tech:

taffy

TI Fellow Larry Hornbeck Wins The Oscar

Texas Instrument Oscars 1

Larry Hornbeck, inventor of the digital micromirror device (DMD) or DLP chip, the technology that led to the design and development of DLP Cinema display technology from Texas Instruments, has been awarded an Oscar for his contribution to revolutionizing how motion pictures are created, distributed and viewed. The industry’s conversion from 35-mm motion picture film to digital cinema is nearly complete worldwide, with DLP Cinema technology now powering more than eight out of 10 digital movie theatre screens.

Development of the DLP chip began in TI’s Central Research Laboratories in 1977 when Mr. Hornbeck first created “deformable mirrors” to manipulate light in an analog fashion. But the analog technology consistently fell short of expectations. It was not until 1987 that he invented the DMD, the technology that would become known as the DLP chip.

During the mid-1990s, TI established the DLP Cinema team, chartered to develop a digital projector that could match the quality of 35-mm motion picture film. The resulting technology made its public debut in 1999, when “Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace” was released as the first full-length motion picture shown with DLP Cinema technology.

Over the subsequent 15 years, the cinema industry has nearly completed the conversion from film projectors to digital cinema projectors. Today, digital projectors powered by DLP Cinema technology are installed in more than 118,000 theatre screens around the globe, according to TI.

[Image courtesy: Texas Instruments]

Just in

Apple sued in a landmark iPhone monopoly lawsuit — CNN

The US Justice Department and more than a dozen states filed a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday, accusing the giant company of illegally monopolizing the smartphone market, writes Brian Fung, Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez.

Google is bringing satellite messaging to Android 15 — The Verge

Google’s second developer preview for Android 15 has arrived, bringing long-awaited support for satellite connectivity alongside several improvements to contactless payments, multi-language recognition, volume consistency, and interaction with PDFs via apps, writes Jess Weatherbed. 

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is paid more than the heads of Meta, Pinterest, and Snap — combined — QZ

Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman has been blasted by Redditors and in media reports over his recently-revealed, super-sized pay package of $193 million in 2023, writes Laura Bratton. 

British AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman joins Microsoft — BBC

Microsoft has announced British Artificial Intelligence pioneer Mustafa Suleyman will lead its newly-formed division, Microsoft AI, according to the BBC report. 

UnitedHealth Group has paid more than $2 billion to providers following cyberattack — CNBC

UnitedHealth Group said Monday that it’s paid out more than $2 billion to help health-care providers who have been affected by the cyberattack on subsidiary Change Healthcare, writes Ashley Capoot.