The Open Group Receives Contract to Develop MHP Conformance Test Suite
San Francisco, March 28 - A key contract for the continuous development of conformance testing software and tools for the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) has been awarded to The Open Group of San Francisco, California, by the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) Test Consortium.
The Open Group will be responsible for developing additional MHP conformance tests and extending the automated test environment on behalf of the MHP Test Consortium, a body initially comprising Philips, Nokia, Panasonic, Sony, Canal+ Technologies, Alticast, and the Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT).
The MHP Test Consortium, formed with the full support of the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) organization contributes to the test suite that will ensure conformity and interoperability amongst all DVB-MHP devices being developed by manufacturers. The MHP test suite will enable products such as digital interactive TV set-top boxes to be MHP-certified and carry the MHP logo.
The final MHP test suite, to be made available via the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), will include more than 10,000 individual software tests that check receiver compliance with the DVB MHP 1.0 standard. In addition, the consortium has created a fully automated test environment (ATE) to support the test process.
Philip van Houtte, Chairman of the MHP Test Consortium, says: "The Open Group will be a valuable asset to the development and successful market introduction of set-top boxes and integrated digital television sets based on the MHP open standard. MHP is based on the principle of interoperability amongst hardware and applications, and so it is essential to provide a robust and proven test environment to ensure that MHP works with all device, software, and connectivity solutions."
Information: Adam Cargill, The Open Group. Tel:
(415) 374-8280 x225, email: a.cargill@opengroup.org. Simon Poulter, Philips (on behalf of the DVB-MHP Test Consortium).
Tel: (408) 617-5875.
SmartASIC to Fight Genesis Lawsuit
San Jose, California, March 18 - SmartASIC, Inc., the second-largest supplier of TFT- LCD monitor controllers, today responded to the recent press release from Genesis Microchip alleging patent infringement. SmartASIC believes this claim is totally without merit and intends to fight it.
Genesis Microchip issued a press release on March 15 announcing it had filed a patent infringement lawsuit against SmartASIC and two other companies. The complaint involves integrated-circuit technology in U.S. Patent No. 5,739,867, issued April 14, 1998, entitled, "Method and Apparatus for Upscaling an Image in Both Horizontal and Vertical Directions." This technology is used in TFT-LCD monitors.
"We recently introduced the new SD2000 family of TFT-LCD controllers that is posing a strong threat to Genesis' market leadership, and we believe they decided to use a frivolous lawsuit to create uncertainly among our customers." stated CC Kau, SmartASIC President and CEO. SmartASIC has been selling TFT-LCD controllers since 1998, and Kau believes that the timing of this action is a direct result of the competitive pressure that Genesis is facing. "We will indemnify our customers for any harm arising out of this action. We will not let the Genesis action interfere with our customers' ability to select the best technology at the best price for their upcoming monitor designs."
"Based on the information we have so far, this lawsuit appears to be completely without merit and we will fight it," Kau explained. "Of course, as soon as we get their official legal complaints, we will investigate it closely. However, upon review of the patent, we are confident we used other techniques to get superior image-scaling results. Therefore, we reserve the right to sue Genesis for engaging in this thinly masked attempt to interfere with our customer relationships."
SmartASIC, Inc., a fables semiconductor company based in San Jose, California, develops TFT-LCD controller ICs and video processors for video display products. SmartASIC's display processors are used in LCD monitors, LCD PCs, LCD TVs, and video boxes made by Advantech, Amtran, KDS, Princeton Graphics, Sampo, Sharp, and ViewSonic.
Information: www.smartasic.com.
Silicon Image Takes Xtasy
Sunnyvale, California, March 19 - Silicon Image, Inc. today announced that its market-leading SiI™ 164 PanelLink® transmitter is driving the Digital Visual Interface (DVI) output from the Xtasy™ graphics accelerator cards made by VisionTek (Gurnee, Illinois).
VisionTek's Xtasy cards were the first to market based on the GeForce4™ graphics technology unveiled by NVIDIA® last month.
VisionTek is the largest manufacturer of 3D graphics accelerators and memory in North America. In addition to its U.S. retail market leadership among PC graphics accelerator manufacturers, VisionTek also has a strong OEM presence, counting Apple, Compaq, Gateway, IBM, and Micron among its customers, Silicon Image said.
Ross Young, president of DisplaySearch, said, "DVI desktops are gaining momentum. We are seeing significant sales growth for DVI-enabled add-in-boards, and this will only increase in the future. Graphics card suppliers are contributing to demand growth from the desktop side by introducing a growing number of DVI cards, which should benefit suppliers of discrete transmitters such as Silicon Image. Also, the cost of DVI graphics
cards is falling, spurring more OEMs to incorporate DVI into new PCs and making it more affordable for consumers to get DVI-enabled graphics."
Said John Malley, Director of Marketing at VisionTek: " We are pleased by the price/performance offered by the SiI 164, which is the DVI transmitter on the NVIDIA GeForce4 reference designs." The SiI 164 is the best-selling DVI transmitter on the market today, according to a statement from Silicon Image.
Information: www.siliconimage.com.
Haviland Wright Steps Down at Displaytech
Longmont, Colorado, March 8, 2002 - Displaytech Inc. announced today that Haviland Wright, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer in order to pursue other interests. Dick Barton, formerly Displaytech's Chief Operating Officer, has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.
"Haviland has driven the evolution of Displaytech from a research organization to a volume manufacturer of FLC microdisplay viewfinders," said Kermit Birchfield, a member of Displaytech's board of directors. "Going forward, we are extremely fortunate to have someone of Dick Barton's caliber in position to pick up the leadership of the company." Dick came to Displaytech from Planar Systems in 1997 as Chief Operating Officer and has continued in that position until today. "Dick has driven manufacturing and engineering at Displaytech, helping to achieve the significant milestone of shipping over one million microdisplays during the first 12 months of volume production. His expertise in display manufacturing fits well with Displaytech's focus on high-volume production for consumer electronics markets, and has helped shape the company as a market leader in the microdisplay industry," said Haviland Wright.
Insight Media reported on its website (http://www.mdreport.com/news.html) that Displaytech "will discontinue microdisplay-based projection development, lay off workers, [and] focus exclusively on the emerging microdisplay-based electronic viewfinder (EVF) segment."
Information: www.displaytech.com.
Clinton Secures Low-cost Chinese Source for Monochrome CRTs
Loves Park, Illinois, March 8 - Clinton Electronics Corporation has announced a new strategic partnership and alliance with Tianjin Zhong Huan San Jin Co., Ltd., a CRT and glass source in China. "This supports our continuing efforts to secure our position as a worldwide manufacturer and supplier of quality monochrome CRTs.," said Ken Compton, Clinton's Director of Sales and Marketing.
"Clinton Electronics has been the technology leader in monochrome CRTs for over four decades," said Compton. Through the technology agreement with Tianjin Zhong Huan San Jin Co, high-quality, low-priced, high-volume CRTs are available through Clinton as exclusive distributor in the United States. CRTs ranging in size from 5 to 14 inches in 20-mm neck diameter, processed using the latest equipment and technology, and with with proprietary electron optics and phosphors from Clinton Electronics, are ready for delivery. San Jin is ISO 9002 certified.
An alliance and exclusive agreement have also been established with Tianjin Jin Jing Glass Bulb Co., Ltd. of China. This agreement has grown into a long-term relationship to produce a continuous supply of glass bulbs for monochrome CRTs. Implementing this relationship required the purchase and transfer of proprietary molds and technology from a glass operation in Taiwan that withdrew from the market, said Compton. As a result, Clinton has been able to reintroduce unique bulb types to the market.
"These agreements illustrate Clinton's commitment to the monochrome CRT market," said Compton.
Information: www.clintonelectronics.com.
First Major Order for LCDs Using Optiva's TCF™ Polarizer
South San Francisco and Châtillon, Italy, March 6 - Optiva, Inc. and Tecdis, S.p.A jointly announced today the first commercial order for Optiva's Thin Crystal Film
(TCF™) Polarizer, which is to be used in a new Tecdis three-year LCD program. This advanced LCD module will be used in a new mass-market smart electronic device for the home environment. Production of these display systems is expected to reach about 1,000,000 units/month by the second half of 2002.
Tecdis, Europe's largest LCD manufacturer, plans to produce the graphics display in their Châtillon factory using automated coating equipment produced in Tokyo by Nakan Corp., Optiva's coating-equipment partner. Optiva TCF Polarizer is a nanomaterial that replaces standard polarizers with an ultra-thin, self-aligning liquid-crystalline coating that
can be placed inside the LCD cell. This represents the first major breakthrough in optical-polarizer process and product technology in 70 years, said Optiva CTO Pavel Lazarev.
Tecdis expects to ship display modules initially to integrators in both Italy and China. Tecdis and Optiva are working jointly to expand usage of Optiva's TCF into additional applications for high-durability displays, and are currently sampling other customers for
applications in transportation, medical devices, and industrial equipment. "Use of the Optiva liquid polarizer allows Tecdis to produce a more reliable display required for long service," said Tecdis managing director Ettore Morezzi "In addition, use of an in-line coating process allows Tecdis to leverage our automation skills."
"Through Optiva's patented molecular-engineering technologies, we have created coatings with highly ordered crystalline structures that make LCD's more durable, better looking and up to 30 percent thinner," said Optiva's Lazarev. The world market for film polarizers and related light-control films is estimated at over US $1 billion, with rapid growth driven by the expanding applications for low-power, high-reliability LCD displays, Optiva said.
Information: www.tecdis.com,
www.optivainc.com.
eMagin: Land Warrior
Hopewell Junction, New York, February 27 - eMagin Corporation, the developer of OLED-on-silicon microdisplay technology, today announced that its technology has been
selected for the Version 1.0 helmet-mounted displays (HMDs) for the U.S.
Army's Land Warrior Program. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Land Warrior, a core program in the Army's drive to digitize the
battlefield, is an integrated digital system that incorporates
computerized communication, navigation, targeting, and protection systems for use by the
21st-century infantry soldier. Kaiser Electro-Optics - the principal contractor for the Land Warrior HMD system - and eMagin will work together to develop rugged, yet lightweight and energy-efficient products meeting program requirements of today's soldier. Kaiser will integrate eMagin's full-color, 852x600 OLED microdisplays into its compact monocular HMD.
"We are delighted that Kaiser Electro-Optics has selected our high-performance OLED microdisplay for its Land Warrior HMD systems," said Gary Jones, president and CEO of eMagin. "Our commercial microdisplays have shown tremendous ability in meeting Kaiser's and the Army's stringent performance and affordability requirements."
The Army expects to eventually equip more than 40,000 soldiers with the Land
Warrior system. Similar systems are of interest for other military
Applications, as well as for related operations such as fire and rescue.
Information: www.emagin.com.
