Display Monitor

Volume 14 No 30 July 30th 2007

Contents

Detailed Contents.. 2 Company News.. 3 Market News.. 7 Product News.. 11 Dynamic Focus - LCD TVs. 15 Rear Panel.. 16
Notebooks Continue To Prop Up EMEA PC Market
IDC has reported its latest findings on the PC market in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and notes that sales in Qwere "solid". A trend that drove the market was again demand for notebooks, in the consumer and SMB segments in particular, according to the researcher. It says that notebook shipments showed 31% growth year on year and that this led to a rise in overall PC sales of 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. This took sales to 17.5 million units according to IDC's preliminary data. There was healthy competition in the notebook sector and IDC highlights the battle between HP and Acer in particular. This combined with the continued downward pressure on pricing, a wide range of product choice and a strong channel all helped to drive growth. On the other hand, desktop shipments grew by only 2.4% overall with notebooks taking share in the consumer space and relatively little corporate refresh activity. According to IDC, desktop growth was mostly driven by the continued expansion of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) and Middle East and Africa (MEA) markets, where desktop sales grew by 12% and 9% respectively. This helped to offset a decline in the west of Europe. In terms of vendor performance, HP maintained its leadership in Q2 with 29% growth in overall shipments. The vendor outperformed the market in desktop and notebook form factors and had a nearly 60% increase in notebook sales. It gained share in both the consumer and commercial markets. Dell continued to suffer from slow corporate demand and the competition from other vendors in the notebook space. It is still suffering from a lack of presence in the consumer space although it did show good growth Cont.p7
Find us on the Web at http://www.meko.co.uk
ISSN 1356-109X is published 48 times a year and copyright Meko Ltd. 134 Upper Chobham Road Camberley Surrey GU15 1EJ Send any news to: displaymonitor@meko.co.uk Managing Editor - Pete Gamby Senior Editor - Bob Raikes Reporters - Helen Vince, Adam Eustace, Jordan Popov, Goksen Sertler Subscription rates available on request. Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0)1276 64004
Preliminary EMEA PC Shipments Qvs Q(000s) QHP Dell Acer Fujitsu-Siemens Toshiba Others Total Source: IDC 2,556 2,141 1,548 1,7,497 15,471 Share 16.5% 13.8% 10.0% 6.8% 4.4% 48.5% 100.0% Q3,300 2,145 2,110 1,8,163 17,566 Share 18.8% 12.2% 12.0% 6.0% 4.6% 46.5% 100.0% YoY Growth 29.1% 0.2% 36.3% -0.6% 18.7% 8.9% 13.5%
e-mail displaymonitor@meko.co.uk
Notebooks Continue To Prop Up EMEA PC Market... 1 Company News
Acer Rumoured To Be Eyeing Packard Bell.. 3 Profilo Telra To Cut TV Production.. 3 Samsung SDI Posts Record Loss.. 3 Matsushita Posts Highest Q1 Turnover Ever. 3 JVC Agrees Deal With Kenwood.. 3 Innolux Display Planning $2.4 Billion LCD Plant. 4 Pace Doubles Turnover.. 4 Arques Buys Actebis.. 4 Amtran To Sign $82 Million Syndicated Loan. 4 Jean Reports Strong First Half Shipments.. 4 HP Buys Neoware... 5 AUO Reports Strong Q2... 5 Skyworth Sees Massive Fall In Profit.. 5
How long can desktop PCs survive? That has to be a question that those who are still in the game of supplying such products must be asking. The evidence from our front page story suggests that notebooks are set to continue to push desktops out of the consumer market but it's not clear how far that penetration can go. In the corporate space, the lack of "lock down" on notebook systems means that desktop systems are still used in many organisations. But this market too could change as thin clients continue to fall in price and servers get more and more powerful and manageable. At Meko, we are moving to a point where we could more or less run a totally thin client and notebook only IT infrastructure. Many of our data collection team already run a remote desktop to Windows 2000 and 2003 servers and on the odd occasion that I work from home, I use a remote desktop to access the databases on our network. Bob, Jordan and Goksen use notebooks as they travel so often and our new Display Monitor reporter Adam has also been given a notebook as he'll be in and out of his home office, the Meko office and various trade shows. Having all the IT controlled centrally on the servers is great for us as we have to make very little investment in IT management. For the notebook users the rules are easy - we give them a working notebook and if they install something or change something that breaks it, they have to find a fix! We make extensive use of Lotus Notes to allow collaboration on data and we have one simple rule - "Put it all in the middle so we can all see it". In practical terms this means we have no need to back up client PCs and all the critical data is stored centrally and the use of roaming user profiles means individual desktop settings can be restored quickly and easily to a bare metal re-install of Windows XP. Meko may not be typical of all companies but we like to think of it as a fair example of a small to medium sized business (SMB). The critical point for display makers (and monitor suppliers in particular), is that we do use monitors. And the average screen size is rising steadily! Bob has a 23" HP screen to complement his notebook. Goksen has a Viewsonic 20" LCD and I use a 23" Viewsonic. We have just switched out our last CRT for our regular office workers although a few of the home workers still have the "old" monitor technology in use. And despite my scepticism of the category, we have recently bought our first 22" wide screen LCD for a member of staff that needed a wide monitor for page layout but who didn't need the high resolution of a 23"/24" display. With the likes of Matrox offering good graphic solutions to thin client makers, we can see less need to consider re-investing in desktop PCs when the need arises. After all, the money could probably be better spent on more server-side technology to help all of the company. So whilst the PC market is changing, there is still a good opportunity for desktop monitor makers but we think that some that rely on supplying to traditional markets are going to have to adapt quickly to take advantage. We are taking a short break from publishing Display Monitor in the next couple of weeks. There will be no issue published on August 6th or 13th unless there is a hot, breaking news story. Normal service will resume from August 20th. Pete

Pace Doubles Turnover

US sales of set-top boxes helped Pace Micro Technology to double turnover last year to $386.5 million. The company achieved volume shipments of 3.9 million units, a 77% increase year on year, thanks to significant success in the US and a continued strong demand in EMEA and Asia/Pacific. During the year, Pace's shipments to the US increased six-fold to 1.2 million units, through its contracts with DirecTV and Comcast. Pace Micro's profit before tax and exceptional items amounted to $6.1 million, which compares with a loss in the previous year of $15.6 million. Pace Micro has come a long way in twelve months, recovering from a period of sustained losses and damage to its credibility, after delays in product development came to light only two months after the company had secured its DirecTV deal (Display Monitor Vol. 12 No 31 & Vol. 13 No 36). Pace said last week that its new management team, coupled with an improved operating model, are finally delivering results. (HV)
Amtran To Sign $82 Million Syndicated Loan
Amtran Technology has signed a three year syndicated loan for NT$2.7 billion ($82 million) to fund its operations. According to reports, the company is targeting 4-5 million flat panel TV shipments in 2008, up from 2.6 million units this year. The company's new plant in Jiangsu Province, China is scheduled to enter mass production in the first quarter of next year, with a monthly capacity of 700,000 units. Amtran is reportedly planning to produce only 50" and larger TVs in Taiwan in the future.

Arques Buys Actebis

Germany-based Otto Group reported that it has sold all its shares in the German, French, Austrian and Dutch national units of its computer distributor, Actebis, to Arques Industries. The company said in a prepared statement that its "decision to sell the number three company in the European IT wholesale trade is a strategic move". The acquisition of Actebis Peacock in Soest, Germany and Actebis in France, Austria and the Netherlands gives Arques the four national units that have achieved growth in recent years. The units employ 1,300 staff, are
Jean Reports Strong First Half Shipments
Strong demand for widescreen LCD monitors helped Taiwanese LCD maker Jean to a 50% sequential increase in shipments in the first half of the year. The company shipped 1.6 million LCD monitors in the first six months of the year and 180,000 LCD TVs, which represented a 100% increase from the second half of 2006. Jean aims to ship 3.4 million LCD monitors in 200, a 30.7% improvement from 2.6 million units in 2006. Shipments of LCD TVs are expected to grow to 800,000 units this year, up

Innolux Display Planning $2.4 Billion LCD Plant
Innolux Display is considering investing NT$80 billion ($2.4 billion) in a next generation LCD plant. According to reports, the company is hoping to lease an 18-hectare plot of land on the Hsinchu Science Park in northern Taiwan and will start construction between the end of
158% from the 310,000 units shipped in 2006. Almost half of Jean's LCD monitor shipments are now 19" widescreen. units, while small and medium panels amounted to 32.23 million, a 45.6% increase from Q1. Max Cheng, AUO's VP and CFO, attributed the company's better than expected performance to its success in implementing more competitive product lines with better material cost and product mix adjustment, as well as the successful integration of Quanta Display. AUO has forecast rising shipments and prices in Q3 and expects to post a third quarter net profit in the range NT$15-20 billion ($455-607 million). However, the company remains cautious on spending for next year and plans to reduce capital expenditure to NT$70 billion ($2.1 billion) in 2008 from NT$90-95 billion ($2.72.8 billion) in 2007, even though capacity is expected to increase by over 20% next year

HP Buys Neoware

HP has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Neoware, a provider of thin client computing and virtualisation solutions, for approximately $214 million. The company said the acquisition was part of its strategy to expand into growth markets, with the aim of becoming the preferred brand of thin clients and software for virtualised client computing. HP claimed the deal would also help to reduce its environmental footprint through reduced noise, power and packaging compared to a desktop PC. The acquisition is subject to a number of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and the approval of Neoware's stockholders. HP expects the closing to occur in the fourth quarter of this year, at which time the company plans to integrate Neoware into the business desktop unit of HP's personal systems group. Neoware was the third largest supplier of thin clients to the EMEA market in 2006 according to IDC (Display Monitor Vol. 14 No 15) with HP in second place. This acquisition could put HP ahead of Wyse in terms of market share although Neoware was reportedly struggling to maintain its position. The company recently added a notebook without a hard drive to its product line - something which we thought might be a success but which we've seen little about since its introduction! (PG)

AMD has reported its second quarter results, posting a net loss of $600 million on turnover of $1.4 billion, which compares with a net profit of $89 million on turnover of $1.2 billion for the second quarter of last year. In the first six months of the year, AMD posted a net loss of $1.2 billion on turnover of $2.6 billion, while the corresponding period of last year saw the company achieve a net profit of $274 million on turnover of $2.5 billion. Apple Inc. posted record Q3 results, reporting a net profit of $818 million on turnover of $5.4 billion, which compares with a net profit of $472 million on turnover of $4.4 billion for the third quarter of last year. In the first nine months of the year, Apple's net profit reached $2.6 billion on turnover of $17.8 billion, while the corresponding period of last year saw the company record net profit of $1.4 billion on turnover of $14.5 billion. Apple shipped 1.7 million Macs in Q3, representing 33% growth year on year and exceeding the previous company record by over 150,000. Barco n.v.'s second quarter net profit rose 26.8% year on year to 14.3 million from 11.1 million a year earlier, while turnover was 15.6% higher at 192.3 million from 166.3 million last year. In the first six months of the year Barco's net profit increased to 21.8 million on turnover of 348.7 million, which compares with a net profit of 18.8 million on turnover of 322.2 million for the corresponding period of last year. Sharp Corporation posted a net profit of 24.2 billion ($201.1 million) in the first quarter of the year, on turnover of 796 billion ($6.6 billion), lifted by strong sales of LCD TVs. In the first quarter of last year the company reported a net profit of 23.9 billion ($198.6 million) on turnover of 693.7 billion ($5.7 billion).
Skyworth Sees Massive Fall In Profit
Skyworth Digital Holdings' net profit fell 42% last year to HK$128 million ($16.3 million), according to reports from China. The company's overseas business, RPTV and mobile phone businesses all suffered losses as monthly production fell and the company was slow to respond to changes in the market, though Skyworth's domestic TV and set-top box businesses performed well. Turnover for the year rose 17.4% to HK$12.56 billion ($1.6 billion), with the company's domestic sales volume reaching HK$11.3 billion ($1.4 billion), accounting for 90% of total turnover. Reports suggest that in the first quarter of this year, Skyworth returned to profit though the company experienced a fall in turnover.

AUO Reports Strong Q2

AU Optronics (AUO) reported a better than expected Q2 net profit and record panel shipments for a single quarter. AUO's net profit of NT$5.9 billion ($179.6 million) compares with a net profit of NT$182 million ($5.5 million) in the second quarter of last year and was higher than AUO's forecast for Q2. Turnover for the quarter of NT$106 billion ($3.2 billion) was 74% higher year on year from NT$60.9 billion ($1.8 billion). The company also achieved record high panel shipments, with large size panels increasing 22.2% sequentially to 19.48 million
Corning Incorporated reported a second quarter net profit of $489 million on turnover of $1.4 billion, bringing net profit so far this year to $816 million and turnover to $2.7 billion. In the second quarter of last year Corning reported a net profit of $514 million on turnover of $1.2 billion, while for the first six months of last year Corning posted a net profit of $771 million on turnover of $2.5 billion. The company's display technologies business contributed $610 million to total turnover, a 32% increase year on year, with glass volume increasing 58% over the weak second quarter of 2006. Equity earnings for Q2 include $132 million from Samsung Corning Precision Glass. Microsoft Corp. recorded a 13% increase in turnover in Q4 to $13.4 billion from $11.8 billion in the final quarter of the previous year, while the company's net profit for the quarter rose 7% to $3 billion from $2 billion. For the year, Microsoft reported a net profit of $14.1 billion on turnover of $51.1 billion, which compares with a net profit of $12.6 billion on turnover of $44.3 billion for fiscal 2006. NXP Semiconductors, formerly Philips Semiconductors, has reported its second quarter results, posting a net loss of 266 million on turnover of 1.1 billion, which compares with a net loss of 5 million on turnover of 1.2 billion for the second quarter of last year. In the first six months of the year, NXP recorded a net loss of 532 million on turnover of 2.2 billion, while for the corresponding six month period of last year the company reported a net loss of 22 million on turnover of 2.4 billion.
Sony Corp. doubled its net profit in the first quarter of the year, from 32.3 billion ($268.3 million) a year ago to 66.5 billion ($552.5 million) this year, on strong demand for digital cameras and Bravia LCD TVs. Turnover increased to 1.9 trillion ($15.8 billion) from 1.7 trillion ($14.1 billion) in the first quarter of last year. Sony's electronics business contributed 1.4 trillion ($11.6 billion) to total turnover, 11.6% higher than a year ago. Sales of Bravia LCD TVs increased outside of Japan but Sony saw a decrease in sales of LCD RPTVs and CRT TVs. STMicroelectronics n.v. reported a Q2 net loss of $758 million on turnover of $2.4 billion, which compares with a net profit in the second quarter of last year of $198 million on turnover of $2.5 billion. Year to date the company's net loss widened to $684 million on turnover of $4.7 billion, while the same six month period of last year saw the company post a net profit of $299 million on turnover of $4.8 billion. Texas Instruments (TI) Incorporated posted a net profit of $610 million in Q2 on turnover of $3.4 billion, bringing net profit in the first six months of this year to $1.1 billion and turnover to $6.6 billion. The corresponding periods of last year saw the company record a quarterly net profit of $2.4 billion on turnover of $3.7 billion, with a net profit for the six months period of $2.9 billion on turnover of $7 billion. TI's net profit for Q2 of last year included $1.65 billion from discontinued operations, almost all of which was a gain on the sale of the company's former Sensors & Controls business (Display Monitor Vol. 13 No 32).

the structure of iron oxide nanoparticles through chemical synthesis so that these nanoparticles self-assemble into three-dimensionally ordered colloidal crystals in a magnetic field", said Yadong Yin, an assistant professor of chemistry who led the research. A nanoparticle is a microscopic particle whose size is measured in nanometers, a nanometer being a billionth of a metre. A pin head is 1 million nanometers wide. A colloid is a substance comprised of small particles uniformly distributed in another substance. Milk, paint and blood are examples of colloids. According to Yin, by reflecting light, these crystals project vivid colours. "Ours is the first report of a photonic crystal that is fully tuneable in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from violet light to red light", added Yin. http://www.ucr.edu
DSG Opens Irish Franchise Store
DSG International has opened its first Currys franchised store in the Irish Republic. The store will trade under the Currys brand and has been set up in collaboration with an electrical company in County Donegal. According to reports, DSG believes that franchising allows the company to extend its brand into the region, while working with existing independent businesses. A spokes-
man was quoted as saying that there are no plans to extend franchising to the UK, but did not rule out the idea completely. DSG already operates franchised stores in a number of European countries, including the Elkjp chain in the Nordic region and some of the Kotsovolos retail outlets in Greece. http://www.dsgiplc.com
Matrox Shows Off Graphics Skills
We recently had the chance to visit Matrox in the UK to discuss both its existing products and also to talk about trends in the displays market. The company had assembled a small group of press people from the UK and gave an update on its position. It currently employs 950 people world-wide and there are 22 at the UK office which looks after UK, Benelux, Spain, France and Portugal. Matrox continues to provide graphics products from design through to service and it re-iterated its commitment to the 2D graphics sector. Matrox is also fiercely proud of the support it offers to its customer base and in particular the stability it can provide both to corporate and vertical market customers. For example, the G450 (or variants of it) has been around for seven years (Display Monitor Vol. 7 No 17) and is still selling. Although the company holds a relatively tiny market share in graphics when compared to the likes of AMD/ATI, Intel and Nvidia, it still has a comprehensive portfolio and offers over 100 products in several categories as shown in the table. During the afternoon we got an overview of the company's range of products with emphasis on the extended/remote desktop lines that include its GXM, Extio and Epica products. We picked up on some features in the company's supporting software that we'd not fully appreciated before. For example, there is a function that allows up to nine virtual desktop layouts to be saved and selected by hot key. It's too easy to overlook the fact that pure graphics horsepower is not the be all and end all of productive working! There's a new version of the TripleHead2Go product which offers DVI outputs. There was a question raised about the need to support DVI out when the inputs are analogue although we can understand that the company wanted the ability for the product to support both analogue and digital displays without the need to supply dongles. Also, most analogue graphics outputs are of good quality and the price/performance of the unit suggests it's not targeted at those who want the very best in dual head digital display solutions. As a notebook desktop extender the solution works very well indeed. The Extio products have been well received in a number of vertical markets and we were given an insight into how well the company is doing in the process control sector. It has design wins with the majority (if not all) of the major suppliers to this market including ABB, Siemens and the like. As Matrox moved out of the war of 3D graphics, it made a conscious decision to attack business sectors that fitted with its own business model. Whilst this more conservative and steady method of working does not appeal to those that look for "whizz, bang" features in graphics cards, it appears to have enabled the company to survive, profitablty in a sector that has seen decimation in the number of suppliers over the years.

We do like the features that Matrox has in its PowerDesk and PowerSpace software and I use some of them in my day to day work as I have a Parhelia in my PC driving a Viewsonic VP2330wb 23" screen over DVI. Much of what we do here at Meko relies on good 2D processing and software stability, both of which the Parhelia manages to provide.
Microvision Seals Projector Deal With Motorola
Developer of miniature display and image capture technology, Microvision has signed an agreement with Motorola to develop pico projectors for mobile applications. Based on Microvision's PicoP ('pico' meaning very small and 'P' presumably standing for projector) miniature laser-based display engine, the concept is to enable images to be projected from handheld devices, such as mobile phones, onto walls and other surfaces. This would enable images such as those of websites, movies, personal videos, mobile TV, photographs and presentations to be shared with friends or business colleagues. Neither Microvision nor Motorola have disclosed the terms of the agreement. However the companies did reveal that they will work together initially to integrate Microvision's latest PicoP projector inside a functioning mobile device for demonstration purposes. This prototype handset will utilise Microvision's new 0.4 megapixel (854 x 480) wide angle colour scanner, first demonstrated in May 2007 at the Society of Information Display annual conference. http://www.microvision.com
Microvision and the development of its miniature projection technology in particular have been followed with interest by Display Monitor. We reported in Display Monitor Vol. 14 No 3 that the PicoP projection module uses RGB laser LEDs from Novalux and a single element MEMS scanner to create an image. Because lasers are used, there is no need for a focusing lens, so the unit is tiny and has no focal point for the image - it's in focus at every point. Brightness and resolution are very low, with an image of around 10" diagonal being created with the device in a very dark environment. "This projection module is really amazing and looks as though it could be integrated into a handheld device with some comfort", said Display Monitor's Senior Editor, Bob Raikes at the time he saw the device at CES earlier this year. (AE)
Need to know about desktop monitor warranty in Europe?
The DisplayCast Special Report on LCD monitor warranty report aims to answer four key questions: What are the warranty policy and terms of the major suppliers of CRT and LCD monitors in Europe? What warranty terms do I need to offer my customers to be competitive in the European monitor market? How can I deliver this service? How do I know if I am achieving my target service levels at the lowest cost? The report includes tables, charts and analysis of information collected from the major warranty service providers and monitor suppliers across Europe. This DisplayCast Special Report will be available in September 2007. For further details on the report, contact Bob Raikes on +44 (0) or visit http://www.meko.co.uk

Infocus IN12 Projector Is Slim. & Made By Casio
Infocus seems to have turned from supplier to buyer with its Work Big IN12. The new slim projector looked very familiar and it didn't take long for us to spot that it is an OEM version of the Casio XJ-S30 (Display Monitor Vol. 13 No 27). Specifications are identical to that model with 2000 ANSI lumens brightness, 1800:1 contrast and only a 15-pin D-sub analogue PC and composite video connection available. The company is promoting this new model at around $1,500 or local currency equivalent. Warranty is three years for the engine and one year for the lamp. http://www.infocus.com
Hannspree TVs Offer Style On A Budget
Hannspree is adding two LCDs to its Xv range of TVs. Aimed at the price conscious, both additions are built around an analogue rather than a digital receiver. This means that they are most suitable for use with existing devices, such as Sky/freeview boxes, media centres and PVRs that already have DVB-T. The new Xv models are the 32" Xv32 JT0132E2-000G and the 37" Xv37 JT01-37E2-000G. Many features are shared between the two TV sets. These include 1 megapixel (1366 x 768) resolution, 500cd/m brightness and a contrast ratio of 1200:1. Similarly, both Xv TVs
have an 8ms response time. Viewing angles for the 32" are 176 and 170 for the 37". Connectivity includes dual SCART sockets, composite, S- and component video and HDMI. The new Hannspree TVs are covered by a 2 year pickup, repair and return warranty. The 32" Xv32 JT01-32E2-000G costs 305 ($610) while the 37" Xv37 JT01-37E2-000G costs 425 ($850). Both models are available now. http://www.hannspree.com
Benq Adds New G Series LCDs to Monitor Line-up
Benq is adding 10 flat panel displays to its LCD monitor range. The new G series models offer 5ms response times, aspects ratios or 4:3 or 16:10 and viewing angles of 160. The 17" G700 and G700A have a contrast ratio of 700:1 and brightness of 300cd/m. The two 19" models G900 and G900A and two 19" widescreen models G900W and G900WA all have a contrast ratio of 800:1 and brightness of 300cd/ m. The remaining 20" widescreens G2000W and G2000WA and 24" widescreens G2400W and G2400WA have a contrast ratio of 1000:1 and brightness of 250cd/m.
Included connectivity varies from analogue only to analogue plus DVI-D and analogue, DVI-D with HDMI depending on screen size. All new models feature Benq's Senseye+Photo technology. Colour stability within the sRGB colour gamut is also said to be enhanced. The new G series monitors are due to be available now but pricing was not available at the time of going to press. http://www.benq-eu.com

Sanyo Has New Events and Portable Projectors
Sanyo has two new business projectors, one intended for events use and the other for portable networking. The 15000 ANSI lumens brightness of the PLC-XF47, which is delivered by four 330W lamps, makes it particularly suitable for public viewings such as outdoor events requiring large projections. Eleven adjustment options provide flexibility for adapting the projector to different venue environments. Colour management software is available from Sanyo for the PLC-XF47. Weighing less than 12kg, the PLC-XP100L delivers 6500 ANSI lumens brightness through a single 490W lamp. This is the first projector to come equipped with Sanyo's "Automatic Maintenance Filter" system (AMF) which renders manual replacement of the air filter redundant until 10,000 hours of operation. Both projectors feature Sanyo's DIOS (Durable Inorganic Optical system) which is based around 3LCD panels. The DIOS panels improve contrast, delivering a contrast ratio of 2000:1. Resolution is 0.8 megapixel (1024 x 768) in either case. It is possible to operate both projectors over a network connection. The PLC-XP100L is available starting at the end of August for 6,555, while the PLC-XF47 is available from the end of September for 19,580. Both projectors are covered by a three year warranty, as well as a free exchange service for the PLC-XP100L, which makes spare equipment available within 24 hours for the duration of any repair. http://www.sanyo.com
Samsung Has First LCD With DisplayPort Video Interface
Samsung claims to be the first company to offer a display which has the new DisplayPort video interface. DisplayPort, said by some to be the next generation of video interface, is a new technology which is now emerging following its sanctioning by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). Samsung is making DisplayPort available for the first time on its 30" LCD display panel. The 10.8Gb/s transmission speed of the new port processes the panel's 4 megapixels (2560 x 1600) of graphics data at up to 10 bits of colour depth or 1.07 billion colours, which would normally require at least three DVI or four LVDS interface chips.

Display Monitor reported the finalising of the DisplayPort standard back in May 2006 (Display Monitor Vol. 13 No 18). Samsung is claiming to have met the bandwidth specification set at that time by VESA of up to 10.8Gb/s for DisplayPort Version 1.0. As was then reported by Display Monitor, this was set to allow support of multiple video and/or audio streams. Samsung developed its new 30" panel in a joint undertaking with Genesis Microchip, equipping the display with a new four-lane, 2.7Gb/s/lane interface chip. Specifications for the new 30" monitor available at the time of going to press include 300cd/m brightness, 6ms response time and 1000:1 contrast ratio. http://www.samsung-europe.com
The display is not scheduled to ship until Q2 next year so let's hope that by then there will be some PCs on the market that will also offer DisplayPort. Personally, I have my doubts about DisplayPort becoming widely adopted quickly but let's wait and see. (PG)
Sharp TVs Receive George Lucas Endorsement
Two home cinema displays from Sharp are said by the company to be the first TVs to receive certification from THX in recognition of achieving the highest standards in home entertainment. Beginning 1st September 2007, Sharp will introduce two new T-series Aquos LCD TVs, the 65" LV-65TH1 and 52" LV-52TH1. The new TVs are being made available to the Japanese market on a build-to-order basis. Sharp in Germany was unable to say whether the new home cinema technology featured in these models would eventually be rolled out in the European market. The two T-series TVs received certification under the THX Certified Display Programme for home theatre applications established by THX and are said to be able to "replicate in the home a visual environment on a level envisioned by filmmakers". These HDTVs offer 2 megapixel (1920 x 1080) resolution. They also feature 120Hz technology LCD panels and have a contrast ratio of 1000:1 (2500:1 in dark room conditions). Both models are compatible with the Aquos Fami-link that enables viewers to use the accessory remote control unit to operate a connected Blu-ray disc player, HD recorder or audio system. The 65" LV-65TH1 is being sold at 1,350,000 ($11,190) and the 52" LV-52TH1 at 800,000 ($6,630). THX is a George Lucas company set up in the 1980s which primarily focuses on the motion picture industry. In addition to its movie theatres and film editing studios, THX develops hardware for use in products such as home theatre equipment to improve the entertainment experience. http://www.sharp-world.com

Dynamic Focus - 26~27 LCD TVs

PageShare By Country

France

Others 35%

Samsung 16% Philips 15% Sony 12%

Toshiba 11%

This week we are looking at direct-view LCD TVs in the 26.x and 27.x category. The models listed include those in both wide and standard formats and also sets that have, for example, built-in DVD players. Samsung was at the top of the PageShare table for all three countries combined, followed by Philips and Sony. In France, first place went to Philips 26PF5321 with Samsung second with its LE-26S86BD. In Germany, Samsung was on top with its LE-26S81B and Sony was second with its KDL-26U2000. Pa-
nasonics TX-26LMD70F was the number one model in the UK and Samsung was a little way behind with its LE-26R87BD. Average dollar prices have fallen again since the last time we reported on the category. The lowest price for June was in Germany at $435 and this is $60 lower than three months ago. Next time we look at 30.x and 32.x LCD TV pricing. If you want to know how we select products for Dynamic Focus, please check our FAQ sec-

LG 11%

LG 26LC2R LG 26LC3R Panasonic TX-26LMD70F Panasonic TX-26LXD70 Philips 26PF3321S Philips 26PF5321 Philips 26PF5521D Philips 26PF7521D Samsung LE-26R32B

Germany

Others 35% Samsung 16% Panasonic 15% JVC 12%
Samsung LE-26R71B Samsung LE-26R72B Samsung LE-26R73BD Samsung LE-26R74BD Samsung LE-26R81B Samsung LE-26R86BD

Sony 11%

Philips 11%

France Germany UK

Samsung LE-26R87BD

Panasonic 18%

Samsung LE-26S81B Samsung LE-26S86BD Samsung LE-27S71B Sony KDL-26P2530 Sony KDL-26S2010E Sony KDL-26S2030
Sony 17% JVC 8% Samsung 13%
Sony KDL-26U2000 Toshiba 26WL66ZS Toshiba 26WLG66S

Philips 9%

$1,000

$1,100

$1,200
For more information on the DisplayCast service, please call Pete Gamby on +44 (0) or email peteg@meko.co.uk
$1,200 $1,150 $1,100 $1,050 $1,000 $950 $900 $850 $800 $750 $700 Jul-06 Aug-06 Sep-06 Oct-06

Price Trend ($)

Nov-06

Dec-06

Jan-07

Feb-07

Mar-07

Apr-07

May-07

Jun-07

30 July 2007 tion at http://www.meko.co.uk/ dynfocfaq.shtml.
Projectiondesign F20 SX+ projectors have been integrated by Antycip Simulation as part of a Synthetic Environment Procedural Trainer installation at the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering at Cosford in the UK. Three projectors are being used on a 150 screen together with a digital correction system from 3D Perception, which allows for edge-blending, warping and precise colourmatching of the projectors. A fourth unit is used as a hot spare. The trainer has been designed to provide students with a realistic airfield environment in which they can safely practice their aircraft ground-handling and marshalling skills on a variety of fixed and rotary-winged aircraft. Sony has been ranked bottom by Greenpeace in its latest Green Electronics Guide on leading mobile and PC manufacturers. While the phone side of the business, Sony Ericsson came third, Sony itself was penalised for its corporate double standards on Individual Producer Responsibility for promoting recycling in Europe while opposing recycling measures in the US. Starting with the best performing, down to the worst, the rankings are Nokia 8.0, Dell jointly with Lenovo 7.3, Sony Ericsson 7, Samsung 6.7, Motorola 6.7, Toshiba 6.0, Fujitsu Siemens 6.0, Acer 5.7, Apple 5.3, HP 5.3, Panasonic 5.0, LG Electronics 4.3 and Sony 4.0. Access Integrated Technologies (AccessIT) has won a contract to convert 39 megaplex cinemas in the Showplace group to digital cinema using AccessIT's Theatre Command Centre software in conjunction with Christie DLP Cinema projectors. The completion of this contract will bring the number of theatres converted to 3,486 out of the total of 4,000 in the AccessIT/Christie digital roll-out. Showplace is the eleventh chain and the sixth customer of AccessIT's Advertising Division to contract with AccessIT for deployment. Panasonic's 103" 1080p plasma TV has been installed in New York's newly renovated City Hall. The installation is intended to help the Mayor's office monitor news and display emergency call statistics and live video feed from NYC TV's City Drive Live traffic cameras.

REAR PANEL

Corning says it has developed a new optical fibre-based technology that it says performs 100 times more efficiently than standard single mode fibre. The development allows cabled fibre to be bent around very tight corners with virtually no signal loss. This should enable telecommunications carriers to economically offer true high-speed internet, voice and HDTV services to virtually all commercial and residential buildings located within range of suitable telephone exchanges. NASA has chosen the latest SGI Altix supercomputer to meet its future high-performance computing requirements. The system was acquired as part of a process that will eventually replace the Columbia supercomputer system, powered by an earlier generation SGI Altix. Driven by 1,024 dual-core Intel Itanium 2 processors, the new system will generate 13.1 TFLOPs of computing power under a single copy of Linux, thereby creating the largest Linux single system (SSI) image in the world. A larger SSI can accelerate scientific research by making all of the system's processors and memory available to solve a single problem, or several problems at once. Established by six founders in 1987, Cree is now in its 20th year of operation as a developer of LED technology and currently engages a workforce of 2,600 employees. Cree continues to work with silicon carbide and gallium nitride materials to develop LED and lighting technologies. The company recently developed the first commercially available LEDs that achieve a minimum luminous flux of 100 lumens and the first warm-white LEDs for use in indoor home and office applications. Zytronic has engaged EG Display and System to distribute its range of touch sensors and non-interactive products which include electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference shielded optical filter and window technologies. The deal will enable Zytronic to extend its customer base in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Estonia.
Toshiba is considering an alliance with semiconductor makers, including NEC and Fujitsu, to develop ultra-small consumer electronics chips. While negotiations have centred on collaborative efforts to produce large-scale integrated chips which could be used in flat panel televisions, both Fujitsu and NEC have refused to be drawn on whether these chips would be smaller than 32 nanometres. According to Toshiba spokesman, Kaori Hiraki, "we are still studying various possibilities. We have not decided anything concrete". Relief for computer workers suffering from posture-related fatigue and pain is available in the form of software. Postureminder, which has been developed by Postureminder Ltd under Dr Philip Worthington, works by using a webcam and image processing techniques to continuously check a worker's posture and provide targeted reminders when the user needs them most, i.e. when they are sitting poorly. By reducing the time spent in postures which could be damaging and reinforcing good posture and healthy working habits, Postureminder helps computer workers to protect their health. In the same way, it may reduce employer costs through reduced absences and improved productivity. Microemissive Displays (MED) has appointed Spectrum Electronics Group member Silicon Design to sell its polymer organic light-emitting diode (P-OLED) technology throughout Europe. MED develops P-OLED-based microdisplays for applications including portable head mounted displays and electronic viewfinders. System-on-Chip (SoC) technology developer, Imagination Technologies is to provide its PowerVR video display processing technology under licence to NEC. The proprietary core is said to deliver new levels of performance from a smaller silicon area. Through a multi-user licence agreement, NEC will incorporate the technology in SoC devices targeting digital AV markets. Graphics card vendor Sapphire has signed a distribution deal with Asbis for the Eastern European markets. The manufacturer, whose products include ATI Radeon-based video graphics accelerators and AMD-based mainboards, will use Asbis' distribution centres in Prague and Dubai to target local PC assemblers and resellers.