The Flat Panel Display News Source 5.16.2012

Samsung: We're getting "huge" orders for flexible OLED panels "Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun says that Samsung is getting "huge" orders from other electronic makers for flexible OLED panels. Kwon re-confirms the plan to produce flexible OLEDs in 2012. According to reports, Samsung has converted several OLED lines for flexible panels, and these lines will produce 960,000 OLED "sheets" by the end of year." via OLED-Info

LED Backlights Done Right "Although most commercial LED rails for LCD displays are designed to be driven serially, General Digital employs a serial-parallel design philosophy, whereby we drive the LEDs in groupings of three or four. The advantage to this method is that instead of rendering the entire rail inoperable, a single LED failure will only affect its immediate grouping (soft failure). This means that singular or multiple LED failures will not render the monitor inoperable, and in most cases will still provide a very uniform backlight–essential for mission critical applications." via General Digital

Minuscule Microprojector Promises Bright, Touchable Displays Of The Future "These Fraunhofer microprojectors are still quite a ways off from being implemented into real phones, but the technology is certainly interesting. Based on an insect’s compound eye, the projector is a wafer of tiny LEDs that can twist and turn depending on position. This means there is no 'keystoning' and the beams striking the surface will always be 'crisp and clear.'" via CrunchGear

Evaluation Kit of OLED-Based Binocular Interactive See-through Data Eye-glasses "Using such unique system the display is working as an actuator and influences the user by virtually projected images. The user interacts via his/her gaze e.g. focusing a virtual button. The embedded camera acts as sensor and captures the current image of the users gaze and a computer-system receives these images and calculates with an eye-tracking algorithm the point of gaze coordinates and provides these coordinates to the interactive application. The application processes the user interaction and generates a new virtual image." via OLED-Display.net

Reversing Recent Declines, Large-Area TFT LCD Panel Makers Expect Shipments to Grow by 11% and Revenues by 14% in Q2’12 "Large–area TFT LCD panel shipments declined in both Q4’11 and Q1’12, reflecting adjustments in supply chain inventories. However, with brands and OEMs increasing orders and with panel makers increasing capacity utilization, Q2’12 shipments are expected to grow by double digits. This, along with the recent panel price rebound, indicates the recovery of the TFT LCD industry." via DisplaySearch

The Flat Panel Display News Source 3.23.2012

Barracuda Waterproof LCD Monitor "Designed to meet IP67 and NEMA4X standards, the Barracuda holds up against the assaults of complete immersion in liquids as well as exposure to humidity, dust, blowing sand and the like. These qualifications make it ideal for use in military and mining applications." via DisplayAllianceOpen

Aligning liquid crystal molecules "The compact size, ease of use and low power consumption of liquid crystal (LC) devices have made them popular for use in photonics products, such as displays for cellphones, televisions, and tablet computers. A typical LC device comprises a thin LC layer a few micrometers thick sandwiched between a pair of indium tin oxide (ITO) conducting glass substrates." via SPIE

TVs and Tablets to Get the "Retina Display" Treatment "Applied Materials, which makes electronics manufacturing equipment, has introduced machines that make it feasible to use an advanced approach for making displays—previously limited to R&D—at a large scale. This will enable consumer electronics companies to put screens with much higher resolution into many gadgets, Applied Materials says." via MITtechnologyreview

LCD Panel Market Shows Resilience after Japanese Earthquake "Only 5 percent of large-sized LCD panel manufacturing capacity and just 18 percent of small- and medium-sized LCD manufacturing capacity werelocated in Japan in the third quarter. In comparison, Taiwan accounted for 40 percent of large-size capacity and 55 percent of small and medium. Because of this, disruptions to Japan's manufacturing and shipments had only a minor impact on the global LCD market." via InformationDISPLAY

AMOLED penetration puts pressure on makers of small- to mid-size LCD panels "When comparing AMOLED and LTPS LCD in terms of response time, power consumption,weight, thickness and color performance, AMOLED outdoes LTPS LCD. However, AMOLEDS cost higher, but its production capacity is continually increasing, which makes it subject to price reduction in the future." via GlobalLEDs/OLEDs

China Increases its LCD Import Duty; Time to Move Fabs to China? "China’s Ministry of Finance has officially announced changes in import duties on certain products, among them LCD TV panels. As we discussed last December, discussions have been ongoing for some time about changing the LCD import dutycurrently 5% on all modules and 3% for 26” and larger TV open cells and cells (semi-finished modules). Effective April 1st, the duty on 32” and larger TV open cells and cells will be increased to 5%." via DisplaySearchBlog

The Flat Panel Display News Source 3.20.2012

Applied Materials BlogCUTTING-EDGE LCDS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW "he display industry is in the middle of one of the most significant technical transitions of the last 20 years and it is also mostly invisible to the average consumer. It has all to do with the advances taking place in transistors – the electronic switches that control the display’s picture, providing clarity and crisp imagery." via Applied Materials

Southern Products, Inc. Ships Nine New Models of LED/LCD Televisions to Fry's Electronics "Southern Products (OTCBB: SNPD), a new manufacturer of "Assembled in the USA" flat-panel televisions announced today that it has commenced shipping a full line of nine new model LED and LCD flat panel televisions to the 34 Fry's Electronics retail stores throughout the USA." via PRNewsWire

Digital Displays Explained "Super AMOLED. PenTile. LED. IPS. Super-IPS. Some of the hyped items are legitimate descriptions of new technologies, and some of them are just marketing buzzwords for minor tweaks. This guide will help you better understand how digital display technologies work, and what some of the major terms mean." via PCWorld

Stealth.com Introduces a New 21.5" Marine / All-Weather, Widescreen, HD, Sunlight Readable LCD Monitor "The SVM-2150W 21.5" marine / all weather LCD monitor was designed utilizing LED backlighting for optimal energy efficiency while still delivering up to 1,000 Nits (Cd/m2) of pure brightness. The wide-view LCD operates in a 16:9 aspect ratio while delivering full 1080p HD resolution (1920 x 1080). Front mounted controls include, menu, brightness, contrast, night mode, input select, up/down and picture-in-picture. Resistive Touch Screen comes standard with USB connectivity." via STEALTH

Corning to Showcase Advanced Glass Innovations at FPD China 2012 "For example, Gorilla Glass, which is currently used by 33 major brands, designed into more than 600 product models, and featured on more than 600 million devices worldwide, helps meet the demand for durable display glass. Corning Gorilla Glass 2 is the next generation of the popular damage-resistant cover glass for consumer electronic devices enabling up to a 20% reduction in cover glass thickness." via Corning

Focus Media Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 Results "Total net revenue for full year 2011 was $792.6 million, an increase of 54% from $516.3 million for full year 2010 which aggregate net revenue from the LCD display network, in-store network, poster frame network and movie theater network was $737.0 million, representing an increase of 55% from $475.4 million for full year 2010" via FocusMedia

Apple: We Just Sold Three Million iPads "In an announcement published moments ago, the company said that it has sold 3 million new iPads since the device’s launch last Friday." via AllThingsD

Sharp working to ship new iPad panels after delay "Sharp Corp. is trying to begin shipments of its delayed new display panels for tablet computers "as soon as possible," the company's incoming president said Monday." via MarketWatch

Chinese iPad User Proves That The New iPad Can Be Almost Too Hot to Hold "There have been several reports about some new iPad owners are finding that their tablets suffer from a serious overheating issue during typical usage. Today, a Chinese user proved it with a professional procedure that the new iPad is far hotter than previous iPads – literally – and can be uncomfortable to use." via MICgadget

The Flat Panel Display News Source 3.15.2012

LCD touchscreen elevator panel wins Good Design Award "The touchscreen replaces traditional mechanical buttons, offering elevator passengers a new, interactive experience. Featuring a full-colour LCD screen, the T2 is a totally software-customisable and vandal-proof product, and is said to be an attractive and versatile solution for every building owner wishing to extend their interior design into their elevators with an added level of sophistication." via Architecture&Design

Cleaning the Mean Screen a.k.a. How to Clean an LCD Monitor 101 "Finally, all that is left is the execution of this endeavor. After folding the lint-free wipes in half twice, spray the wipe with the cleaner. Never spray the screen directly. You’ll want to lightly wipe the screen from top to bottom. Because the height of the screen is a shorter distance than the width, you are less likely to re-deposit debris onto the screen. Also, you’ll want to wipe the screen at a rate that is slow enough to wipe away any foreign particles but fast enough not to leave smudges in its wake." via DisplayAlliance

IPAD RETINA DISPLAY: SAMSUNG LTN097QL01-A02 "iFixit tore down the new iPad and found a Samsung LTN097QL01-A02." via DisplayBlog

iFixit begins disassembling the new iPad, reveals Samsung-built LCD and processor on board "We knew it was coming, but iFixit has finally received a shiny new iPad (with LTE) to dissect. That teardown is going on right now — we're looking forward to finding out for sure that the new iPad includes 1GB of RAM (though benchmarks have already tipped us off to that), and iFixit already believes that the LCD is made by Samsung, based on the model numbers." via TheVerge

Global Flat Panel Displays Market to Reach US$110 Billion by 2017, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. "Major players in the marketplace include AU Optronics Corp., Clover Display Limited, Chimei Innolux Corporation, Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd., Densitron Technologies PLC, Emerging Display Technologies Corp., Hantronix Inc., HannStar Display Corp., LG Display Co., Ltd., Microtips Technology Inc., Okaya Electric Industries Co., Ltd., Powertip Technology Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd., Universal Display Corporation, Viewsonic Corporation, among others." via SFGate

TPK to start volume production of Touch on Lens panels in July "Based on TPK's roadmap, the company aims to roll out two million small-size as well as 500,000 medium-size ToL panels a month initially, said Chiang, adding that TPK has landed orders for small-size ToL panels from two clients, while waiting for verification for the medium-size models from two other clients." via DigiTimes

Digital Signage Networks Average 12.4 Employees: Survey "In our 2009 Digital Signage Pricing Study, we determined that the "average" 100-screen network takes somewhere between 7 and 15 people to run, with an average of around 9 people. Then, in our 2010 Digital Signage Pricing Study, we left the average headcount at 9, but slightly upped the average salary for these personnel to $52.5K, reflecting an across-the-board increase of 5%" via WireSpring

The Display Industry News Source 3.07.2012

Visit Kiosks4Business at the Retail Business Technology Expo "This year Kiosk4Business will be attending to debut some of their newest kiosk designs including the contemporary Okul and the newest member of the family, Nixi. Nixi is a very versatile micro kiosk which is available as desk or wall mounted. Nixi small kiosks start at screen sizes of just 10in up to 15in for but still have many of the features you would expect of a cutting edge design with options for RFID, Barcode scanner, printing and much more." via DisplayAlliance

APPLES NEW IPAD HAS A IPS-LCD RETINA WITH 2048×1536 RESOLUTION "Apples called his IPAD -> The new Ipad <- Retina with 2048×1536 resolution a new LCD-IPS LCD Retina Display with 2048×1536 resolution and 44 percent greater colour saturation and a A5X quad core graphics processor. The iPad has 3.1 million pixels with 264ppi." via OLED-Display

TPK February revenues down 9% on-month "According to TPK chairman Chao-Juei Chiang, Windows 8 can extend touch applications to notebooks, all-in-one (AIO) computers and other consumer electronics. This will also increase the size of touch panels from 3.5-inch to 10-, 15-, 22- and 32-inch models. TPK has been eager to expand product lines to cover digital cameras and gaming devices." via DigiTimes

AU Optronics, LG to make panels for iPad mini "AU Optronics and LG will make LCD panels for a 7.85in iPad that Apple will launch in the third quarter of 2012, according to reports...The report also claims that it will be Pegatron, not Foxconn that assembles the units for Apple." via Macworld

ViewSonic Spotlights Ultra Narrow 55" LCD Commercial Display and Network Media Player During DSE 2012 "The new CDX5550-L 55" slim bezel display targets the video wall industry, providing high definition brightness at 700 nits and a color contrast ratio of up to 4000:1, ensuring viewers receive beautiful HD images. The energy saving LED backlight and multiple video inputs (HDMI, VGA, DVI, S-Video, YPbPr and CVBS) provide bold picture quality. The display also features Intel's OPS slot for easy integration with any OPS compatible media player." via Technology-Digital

Shipments of 3D LCD TV Panels Reach 21M in 2011, Reaching 10% Penetration "Shipments of 3D LCD TV panels spiked to 7.8 million in Q411, up 26% Q/Q. As a result, total 3D TV panel shipments in 2011 reached 21.2 million, accounting for 10% of all LCD TV panels shipped According to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Large-Area TFT LCD Shipment Report Advanced LED + 3D, panel makers are targeting very strong growth of 138% for 2012, which would lead to 3D LCD TV panel shipments of 50 million units, for a penetration rate of 21.6% of all LCD TV panel shipments." via ECN

The Display Industry News Source 2.24.2012

A Tale of Two Displays "Our fine friends at Macrumors sent us a special little something in the mail the other day – the same purported iPad 3 screen with which they confirmed the existence of a “Retina” display! Since they had no means of hooking up the LCD to an iPad 2, we investigated the issue a bit further and saw if we could get their LCD running on the current-gen iPad." via iFixit

LED-Backlit Units Made Up 52% Of LCD TV Shipments In Q4’11 "The penetration ratio of LED backlighting on LCD televisions has increased significantly over the past couple of years, having increased from just 4 percent in January 2010 to 32 percent in January 2011, and then to 54 percent in December 2011. Over the course of last year, the overall number of LED LCD TVs shipped came in at 89.7 million units, contributing to an estimated 44 percent of LCD TV shipment." via HDTVtest

Some LCD panel prices trending up, says AUO executive "Panels that have received price hikes include 24-inch monitor and TV panels, and 40- and 42-inch TV panels, Peng indicated, but added that downward pressure on prices of 32-inch TV panels is mounting due to capacity ramps by China-based makers." via DigiTimesDisplays

Samsung Settles Lawsuit, Will Repair Certain TV Models "Samsung Electronics America (SEA) issued a notice Thursday that it has agreed to offer free repairs to Oklahoma residents who purchased certain LCD, Plasma, and DLP TVs from the company that have malfunctioned due to capacitor issues." via PCMAG

Demand for auto displays to grow nearly 50% by 2015, says DisplaySearch "As flat panel displays become more prevalent in applications such as navigation, multi-functional in-console monitors and rear seat entertainment, shipments for the automotive segment are forecast to grow from 42 million units in 2011 to 62 million in 2015, according to DisplaySearch." via DigiTimesDisplays