display alliance news 8.18.2010

HannStar to increase CF capacity.
TFT-LCD panel maker HannStar Display plans to spend NT$4.724 billion (US$148 million) increasing monthly color filter (CF) capacity by 50,000 sheets at its 5.3G plant in order to achieve 100% self-sufficiency, according to the company. Read the full article here.

Australia bullish on digital growth.
Lower screen prices and the shift away from print media are among the biggest factors building Australia’s digital out-of-home market, new research says. Researcher Frost and Sullivan predicts that the value of digital-signage systems sold in Australia will grow 12 percent annually over the next three years, to reach AUD58.4m ($53m) by 2013. Read the full article here.

LCD-TV Prices Increase as New Models Arrive and Promotions Fade.
LCD-TV pricing in the United States surged upward in July as brands and retailers introduced new models with enhanced features and slowed promotional activities designed to move older sets, according to iSuppli Corp. The average retail price in July for an LCD-TV in the United States amounted to $1,136, up 7.2 percent from $1,060 in June, the highest rate of increase in at least a year. The price also was up 2.8 percent from $1,104 in July 2009. While pricing often oscillates on a month-to-month basis, a year-over-year increase is unusual in the LCD-TV market, where annual price erosion rules due to falling panel costs and escalating competition. Read the full article here.

Spain Takes Major Digital Leap Forward.
Following several recent deals with major circuits, the Spanish market is now priming itself for major digital conversion. Yelmo Cines, the third largest exhibitor in Spain has reached an agreement with European d-cinema facilitator Arts Alliance Media to equip its entire screen estate with high-end digital technology. The deal for all 370 screens will begin immediately and marks the largest d-cinema deployment agreement in the Spanish market to date. Read the full article here.

Viewsonic Going All-LED Backlighting By 2011.
Good news: traditionally-illuminated displays are going the way of the dodo. Viewsonic is phasing out all non-LED displays and hopes to only have LED-backlit units by early 2011. It probably wasn’t that hard of a choice to make; LEDs are getting cheaper and cheaper, and their cachet in the market is getting greater and greater. Sourced from CrunchGear.

eMagin to supply ITT with $15.2 million OLED-XL microdisplays for the US Army.
eMagin has announced that they have been awarded a $15.2 million subcontract by ITT Corporation to supply them with OLED-XL microdisplays. These will go into ITT's Spiral Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (SENVG). Sourced from OLED Info.

Tapping educational e-book reader market needs 2-3 years, says E Ink chairman.
While many vendors of e-book readers have begun looking to the large educational market, tapping the market will take two to three years to see fruition, but demand will grow rapidly, according to EPD (electrophoretic display) maker E Ink Holdings (EIH) chairman Scott Liu. Read the full article here.