Abstract: A circularly polarizing plate includes a polarizing film, a first optically anisotropic layer, and a second optically anisotropic layer in this order, in which the first optically anisotropic layer contains a twisted aligned liquid crystal compound of which a helical axis is a thickness direction thereof, a helix angle of the liquid crystal compound is 28.6±10°, an absorption axis of the polarizing film and an in-plane slow axis of the second optically anisotropic layer are parallel or orthogonal to each other, ?nd and ReB(550) respectively fall in predetermined value ranges. The circularly polarizing plate can sufficiently suppress the mixing of black with other colors in a front direction when being stuck on a display apparatus. A retardation plate used for the circularly polarizing plate and an organic EL display apparatus that have the circularly polarizing plate are also provided.

Abstract: Provided is an optical film which is resistant to repelling, bright dots, irregularity, and the use of such an optical film in a liquid crystal display leads to high front contrast, reduced grayscale inversion, and a reduced difference between a front image and an oblique image in grayscale reproducibility and color. The optical film including a first optically anisotropic layer; and a second optically anisotropic layer on the first optically anisotropic layer, wherein the first optically anisotropic layer is a layer of liquid crystal compounds aligned and fixed by polymerization, and the surface tilt angle of molecules of the liquid crystal compound is in a range of 5° to 80° at a site in contact with the second optically anisotropic layer.

Abstract: The phase difference plate for a circularly polarizing plate including a first optically anisotropic layer, and a second optically anisotropic layer, in which the first optically anisotropic layer contains a liquid crystal compound helically aligned around a helical axis in its thickness direction, a helix angle of the liquid crystal compound in the first optically anisotropic layer is in a predetermined range, and an in-plane slow axis in a surface of the first optically anisotropic layer at the second optically anisotropic layer side is in parallel with an in-plane slow axis of the second optically anisotropic layer. The phase difference plate can sufficiently suppress the mixing of black with another color observed in the front direction when being stuck as a circularly polarizing plate on a display apparatus.

Abstract: The phase difference plate for a circularly polarizing plate includes a first optically anisotropic layer; and a second optically anisotropic layer, in which the first and second optically anisotropic layers contain a liquid crystal compound that is helically aligned around a helical axis which is in a thickness direction of each of the layers, the liquid crystal compound has a same helix direction in the first optically anisotropic layer and in the second optically anisotropic layer, and a helix angle of the liquid crystal compound each in the first optically anisotropic layer and in the second optically anisotropic layer is in a predetermined range. The phase difference plate can sufficiently suppress the mixing of black with another color observed in the front direction when being stuck as a circularly polarizing plate on a display apparatus.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display where grayscale inversion is reduced includes a liquid crystal cell having pixel groups, each group comprising a red (R) pixel, a green (G) pixel, a blue (B) pixel, and a white (W) pixel, and drive circuitry that applies a voltage VRGB and a voltage VW satisfying the formulae (ia) and (iia) between electrodes defining the G pixel and between electrodes defining the W pixel, respectively, depending on a grayscale level L (where L satisfies 0?L?1) in grayscale where substantially the same voltage VRGB is applied between electrodes defining each of the R, G, and B pixels: for 0<L?0.03, TG=0 and TW=2*L,??(ia) for 0.03<L?0.3, 0.05<TW/(TG?0.03)<0.86;??(iia) where TG and TW each represent normalized transmittance obtained through normalization of transmittance of each of the G and W pixels assuming that white brightness in a normal direction to a display surface of the liquid crystal display is 1.

Abstract: A VA-mode liquid crystal display device of four domains or less that causes less whitening and tinting, includes: a first polarizing film, a first retardation layer, a second retardation layer, a liquid crystal layer, a third retardation layer, a fourth retardation layer, and a second polarizing film, in sequence. The liquid crystal layer is in a vertical alignment mode (VA mode) under no voltage application. The first to fourth retardation layers each have a predetermined retardation. The absorption axis of the first polarizing film is orthogonal to that of the second polarizing film. The slow axis of the first retardation layer defines an angle of 45° from the absorption axis of the first polarizing film, and is parallel to the in-plane slow axis of the liquid crystal layer under voltage application. The slow axis of the first retardation layer is orthogonal to that of the fourth retardation layer.

Abstract: A VA-mode LCD device of four domains or less includes a first polarizing film; a first retardation layer; a second retardation layer; a liquid crystal layer; a third retardation layer; and a second polarizing film, wherein the first retardation layer has Re (550) of 190 to 260 nm, and Rth (550) of 80 to 130 nm, a slow axis of the first retardation layer and the absorption axis of the first polarizing film define an angle of 45°, the absolute value of a Re (550) of the second retardation layer is not larger than 10 nm, while a Rth (550) of the second retardation layer is 150 to 350 nm, a Re (550) of the third retardation layer is 190 to 260 nm, while a Rth (550) of the third retardation layer is ?80 to ?130 nm, and a ?nd of the liquid crystal layer is 250 to 450 nm.

Abstract: The phase difference plate for a circularly polarizing plate includes a first optically anisotropic layer; and a second optically anisotropic layer, in which the first and second optically anisotropic layers contain a liquid crystal compound that is helically aligned around a helical axis which is in a thickness direction of each of the layers, the liquid crystal compound has a same helix direction in the first optically anisotropic layer and in the second optically anisotropic layer, and a helix angle of the liquid crystal compound each in the first optically anisotropic layer and in the second optically anisotropic layer is in a predetermined range. The phase difference plate can sufficiently suppress the mixing of black with another color observed in the front direction when being stuck as a circularly polarizing plate on a display apparatus.

Abstract: The phase difference plate for a circularly polarizing plate including a first optically anisotropic layer, and a second optically anisotropic layer, in which the first optically anisotropic layer contains a liquid crystal compound helically aligned around a helical axis in its thickness direction, a helix angle of the liquid crystal compound in the first optically anisotropic layer is in a predetermined range, and an in-plane slow axis in a surface of the first optically anisotropic layer at the second optically anisotropic layer side is in parallel with an in-plane slow axis of the second optically anisotropic layer. The phase difference plate can sufficiently suppress the mixing of black with another color observed in the front direction when being stuck as a circularly polarizing plate on a display apparatus.

Abstract: Provided is an optical film which is resistant to repelling, bright dots, irregularity, and the use of such an optical film in a liquid crystal display leads to high front contrast, reduced grayscale inversion, and a reduced difference between a front image and an oblique image in grayscale reproducibility and color. The optical film including a first optically anisotropic layer; and a second optically anisotropic layer on the first optically anisotropic layer, wherein the first optically anisotropic layer is a layer of liquid crystal compounds aligned and fixed by polymerization, and the surface tilt angle of molecules of the liquid crystal compound is in a range of 5° to 80° at a site in contact with the second optically anisotropic layer.

Abstract: A liquid-crystal display device comprising first and second polarizing elements, and a liquid-crystal cell disposed between the first and second polarizing elements, wherein the liquid-crystal cell comprises first and second substrates (provided that the first substrate is disposed closer to the first polarizing element, and the second substrate is disposed closer to the second polarizing element), a liquid-crystal layer disposed between the first and second substrates, a color filter layer disposed on an inner surface of the first substrate, and an in-cell polarizing layer disposed between the color filter layer and the liquid-crystal layer, the absorption axis of the first polarizing element and the absorption axis of the in-cell polarizing layer are parallel to each other, and the sum total of the absolute values of Re of all the layers disposed between the in-cell polarizing layer and the first polarizing element is equal to or less than 10 nm, and the sum total of the absolute values of Rth thereof is eq

Abstract: Disclosed are a backlight unit and a liquid crystal display capable of improving viewing angle dependency of tint of a liquid crystal display image, thereby obtaining a high-quality liquid crystal display image with no tint when viewed from a slanting direction. A backlight unit 200 of a just-beneath type with a plurality of light sources arranged below a light emission surface 38 includes a light emission spectrum controlling unit 53 for controlling separately light emission spectra in a front direction which becomes a normal direction to the light emission surface 38 and a slanting direction inclined at a predetermined angle from the front direction. The plurality of light sources are a plurality of LED light sources which are different in a light emission color, and each LED light source includes a first LED element with the front direction as an optical axis of emission light and a second LED element with the slanting direction as an optical axis of emission light for each light emission color.

Abstract: Liquid crystal display where grayscale inversion is reduced. The liquid crystal cell having pixel groups, each group comprising a red (R) pixel, a green (G) pixel, a blue (B) pixel, and a white (W) pixel, the liquid crystal display further comprising drive means that applies a voltage VRGB and a voltage VW satisfying the formulae (ia) and (iia) between electrodes defining the G pixel and between electrodes defining the W pixel, respectively, depending on a grayscale level L (where L satisfies 0?L?1) in grayscale where substantially the same voltage VRGB is applied between electrodes defining each of the R, Q and B pixels: 0<L?0.03, TG=0 and TW=2*L, ??(ia) 0.03<L?0.3, 0.05<TW/(TG?0.03)<0.86; ??(iia) TG and TW each represent normalized transmittance obtained through normalization of transmittance of each of the G and W pixels assuming that white brightness in a normal direction to a display surface of the liquid crystal display is 1.

Abstract: A polarizing plate for a liquid crystal display is provided and includes a first protective film, a polarizer, a second protective film and a light diffusion layer in order. The light diffusion layer is a layer including a translucent resin and translucent particles having a refractive index different from a refractive index of the translucent resin. The internal haze of the light diffusion layer is 45% to 80%.

Abstract: A novel transparent film is disclosed. Re (?) and Rth (?) of the film defined by the following formulae (I) and (II) satisfy the following formulae (III) and (IV): Re(?)=(nx?ny)×d,??(I) Rth(?)={(nx+ny)/2?nz}×d,??(II) 0?|Re(630)|?50,??(III) Rth(400)×Rth(700)?0, and 0?|Rth(700)?Rth(400)|?150,??(IV) wherein Re (?) means an in-plane retardation value at a wavelength ? nm (unit: nm); Rth (?) means a thickness-direction retardation value at a wavelength ?, nm (unit: nm); nx means a refractive index in the in-plane slow-axis direction; ny means a refractive index in the in-plane fast-axis direction; nz means a refractive index in the film thickness direction; and d means a thickness of the film.

Abstract: A transparent film is disclosed. The film comprises a domain in which the Nz value in the normal direction of the film surface shows monotonous increase from 0 to 1 or monotonous decrease from 1 to 0, and having an in-plane retardation Re at a wavelength of 550 nm falling within the range from 510 to 610 nm, provided that Nz is defined as Nz=0.5+Rth(550)/Re(550), where Rth(550) and Re(550) respectively indicate a thickness-direction retardation and an in-plane retardation at a wavelength of 550 nm.

Abstract: The invention relates to a polarizing plate comprising at least a polarizing layer having a K value as defined by the following expression of from 0.25 to 0.75; K=(kx?kz)/(kx?ky) wherein axes which are orthogonal to each other in a plane of the polarizing layer are an x-axis and a y-axis; an axis which is orthogonal to an x-y axis plane is a z-axis; and kx, ky and kz are an absorption coefficient along the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis directions, respectively.

Abstract: To provide a liquid crystal display device in which the transmitted light is inhibited not only in the front direction but also in oblique directions in the black state.

Abstract: An optical compensation film comprising a light absorbing layer capable of absorbing at least light of wavelength ? nm in the visible light region is disclosed. The light absorbing layer has absorption anisotropy, light absorption coefficient kz(?) in the direction normal to the surface of layer (in the direction of z-axis), with respect to light of wavelength ? nm in the visible light region, being larger than in-plane (x-y plane) light absorption coefficients kx(?) and ky(?); and the light absorbing layer has the larger degree of absorption anisotropy at the light of longer wavelength. A liquid crystal display device employing the film is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical compensation film comprising a light absorbing layer and a retardation layer, wherein the light absorbing layer shows absorption anisotropy in the plane (x-y plane) thereof with respect to light of wavelength ? nm in the visible light region and a degree of polarization P of 0.986 or smaller, and the in-plane absorption axis of the light absorbing layer and the in-plane slow axis of the retardation layer are orthogonal to each other.