Sharp Corporation and Sharp Laboratories of Europe, Ltd. (SLE) have developed the Triple Directional Viewing LCD, a display that controls the viewing angle so that the display can show different images from the left, right, and center simultaneously. Last year, Sharp Corporation developed two world-first products for controlled viewing angle: the two-way viewing-angle LCD and the switchable viewing-angle LCD. Already in use in products like car navigation systems and mobile phones, these displays have allowed Sharp to once again create new demand and contribute to the creation of new lifestyles. Sharp Triple Directional Viewing LCD takes this controlled viewing-angle technology a step further. Using a proprietary parallax barrier on a standard TFT LCD, the screen splits light in three directions—left, right, and center—and displays three separate images on the same screen at the same time.

Imagine, for example, people taking a drive in a van. The driver uses a car navigation system screen, the person in the passenger seat checks out tourist sites and restaurants, and the person in the back seat enjoys a movie on DVD, all in full-screen view. It’s truly one LCD that plays three roles at once. Sharp Triple Directional Viewing LCD is also ideal for multipurpose signs in public: it could display three different ads for stores or restaurants, each aimed at people walking in a certain direction.