Smart speakers are more than just listening - TI DLP Pico technology creates an excellent smart display experience

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Smart speakers are more than just listening - TI DLP Pico technology creates an excellent smart display experience [Copy link]

 

As consumers continue to adopt Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to connect in-home devices to external and internal networks, smart speakers will become more common in more homes. In fact, the smart speaker market is likely to continue its high growth; Juniper Research predicts that by 2022, devices such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod and Sonos One will be common in most US households.

Conventional smart speakers use audio for feedback, but a new generation of products called smart displays (or smart speakers with displays) can enrich the user experience with visual content, such as how-to videos, recipes, and photos. However, large LCD displays are difficult to package into compact home speakers. DLP technology offers designers more possibilities by replacing conventional LCD screens with projection.

How smart displays and virtual assistants work together

Similar to the adoption of center stack displays in automobiles, consumers are demanding more visual content from their home information and entertainment centers.

Having a simplified visual interface can enhance what today’s smart speakers offer. Displayed images need to be simple, with less need for touch interactions, because users typically view them from at least a few feet away. For example, when you say “Alexa, what’s on my shopping list?” the smart display should show large, bright text that’s easy to read from a distance. The image below shows a video recipe in the kitchen.

Example of a smart speaker with display capabilities in the kitchen

Unique Requirements for Smart Displays

The specifications for the projection will depend on factors such as the ideal display size, the type of display surface, the form factor required for integration into the end device, and the distance between the projection unit and the display surface. Let’s break down these trade-offs:

Projection surfaces: Not all surfaces in your home are ideal for displaying projected images. Color, pattern and surface curvature (like kitchen countertops or wallpaper) can distort or obscure the image. Higher brightness and algorithms like TI DLP IntelliBright can help overcome the effects of surface geometry, color and pattern on display quality.

Module size: The size of the speaker is a major system design consideration. Projection modules need to be integrated into uniquely shaped and aesthetically pleasing designs. The size of the optical engine is primarily determined by its brightness, resolution, and throw ratio. DLP Pico optical engines are compact enough to be integrated into a smartphone or tablet, and some existing 100 lumen designs are as small as 50 cc.

Brightness: Since smart display devices are often located near high-traffic areas such as the kitchen or living room, they need to be both aesthetically pleasing and unobtrusive. Integrated tablet-sized or larger flat-panel displays generally do not meet this criterion. However, DLP technology solves this challenge well through the ability to project a large image from a very small chip; for example, a single DLP chip can generate a clear 30-inch image from a module of approximately 45 mm × 75 mm × 15 mm (just over 50 cc).

Provides recommended brightness values for the projection module based on image size and different ambient lighting conditions

Resolution: The required resolution depends mainly on the information content to be displayed and the required image size. Resolutions as low as nHD (640 x 360) can be used for simple graphics and videos, while qHD (960 x 540), 720p (1280 x 720) or higher resolutions are preferred for clearer displays.

Throw Ratio: The required throw ratio depends on the position of the product relative to the image surface. Long-throw projection lenses typically have a throw ratio greater than 2:1. Short-throw projection lenses typically have a throw ratio of 0.8:1 to 1:1, and ultra-short-throw projections have a throw ratio of less than 0.5:1. Short-throw projections and short-throw projection lenses are ideal for devices where the projection surface is very close to the projection module.

DLP Pico chipsets for smart display applications

DLP Pico chipsets are available in a variety of sizes and resolutions to accommodate different display sizes, brightness requirements, and resolutions. Pico projectors offer a variety of smart display options, including:

Ultra short throw projection

Standard focal length projection

Surface projection

Free surface projection

interactive

in conclusion

These options provide flexibility in the types of surfaces that can display images and can be designed for dual use, such as surface projection and ultra-short-throw projection in one device. Click here to quickly view the TI DLP technology zone, evaluate DLP Pico display technology through evaluation modules, and help you learn more about the latest information on DLP chipset applications.

(Author: Annie Liu from E2E Community)