address the eye fatigue challenge, MBI6323 features “S-PWM” to boost the refresh rate to 960Hz-20,000Hz as high refresh rate reduces eye fatigue. To address the slim and slick design challenge, MBI6323 is a high-integration IC with built-in MOS to create thin and compact devices for extended wear.
Create Brilliant Smart Cockpits | mini-LED Backlight Automobile Solutions – MBI5353Q, MBI6353Q
Macroblock LED Backlight IC Product Manager, Mr. Peter Hu, said that the Metaverse is entering the automobile, and via mini-LED backlight AR HUD and mini-LED backlight automotive panels to create smart cockpits in cars, that bring a brand-new driving and riding experience. Different users have different needs for automobile panels, drivers value high brightness and low grayscale performance; passengers value high contrast and high quality. Macroblock MBI5353Q and MBI6353Q both meet drivers’ needs by combining multi-channel with multi-scan architecture to enable high brightness, and “hybrid dimming technology” to create excellent low-grayscale images. Moreover, both of them support high dimming zones to meet passengers’ needs for contrast and picture quality.
Mr. Hu also mentioned that to meet the diverse needs of various automotive panels, Macroblock backlight automotive solutions offer flexible circuit design options to provide automakers with additional product planning agility. The first option is that there is an FPGA or a bridge IC between a TCON and a backlight driver IC to support image mapping, scan control and error detection among other functions. The second option is that a TCON directly connect to a backlight driver IC for streamlining the overall circuit design.
Realize the Glasses-Free Metaverse | Frontier Applications and Technical Challenges of LED Displays
LED displays can realize the “glasses-free” metaverse, and the emerging applications include simulators, dome theaters, co-starring, and so on. To provide a better glasses-free immersive experience, it should be based on high-quality display technology. Macroblock LED Display and Backlight IC Product Manager, Mr. Cloud Wu, indicated that those latest applications bring five unprecedented challenges, including high frame rate HDR video source, higher resolution, display latency, LED color shift and flicker. However, Macroblock has already conquered those challenges.
Macroblock “PWM Enhancement” can support 120fps sources and “PWM Enhancement+” can support up to 240fps; furthermore, the refresh rate can reach 7,680Hz to meet the needs in terms of video smoothness for the glasses-free metaverse. For the 4K above video, LED displays shrink their pitch, which causes limited space for layout. Macroblock LED driver ICs feature highly integrated with high channel count; therefore, it could effectively free up board space. Through Macroblock’s “built-in DCLK double-edge trigger” and “internal GCLK technology”, the displays can address the low-latency challenge. Fine-pitch displays easily get color shift problems, though Macroblock owns power-saving technology that effectively reduces overall LED display thermal. Macroblock “Hyper Vision Calculation Technology” greatly improves the flicker problem to improve the overall contrast ratio performance of displays.
Realize the Glasses-free Metaverse | Common Cathode Architecture and Common Anode Architecture
Macroblock LED display IC Product Manager, Mr. CH. Yang introduced that Macroblock launched LED display solutions for the glasses-free metaverse applications, including the U.S. patented common cathode architecture driver ICs, MBI5754, MBI5762, MBI5759, as well as common anode architecture driver ICs, MBI5265, MBI5357. All of them can provide better performance and lower thermal, and overcome uncomfortable tactile sensations caused by heat waves and unrealistic vision sensations caused by color shifts.
Macroblock Common Cathode Solutions: HDR Optimized (Grayscale 16-bit, Refresh Rate 3,840Hz)
- MBI5754 supports pitch 6-1.2mm applications, 16 channels, time-multiplexing 64 scans
- MBI5762 supports pitch 3-0.8mm applications, 48 channels, time-multiplexing 32 scans
- MBI5759 supports pitch 1.2-0.4mm applications, 48 channels, time-multiplexing 32 scans, and it’s a highly integrated IC
Macroblock Common Anode Solutions: HDR Optimized (Grayscale 16-bit, Refresh Rate 3,840Hz)
- MBI5265 supports pitch 1.8-0.9mm applications, 16 channels, time-multiplexing 96 scans
- MBI5357 supports pitch 1-0.4mm applications, 720 channels, time-multiplexing 180 scans, and it’s a highly integrated IC
Moreover, it was our pleasure to invite ASUS Corporate Vice President & General Manager of Display BU, Mr. Vincent Chiou, to be our guest speaker this time. Mr. Chiou talked about the metaverse from the perspective of creators. He said ASUS believes that understanding the needs of creators is the priority. By understanding the perspective of creators, we can provide the best solution for them.
Finally, the symposium ended with a live Q&A answering the audience’s questions. Next year, Macroblock will go back to offline events, such as CES, ISE, InfoComm, and so on. Please stay tuned with us on our official website and social media, we are looking forward to meeting you face to face again.
Further information from Macroblock: https://www.mblock.com.tw/en
