news archive
GLT Introduces Large-Format Microlens™ Backlight Assemblies
Cleveland, Ohio, June 2001 - Global Lighting Technologies (GLT) has introduced versions of its MicroLens backlight assemblies for laptop computers, desktop monitors, and other large-format CCFL-backlit LCDs with 10.4- to 21-inch diagonals. Until now, the MicroLens technology has only been available in small formats with LED light sources.
GLT's technology incorporates up to 30,000 precision-molded light-extraction features per square inch in the light guide, which increases efficiency and lowers cost by reducing the number of required optical enhancement films compared to other construction methods, said GLT sales director David DeAgazio. A 13.3-inch prototype, for example, produces 25 percent higher luminance and eliminates one brightness-enhancement film (BEF) and one diffuser sheet, which was demonstrated at the recent SID 2001 show in San Jose, California.
Pricing for backlight assemblies ranges from $18 to $28 in 12.1- to 15-inch-diagonal sizes in production quantities.
Information: David DeAgazio. Tel: (440) 922-4584 or
(866) 922-4584 (toll-free), Fax: (440) 922-4585, info@glthome.com,
www.glthome.com.
Wooyoung Introduces Backlight based on EEFLs
Seoul, Korea, June 20 - The Wooyoung Company, a major manufacturer of backlight units (BLUs) in Korea announces the introduction of an innovative high-brightness BLU for LCD TV/monitors. The BLU, which was shown at the SID 2001 show in San Jose two weeks ago, is a direct-type backlight unit (BLU) using external-electrode fluorescent lamps (EEFLs). The EEFL-BLU, which features very high luminance and excellent uniformity in a large size, is appropriate for TFT-LCD HDTVs and sunlight-readable LCD monitors.
The EEFL-BLU has several advantages: It needs no prism sheets or light-guide plate, the lifetime of the EEFLs is longer than that of CCFLs, and the overall weight is low. All of the lamps are in parallel and can be operated with only one inverter.
Units are available with 17- and 20-inch diagonals in 4:3 aspect ratio and with a 24-inch diagonal in 16:9 aspect ratio. Luminance of the three models ranges from 6000 to 6300
cd/m², and uniformity ranges from 75 to 81 percent. Wooyoung is also developing a BLU with mercury-free EEFLs.
Information: bkyu@wooyoung.co.kr,
www.wooyoung.co.kr.
"America's First True Color Mobile Phone"
June 18 - Sanyo Consumer Electronics and Sprint are advertising the Sanyo SCP-5000 as "America's first true color mobile phone." The $499.99 device is a dual-band (PCS and analog) webphone with a 2-inch color LCD display and, according to the features list, an "external sub LCD display." In addition to the features normally expected of a high-end cell phone, the SCP-5000 offers an electronic organizer, one-touch web and e-mail access, adjustable LCD contrast, five wallpapers, adjustable font sizes, customizable display colors for incoming calls, and the capacity to store up to 20 downloadable images. A visit to the Sprint website today revealed that the SCP-5000 is "temporarily out of stock."
Sanyo
technical support says the main LCD display has a pixel
format of 160x120 and displays 256 colors. The
"external sub LCD display," tech support adds, is
the one-line display on the outside of the clamshell, which
shows the incoming phone number for caller ID. This external
display allows the user to decide if he or she wants to
answer the call without flipping open the phone.
Information: www.sanyousa.com,
www.sprintpcs.com.
Sharp "All-in-One" LCD Speeds Monitor Development
Camas, Washington and San Jose, California - Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas (SMA), a marketing and sales company for Sharp Corp. (Osaka, Japan), introduced its All-in-One thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid-crystal-display (LCD) technology on June 5. The All-in-One is an integrated module for the monitor market that reduces total cost and saves development time by incorporating interface circuitry, SMA said.
SMA subsequently showcased two LCD models that incorporate the All-in-One technology - a 15-inch XGA and 16-inch SXGA - at the Society for Information Display show (SID 2001) from June 5 to 7 in San Jose, California.
The All-in-One technology resolves integration problems that designers and manufacturers face when they source an array of components from different vendors and must commit technical resources to optimize performance and do assembly, said SMA VP Joel Pollack. The All-in-One provides a one-component solution that already is optimized. Already built inside the All-in-One are the TFT-LCD panel, video decoder, graphic engine, controller, and the inverter to drive the backlight. All the customer needs to do is hook up the LCD to a power supply, encase in a plastic housing, and supply an input signal, Pollack said.
Geared initially for use in personal computer and industrial monitors, the All-in-One includes both analog and digital inputs. The All-in-One family features Sharp's next-generation ASV technology, a new LCD mode developed by the company, Pollack said. Non-ASV versions of both the 15 and 16-inch displays will also be available.
The All-in-One enables manufacturers a cost-efficient way to build panels locally, further saving on transportation costs and the logistics associated with outsourcing. SMA's staff of field technical managers will support the All-in-One.
Interviews at SID 2001 with several other major LCD suppliers indicated that they too are pursuing the integrated-module approach, but none was doing so with Sharp's degree of fanfare. Samples of the Sharp units are available now, with production scheduled for second quarter 2001.
Information: Joel Pollack, VP, Display Business Unit, Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas (SMA).
Tel: (360) 834-8926, pollack@sharpsec.com.
