display alliance news 8.26.2010

Sharp slowing larger LCD panel production, but Sony to feel the squeeze.
Reports have surfaced that Sharp will be lowering the production capacity of its new Sakai LCD panel factory by 20 to 30 percent for the next two months, apparently in response to piling inventory in the US and China as production outpaced demand. Sharp however hasn't verified these claims and dutifully reiterated its expectations to meet sales forecasts for the fiscal year of 2010. Read the full article at engadget.

Outdoor Digital Signage in the UK – Grows to 12 percent of all outdoor advertising.
The outdoor digital signage market is growing strongly in the UK. In the second quarter of 2010 the industry is up 16.2 percent on the previous year, reports the Outdoor Advertising Association (OAA). The UK outdoor digital signage market is now contributing to 12.8 percent of the entire outdoor advertising sector making the United Kingdom one of the fastest growing areas in the industry. Read the full article here on DA.

3 Micron University of Michigan logo Demonstrates Advanced Display technology.
In a step toward more efficient, smaller and higher-definition display screens, a University of Michigan professor has developed a new type of color filter made of nano-thin sheets of metal with precisely spaced gratings. Conventional LCDs, or liquid crystal displays, are inefficient and manufacturing-intensive to produce. Only about 5 percent of their back-light travels through them and reaches our eyes, Guo said. They contain two layers of polarizers, a color filter sheet, and two layers of electrode-laced glass in addition to the liquid crystal layer. Chemical colorants for red, green and blue pixel components must be patterned in different regions on the screen in separate steps. Read the rest of this interesting article at shamskm.

Two new halls added for Integrated Systems Europe 2011.
Expansion into Halls 6 and 9 of Amsterdam RAI to cater for growing exhibitor demand. With bookings for the 2011 edition of Integrated Systems Europe running at record levels, organiser Integrated Systems Events has announced that the show will occupy an additional two halls at the Amsterdam RAI. The opening of Halls 6 and 9 gives ISE the chance to accommodate the varying needs of exhibitors who want to increase the amount of space they occupied in 2010, as well as companies who will be new to the event next year. Find out more about the trade show at iseurope.

Green Technology: New Recommendations Make It Easy To Be Green.
The Screen Forum this summer published a list of 12 steps it recommends those rolling out digital signage networks take to heart to minimize the environmental impact of their project. It might not be easy being green if you happen to be the CEO of British Petroleum in light of the Gulf oil disaster, but if you're responsible for a digital signage network being environmentally responsible has never been simpler thanks to the Screen Forum. Read more about the Screen Forum.

Inside Sharp's new LCD factory, we can see our next HDTV from here.
The path back to LCD leadership for Sharp begins at its just opened Sakai City manufacturing facility. Being a 10th generation facility means it can roll out more and bigger displays, producing six 60-inch LCDs from each glass substrate, 60% more than older 8g facilities. Read the full article at engadget.

Large-area LCD panel shipments go down in July amid lower monitor, PC demand.
According to Displaybank, the month of July has seen manufacturers ship 52.61 million large-area TFT-LCD panels - down 8% compared to June. Revenue also slipped sequentially and reached $6.5 billion this past month, the reason for this performance being a drop in demand from monitor and PC makers. Read the full article at pcmagazine.