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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.

Tokyo, Japan — On Thursday, November 22 Sony released its 11-inch OEL (organic electroluminescent) televisions to roughly 400 large consumer electronics discount stores around Japan.

The official launch of the world’s first mass-market OEL TV was December 1, but sales of audiovisual products in Japan often start before the official release date, as soon as enough quantities become available.

Despite the small screen size, the $1,840 ( ¥200,000 yen) sets have received favourable reviews for their 3mm thickness and high image resolution.Sony plans to make 2,000 units of the OEL TV a month.

The company started accepting advance pre-orders on Nov 14 at its direct marketing Web site. The number of sets that had been made available for pre-orders ran out in just over one hour, according to Sony Style. More at (google translated) SonyStyle Japan.

DRESDEN, Germany–BUSINESS WIRE–Nov 05, ‘07–Novaled achieved significant improvements for white OLEDs for lighting applications. An efficiency of 35lm/W and a lifetime of 100,000h were reached at a brightness of 1000 cd/sqm.

Based on its proprietary Novaled PIN OLED technology and materials, Novaled achieved significant improvements for white OLEDs for lighting applications. An OLED device with an efficiency of 35 lm/W at a brightness of 1,000 cd/sqm and a lifetime of above 100,000 h has been realized. The device exhibits CIE colour coordinates of x,y = 0,43/0,44 with a colour rendering index CRI of 90.

The OLED features a stacked setup with blue fluorescent and red/green phosphorescent emitter materials (hybrid approach). For the stacking layer and transport layer Novaled proprietary materials have been used. The OLED device is equipped with a standard outcoupling enhancement film. The measurement was carried out in an integrating sphere taking into account only the full forward emission with substrate edges and backside covered, thus corresponding to a real case application. At a brightness level of 4,000 cd/sqm the efficiency is 31 lm/W, with no significant changes in colour and CRI value.

“With this achievement Novaled proves once more the advantages of its technology and associated materials for an OLED device combining high performance and long lifetime”, says Jan Birnstock, Novaled VP Technology Transfer. “We are working on enhanced outcoupling solutions and large area devices. When associated with a proper phosphorescent blue, we are confident of reaching 100 lm/W combined with a long lifetime in the near future.” Novaled.

According to Reuters, Sony will launch an ultra-thin flat TV based on the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology on Dec. 1 in Japan, bringing a new contender to a $82 billion market dominated by LCD and plasma TVs. It will be the world’s first OLED TV, the company said on Monday.

Sony, the world’s No.2 LCD TV maker behind Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, expects an 11-inch OLED TV with a thickness of 3 mm to sell for $1,740.

More at Reuters , Sony…