Ultra-high definition (UHD) 4K OLED cabin displays are now available in 55in and 65in sizes from DPI Labs. The DPI SmartCanvas displays have already been installed on a VVIP Boeing 767, by a completion centre in Arizona, USA, in January 2021.
Developed for business aviation and VVIP aircraft cabins, the new large-format displays are designed for a slim profile and low weight.
The Boeing 767 installation included a complete DPI CMS consisting of passenger and cabin crew control panels, audio/video distribution, cabin control modules and DPI’s multicoloured LED cabin lighting. The new displays are DO-160 compliant and PMA is expected very soon.
“DPI Labs has a long history of firsts and innovation within the business and military aviation markets,” said Scott DeSmet, vice president of sales and business development at DPI. “We’re proud to be first to bring the OLED large-format display technology and experience to the business and VVIP industry and continue our tradition of excellence and ingenuity.”
OLEDs have self-illuminating pixels and do not require the extra physical layers inside the display for backlighting that LED monitors do. DPI Labs said this makes OLED displays much thinner and lighter and allows for infinite contrast ratio and a wide viewing angle. The 65in OLED display weighs 24 lb (10.89kg) and is 0.36in (9mm) thick. DPI Labs added that low weight and shallow depths impact both cabin design and overall aircraft weight.
“Historically, in order to install screens this large using LED technology, the bulkhead would have had to be modified and significantly reinforced structurally in order to support the excessive mass,” said DeSmet. “This adds even more overall aircraft weight and takes up additional cabin space. With our OLED displays we’re able to actually flush-mount them into a standard bulkhead, displacing bulkhead weight and material and take up zero cabin space. These are rare win-wins for our industry when we can both greatly enhance the passenger experience and reduce weight and installation time and cost.”
DPI Labs’ ultra-thin OLED displays can operate with a bend radius of 1m either horizontally or vertically, allowing them to conform to curved surfaces such as aircraft headliners and sidewalls.
The 55in and 65in UHD 4K displays each have a native resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. The company said these resolutions – paired with the infinite contrast ratio and wide viewing angle – make them ideal for UHD video sources such as Blu-ray, Sat-TV, streaming video services or passengers’ downloaded UHD content.
The SmartCanvas display line is part of DPI’s SmartLink CMS, which includes passenger controls, cabin switching modules, LED cabin lighting and HD-UHD audio-video distribution for both new aircraft installations and retrofitting legacy aircraft systems. The company plans on launching a 33in OLED display in the third quarter of 2021.
