Definition: microdisplay

A microminiaturized display, typically with a screen size less than two inches diagonal. They are used in rear-projection TVs and their data projector counterparts, in head mounted displays (HMDs) and in the viewfinders of digital cameras. Although microdisplay research goes back to the mid-1980s, commercial products emerged in the late 1990s.

Reflective and Transmissive
Reflective microdisplay bounce light into the viewer's lens or the projection lens. For example, in a DLP microdisplay, tiny mirrors divert light into the projection path (see DLP).

LCD microdisplays are transmissive, allowing light to pass through the display like backlit, laptop computer screens. See rear-projection TV.

A Microdisplay Unit

This amazing screen is used in HMDs and digital camera viewfinders. The reflective LCD display provides an 800x600 resolution in a half-inch screen that uses only 45 milliwatts of energy, as much as ten times less than transmissive displays. (Image courtesy of Three-Five Systems, Inc.)