Display Alliance News 12.30.2010
Jin KimCPT Chairman Urges Taiwan Government to Loosen Previous-Generation Restrictions on Panel Investment in China
CPT was interested in going to China, but China-based TV vendors have already begun entering the panel industry, along with Samsung Electronics, LG Display and other Taiwan-based panel makers. It is estimated that there are about eight players investing in 5G and above production plants in China currently. Furthermore, based on the Taiwan government's rules, panel makers need to keep their most advanced production plants in Taiwan, which means CPT could only set up a 5G plant in China, which would be uncompetitive. For these reasons CPT has decided to delay any plans.
In other CPT news, the company will set up a touch panel production line in Fuzhou, China with mass production scheduled for May 2011.
ITO Glass Supply to Remain Short in First Half of 2011
ITO glass supplier AimCore Technology expects the shortage of ITO glass to continue into the first half of 2011, and in order to meet client demand, AimCore has started capacity expansion which is scheduled to join production in the third quarter of 2011, according to company president Alex Chiang.
According to the US Geological Survey known reserves overwhelmingly located in China will be exhausted by 2020 at the current rate of consumption. LCD manufacturers are currently developing ITO alternatives.
BOE Signs Loan of CNY10.5 Billion for 8.5G TFT LCD Plant
China-based BOE Technology has announced that its subsidiary Beijing BOE Display Technology has signed a syndicated loan of CNY10.5 billion (US$1.59 billion) for its 8.5G TFT-LCD panel production plant [...]
Securing financial wherewithal to build a 8.5G LCD fab is one thing, acquiring senior engineers with 8G and larger LCD lines is another and more difficult.
Connected TVs Forecast to Account for 21% of Global TV Shipments in 2010
Growth of connected TVs was fueled by the Japanese market in 2010 with strong market growth driven by the Eco Points system, and very high penetration of connected TVs, driven by domestic brands’ strategies and by high levels of broadband access. Emerging markets will play a key role in the future growth of this segment, with Eastern Europe forecast to grow from 2.5 million connected TVs shipped in 2010 to over 10 million in 2014. DisplaySearch findings also suggest that 12% of flat panel TVs sold in China in 2010 will have internet capability.
Google TV has been a flop, but there are other products such as Apple TV, Roku and others that connect TVs to the Internet. Nonetheless, most TV viewing today is a passive lean-back experience and change in our TV behavior will take time.
Compal to Use New Panel Plant for In-House Tablet PC Development
Taiwan-based notebook maker Compal Electronics has announced will spend NT$1.4 billion (US$47.67 million) to acquire Chunghwa Picture Tubes' (CPT's) 4.5G color filter (CF) plant via its wholly-owned subsidiary HengHao Technology, and company spokesperson Gary Lu has pointed out that the plant will be used for Compal's tablet PC products in the short term. With assistance from the subsidiary, Compal will be able to shorten its R&D time for tablet PCs, while strengthen the device's competitiveness.
Princen Internet Diensten Develops Web-based Digital Signage Tool
Digital signage company Adtraxion Systems, in partnership with online portal provider Princen Internet Diensten, have announced the PG Portal, which the companies say allows customers to publish, maintain and manage digital signage with minimal effort and from any location with Internet connectivity.
Streamlining and simplifying digital signage content management is becoming a crucial component to successful digital signage deployments. Web-based or browser-based tools such as those from Princen allows wider penetration of digital signage.
Verizon Unveils Details of Home Control System
As expected, telephone and FiOS TV provider Verizon is rolling out its own "connected home" home control system, to compete with those from ADT, Comcast and others, and will include some energy management functions such as thermostat, energy readers, smart appliance and smart power strip control.
The goal is to reduce energy consumption through easy-to-measure analytics and controllability in the home. This also means the need for in-home displays with simple informatics.
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