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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.

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.

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 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!

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

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

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…