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Tokyo, Japan — Dec 25, `07 –BUSINESS WIRE– Hitachi, Canon and Matsushita Electric today reached a basic agreement on a comprehensive alliance aimed at reinforcing and growing the liquid crystal display (LCD) panel businesses and technologies.

Under this alliance, the three companies will merge their strengths to accelerate the development of cutting-edge display technologies and expand their scope of application. Hitachi possesses sophisticated liquid crystal-related technologies, including the world-acclaimed In-Plane Switching (“IPS”) technology that enables outstanding color reproducibility, wide viewing angles and other superior features. Canon, meanwhile, excels in the camera, printer and medical equipment fields while Matsushita commands global leadership in the flat-panel TV field.

Moreover, it has been basically agreed by the three companies that Canon and Matsushita will, by transfer of shares from Hitachi, each acquire 24.9% of the shares of Hitachi Displays, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi engaged in small- and medium-sized LCD panel-related businesses, by March 31, 2008, subject to approvals by regulatory authorities. As a result, Hitachi’s stake in Hitachi Displays is to become 50.2%.

Hitachi will strengthen its competitiveness in the flat-panel LCD TV sector by using state-of-the-art LCD panels to develop the world’s thinnest flat-panel LCD TV and its ultra-thin flat-panel LCD TVs “Wooo UT series.”

Canon aims to accelerate ongoing development of organic light-emitting diode (“OLED”) displays by teaming up with Hitachi, which also boasts advanced display technologies.

Matsushita is expanding and strengthening its mainline PDP operations. It is also deepening its involvement in the businesses of Hitachi Displays, a designer, manufacturer and marketer of IPS liquid crystal panels for large TVs, and of IPS Alpha. The aim is to exploit the outstanding performance and cost advantage of the IPS alpha Panel toward increasing the competitive edge of the VIErA Series of flat-panel TVs in step with PDP models.

As the second stage, the three companies are planning ownership changes that would have Canon, a company with extensive know-how in small- and medium-sized displays from the user side, take a majority holding in Hitachi Displays, and Matsushita, a universally acknowledged leader in the TV sector, take a majority holding in IPS Alpha. More here.

Osaka and Tokyo — Dec 21, `07 — Sharp and Toshiba announced today that the two companies have agreed to collaborate closely in LCDs, a move that is expected to enhance the companies’ corporate value, profitability and global competitiveness.

The alliance will allow each company to make full and effective use of its respective strengths and resources, particularly Sharp’s capabilities in LCDs and Toshiba’s expertise in advanced semiconductors.

Sharp and Toshiba will initiate the collaborative partnership in fiscal year 2008, starting with an expansion of reciprocal procurement – Sharp’s procurement of system LSIs for LCDs from Toshiba, and Toshiba’s procurement of Sharp’s LCD modules for TVs of 32 inches and larger. Through the program, Sharp aims to satisfy about 50 percent of its total demand for system LSIs for TVs in fiscal year 2010, while Toshiba targets meeting 40 percent of its demand for LCD modules in the same year. More at Toshiba.

SAN DIEGO & SEOUL, Korea –BUSINESS WIRE– Dec 17, `07 — DivX and LG today announced the launch of two additional models in the DivX Certified Time Machine TV Series specifically targeted for South America.

The two new models of LG’s DivX Certified Time Machine TV Series join millions of DivX Certified devices on the market today that play back high-quality DivX video content.

The two additional models, the 42LB9RT and 32LB9RT, are LCD offerings that deliver high image and audio quality for digital content using much less bandwidth than regular analog devices. These devices boast a simultaneous watch-and-record function and the ability to transfer high-quality DivX content directly to the TV through the USB port.

Maintaining the exceptional standards of the Time Machine TV Series, these models include a built-in 80 gigabyte hard disc drive for Time Shift function and recording as well as a USB 2.0 port, for backing up recorded content and enabling the direct playback of MP3, JPEG and DivX formats. More here.

On Wednesday, Dec 12, Sharp Corporation filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics in the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea.

The complaint alleges that (1) liquid crystal display (LCD) modules manufactured and/or sold by Samsung in South Korea and (2) LCD TVs manufactured and/or sold by Samsung in South Korea that incorporate these LCD modules infringe upon three LCD-related Korean patents that are owned by Sharp.

In the complaint, Sharp requests that the Court award it compensatory damages and prohibit the manufacturing and sale of the infringing products in South Korea.

The three patents named in the lawsuit are Korean Patent Numbers 371,939, 740,570 and 776,988. These patents relate to LCD technologies that achieve high brightness and high-speed response, as well as a wide viewing angle by regulating and stabilizing the alignment of the LCD molecules.

On August 6, 2007, Sharp filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung and its US subsidiaries Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA) and Samsung Telecommunications America (STA) in the US. That lawsuit is now pending. More at Sharp.

SAN JOSE, Calif –BUSINESS WIRE– Nov 29, ‘07 — New LED-backlit LCD displays of Samsung Electronics are now available in large premium-model, full-HD TVs at major U.S retailers for the holiday season.

The new panels enable a huge jump in the dynamic contrast ratio from between 5,000:1 and 25,000:1, to 100,000:1 and even 500,000:1, for the clearest images on the market today.

Available in 40-inch, 46-inch, 52-inch and 57-inch diagonal screen sizes, Samsung’s new “local dimming,” LED (light-emitting diode) technology provides a brightness level of 450nits, and reduces power consumption by as much as 30 percent.

Depending upon the number of LEDs used in a screen panel design, the dynamic contrast ratio can improve the contrast in colors by as much as a thousand percent over the CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) LCD TVs typically used today.

Another significant advantage to Samsung’s “local dimming” technology is that the LED scanning process shuts off the diodes in precise sequences, thereby essentially eliminating any remnants of ‘image ghosting’ that had previously been a drawback in some LCD TVs.

With local-dimming LEDs, hundreds of wafer-thin diodes about the width of the eye’s pupil are electronically turned off and on in exacting sequences that respond to movement on the screen – areas only a fraction of what was previously possible with the most prevalent form of TV backlighting – long, thin fluorescent lamps. In black areas of the picture, the diodes can be completely shut off in order to generate total blackness.

Samsung said that its new extreme-contrast LCD panels is now available in Samsung TVs in the U.S., and also will be featured in HDTV’s produced by other manufacturers. The local dimming LED display does not contain mercury.

SEOUL — Nov 22, ‘07 — South Korea’s Samsung Electronics said on Thursday it plans to invest $2.21 billion (2.06 trillion won) to expand its eighth-generation liquid crystal display (LCD) line, Reuters reported.

“Samsung, which had been cooperating with Japan’s Sony for its No. 8 line, is making the investment on its own for this phase, a Samsung official said.” Reuters.

Toshiba UK is offering one of the very thin, but still not as thin as Samsung’s 10mm, Full 1080p HD LCD TV in the UK market, Toshiba 40XF355D. Its available for approx $2460 onwards from various UK retailers.

Quick Specs

40″ 16:9
1920×1080p
10000:1 Dynamic Contrast
500 cd/m² Brightness
178º Degrees Viewing Angle
10-bit Color Processing
3 HDMI with Deep Color
REGZA link
WXGA PC Input
934×578x130; 22.5Kgs (Without Stand)

More at Toshiba UK.

Weybridge, 12 November, 2007 - Sony Europe’s IT Peripherals division today announced a new range of high performance AV cables designed to complete the high quality sound and viewing experience of Sony’s home theatre products.

Available for a number of Sony AV products, including BRAVIA flat screen TVs, VAIO PC and laptops, PLAY STATION 3 consoles or Blu-Ray Disc video players - Sony’s AV cable range has been specifically designed using the highest quality components to produce clearer, cleaner sounds and pictures. Following the same design principles as Sony’s home theatre products the range includes Digital HDMI, Component Video, SCART, Optical Digital Audio, Coaxial Digital and Stereo Audio cables.

The cables complement the midrange HDMI cables already introduced by Sony in April 2007 and provide a setup for more discerning users. Ready for HD viewing Sony’s Digital HDMI cables support full 1080P HD signals and the x.v. Colour standard for better looking HDTV. The cables also support Sony’s BRAVIA Theatre Sync one touch control, are PS3 compatible. Sony’s AV cable range is available immediately and comes in 1, 3 and 5 metre lengths.

Sony’s AV cable components have been carefully selected to mirror the audio and image quality of Sony home theatre products. The connectors are 24k gold plated, giving excellent signal transmission and protecting from corrosion within the home environment. More at Sony.

Nov 09, ‘07 — Samsung said Friday it had stopped selling flat panel televisions and other consumer products in Japan, citing poor profitability.

Samsung has emerged in the past decade and a half as a global force in consumer electronics, taking on and even beating Japanese rivals in places such as the United States and Europe. But penetrating the competitive Japanese consumer market, home to rivals such as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp., appears to have been a considerable challenge.

“We judged direct sales to individual consumers are less profitable than business-to-business sales,” Lee Eun-hee, a Samsung spokeswoman, said of the reasoning behind the decision. Samsung sold LCD TVs, DVD players, MP3 music players and other items in Japan via the Internet, but stopped at the end of October, Lee said. It had ceased sales in retail outlets in August last year, she said.

Samsung will sell flat screen computer monitors directly to businesses and will continue to sell components such as memory chips and liquid crystal displays, she said. The company will also keep supplying mobile phone handsets to Japanese telecommunications company Softbank Corp., she said.

Since 2004, Samsung has produced LCD panels at a joint venture with Sony to meet strong demand for flat screen TVs, which has soared in recent years as consumers have switched to the sleeker versions.

Nov 07, ‘07 — Hitachi has stopped shipments for Rear-Projection TVs (RPTVs) in North America and its Mexican factories ceased production of RPTVs this summer, according to a Japanese-language Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun report, according to Digitimes.

Digitimes further writes, “Hitachi’s shipment for RPTVs in North America declined from 360,000 units in 2004 to 30,000 units in 2007, citing the report. More at Digitimes.

“It is Samsung SDI that is supplying OLED panel products now,” said Ho Kyoon Chung, executive vice president and CTO, Corporate R&D Center, Samsung SDI Co Ltd of Korea, in the FPD Summit (keynote session) at the “FPD International 2007 Forum” October 24. 

He presented the company’s OLED panel roadmap and said, “OLED panels have opened the new era of organic optoelectronics. Not only displays but also new applications such as OLED lighting systems, organic electro-luminescent power generators and organic sensors will emerge in the near future.” 

Explaining the company’s product development roadmap, Chung said, “Following small panels used in 2007, 3.5- to 7-inch panels including 4.1-inch panels will be applied to ultra mobile PCs, for example, in 2008. Then we will realize 14-, 15- and 21-inch panels in 2009 and large 40- to 42-inch full HD (high definition) OLED TVs in 2010.” “We will provide a flexible OLED display by 2012 at the latest,” he added. More at Tech-On!

Oct 29, ‘07 — Sharp is introduciong two world-first 26″ LC-26P1-W, 22″ LC-22P1-W and 32″ LC-32P1-W LCD TVs in Japan to be available from Nov 22, ‘07.

Specs:

-Resolution: 1920×1080
-Brightness: 400cd/m2
-Contrast: 2000:1 (32″), 1500:1 (26″), 1200:1 (22″)
-Viewing Angle: 176
-Connectivity: DVI-D, 2x HDMI, S-Video,
-Availability: Nov 22, ‘07 in Japan

More at (Google translated) Sharp

TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)-October 23, ‘07-Hitachi has achieved yet another consumer electronics breakthrough with today’s announcement of its new line of 1.5-inch (35mm) Ultra Thin HDTV’s. Hitachi also expects to be first to market with its new Ultra Thin series, which will be available in the Japan market in December of 2007. U.S. consumers can expect to see Ultra Thin models in early 2008 – many months before thin displays from other manufacturers.Initially offered in three sizes (32”, 37” and 42”), the displays are designed to provide consumers with a range of options for placement throughout the home.

The new Ultra Thin Displays embody the following features:
-External Electrode Fluorescent Lamp(EEFL)
-Wide Viewing Angle
-Hitachi’s Proprietary “Anti-Judder” Technique(37” & 42”)
-Picture Master Full HD
-High Audio Quality
-Highly Refined and Energy Efficient Design

More at BusinessWire

Seoul, Oct 22 (Korea Newswire)– Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world’s largest provider of thin-film-transistor, liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD), will unveil a diverse array of leading-edge LCD panels for monitors, TVs and digital information displays at FPD International 2007, in Yokohama, Japan, October 24-26.

At the trade show dedicated to flat panel displays, Samsung will introduce a 40-inch (101.6cm) diagonal Full HD LCD TV panel only 10.0 millimeters thick. This new display, expected to usher in the next wave of large-screen TVs, has the same profile as 10-20 inch LCDs designed for desktop monitors. Its bezel has been reduced from a conventional 30mm to 14.6mm. The panel, using an LED backlight, reproduces 92 percent of the NTSC standard for color saturation and features low power consumption of 90 watts or less.

More at NewsWire

Seoul, Korea (October 18, 2007) – LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd., one of the world’s leading innovators of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) technology, announced today that it plans to launch a 42-inch TFT-LCD TV panel that is substantially thinner than conventional panels, at only 19.8 mm, in the first quarter of 2008. This ultra-slim 42-inch LCD panel will be on display at FPD International 2007 in Yokohama, Japan, from October 24 to 26.

This panel is 40 percent thinner and 10 percent lighter than conventional 42-inch LCD TV panels. Despite its slim profile, the panel still manages to incorporate cutting edge 120Hz technology, which eliminates motion blur, and full HD resolution, which is twice as sharp as normal HD resolution. LG.Philips LCD used a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlight on this panel, which kept production costs lower than using a comparable LED backlight.

More at LG.Philips LCD

Akihabaranews is reporting on Samsung’s new 52″ full HD LCD TV with LED backlight and brings some nice pictures too. Samsung LN52F91BD will feature 3 HDMI 1.3 port, a USB 2.0 and ‘Data Link’ (Infolink) to get news, weather, stocks in real time from MSN.

More at Akihabaranews

There are some conflicting reports surfacing on Australian government’s proposed regulations to ban most plasma and LCD HDTVs by the year 2011. Jesse Denzin-Weber of theInquirer is reporting “WITH AN EYE ON melting Antarctica, the Australian government is proposing regulations that would ban most plasma and LCD HDTVs by the year 2011.

After commissioning a report that found the popularity of high power-drawing TVs like plasma and LCD TVs is growing. The bigger and brighter screens get, the more power is required, and Australia is trying to crack down on energy consumption. This is the government that was looking into banning incandescent bulbs in favor of fluorescent bulbs earlier this year.

The government is proposing a new energy rating system based on six stars to inform consumers about the power performance of TVs.

The Australia Broadcasting Company (ABC) is reporting that under the proposed system the majority of current plasma HDTVs would not meet the requirements and would be removed from the market. In addition to placing limits on the maximum power consumption, the report also suggests that minimum energy performance standards should be put into place. This would keep poor performing products from being sold  in Australia.”

On  the same story Matthew Henry of Current.com.au writes “The industry body representing many of the leading TV brands has rejected suggestions that many current plasma and LCD TVs could be banned from sale within a year, which has been reported in the press today.

Australian Digital Suppliers Industry Forum (ADSIF) chairman, Ross Henderson, told Current.com.au that articles published in response to a new report on proposed energy efficiency standards for TVs were potentially misleading.

“The idea that plasmas and LCDs are going to disappear from the market is simply something that is not in the report,” said Henderson.

“The [Digital CEnergy] report is about suggesting guidelines to implement greater efficiency standards.”

The discussion paper, titled Television Energy Rating Labels: The case, and proposal, for MEPS and Labelling Televisions, argues for a labeling scheme to be introduced in 2008 with mandatory requirements phased in from 2009. But Henderson said home entertainment suppliers are in discussions with the government to work out a suitable timeframe.

ADSIF met with the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) last week to discuss proposals for an energy labeling regime.
“No manufacturers were arguing against energy efficiency standards, the industry supports it. It is just a discussion about the timing and making sure that due process is followed,” he said.”

More at theInquirer / Current.com.au

Aving News Network is reporting from CEATEC 2007 - Tokyo, Japan, ” Mitsubishi unveiled its 140-inch indoor full color LED display ‘Resolia’ with 15cm thickness during CEATEC 2007. Mitsubishi affirmed its willingness to hold the large display market, while introducing an installation procedure.”

More info & pictures at Aving…