Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation has announced the development of three new high-resolution LCDs featuring "Photo Fine Chromarich" technology that achieves more than 100% coverage of the NTSC color gamut. Mass production of the displays will commence in early 2006.

The high-resolution LCDs that Sanyo Epson has developed feature a widened color gamut technology called "Photo Fine Chromarich" that enables superior resolution and extended color range by matching four color filters (the standard RGB plus cyan arrangement) with a new white backlight.

The new displays (measuring 2.2, 2.8, and 4.5 inches) also boast higher aperture ratios and lower power consumption. In developing widened color gamut technology, Sanyo Epson extended the Epson Color Modulation (ECM) expertise cultivated by Epson in developing high-quality inkjet photo printers and applied it to LCDs. The technology enables colors like emerald green and blue to be reproduced with a level of accuracy not previously possible in small and medium-sized LCDs (screens currently on mobile phones cover only about 40% to 70% of the NTSC color gamut, with an average of about 50%).

For example, the images on online shopping sites will be much clearer and richer in color when viewed on a mobile phone equipped with one of the new displays. In digital cameras, meanwhile, as users will be able to view images with colors close to those produced by a printer on their LCD monitors, they will be able to check photos before they print them.