For Immediate Release
Contact: Michael Morgenthal
Phone: (212) 460-8090 ext 206
Fax: (212) 460-5460
E-mail: press@sid.org

Future of FPDs Highlight Program at 2006 SID Business Conference

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 9 - The only element of the display industry that changes as rapidly as its technology is the nature of the business that surrounds it. That is why the Society for Information Display's (SID) annual Business Conference is a can't-miss part of the annual SID International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition. The 2006 Business Conference, which will take place June 5-6 as part of SID 2006 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, USA, will feature presentations by more than a dozen top display industry executives, who will educate attendees on the white-hot display industry's ever-changing marketplace.

"The display industry is changing very rapidly, so having updates on how the market is doing has great value in itself," said Business Conference Chair Aris Silzars. "But for 2006, we've brought in new speakers and new perspectives, and we are striving to feature a cross-section of the display industry. It should be of high interest to past attendees as well as new ones."

Since it represents the largest sector of the display industry, the flat-panel-display (FPD) market, specifically televisions, will be the subject of the lion's share of the presentations at the 2006 Business Conference, including the opening speech by Bob O'Donnell, Vice President of Clients and Displays at International Display Corp. His talk, entitled "Beyond the Silver Box: Overcoming Commoditization," will address how to make flat-panel TVs stand out in a crowded marketplace.

The sales and pricing of FPDs will be the subject of several talks. DisplaySearch President Ross Young will discuss the group's outlook for the FPD and TV market. Sweta Dash, Director of Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) and Projection Research at iSuppli, will report on the impact of price erosion in the flat-panel TV market. Peter Kwon, President of Display Bank, will examine the growing competitiveness in the large-screen flat-panel TV market. Leslie G. Polgar, CEO of Forth Dimension Displays Ltd. (formerly CRLO Displays Ltd.) will talk about the benefits, limitations and requisite investments of various technologies in large television displays.

Other presentations will center on specific technologies within the FPD realm. There will be two talks directly addressing the liquid-crystal-display (LCD) market: Samsung Americas LCD Business Vice President Joe Virginia will examine the market forces that are shaping today's LCD technology developments for notebook PCs, monitors and high-definition (HD) TV applications; and Corning Inc. Division Vice President and Director of Commercial Technology Peter Bocko will speak about LCD substrates for large-screen LCDs. Enuclia Semiconductor President and CEO Bruce Berkoff will draw attention to emerging electronics trends for HDTV. And Jim Palumbo, of the newly formed Plasma Display Coalition, will highlight the benefits of plasma technology in the marketplace of both today and tomorrow.

But the Business Conference program goes far beyond focusing solely on large-screen FPDs. Giovanni Montesanti, Senior Director of Global Strategy, Marketing and Communications for Philips Semiconductor, will discuss market trends and drivers in mobile displays. Peter Le Masurier, Global Market Development Manager of Displays at Eastman Chemical Ltd.'s Shanghai office, will analyze the present and future of the optical films business, with specific focus on plastics. Bill Feehery, President of OLED Business for DuPont Displays Inc., will talk about alternative solution-processing methods for OLED displays. And Mike Buckley, Director of Strategic Investments for Intel Capital, will describe Intel Corp.'s new Viiv technology for digital entertainment as well as Intel Capital's investment efforts behind it.

Two special discussions supplement the 2006 Business Conference program. On Monday, June 5, during the sit-down luncheon for conference attendees, Mary Lou Jepsen, Chief Technology Officer of the One Laptop Per Child Nonprofit Association, will discuss the organization's goal of seeing $100 laptops manufactured using $35 displays and delivered to children in developing countries.

The conference will wrap up Tuesday afternoon with what promises to be a lively debate over one of the display industry's hottest topics. The discussion, entitled "And the Winner Is…," will feature SID President and former Plasmaco President and CEO Larry Weber and Samsung Electronics LCD Business Vice President Brian Berkeley, who will argue the merits of LCD and plasma TVs in an attempt to settle the ongoing debate over which will rule the marketplace.

The 44th Annual SID International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition will take place Sun., June 4 through Fri., June 9 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. It is the premier international gathering of scientists, engineers, manufacturers, marketers and users in the field of electronic-information displays. For exhibitor information, contact Danielle Rocco, Exhibit Sales Manager, at (212) 460-8090 ext. 218, e-mail: Danielle@sid.org. For registration information, contact Ralph Nadell, (212) 460-8090 ext. 203, e-mail Ralph@sid.org. For press registration, contact Jessica Quandt, (212) 460-8090 ext. 213, e-mail: Jess@sid.org. Visit www.sid2006.org for more information.

ABOUT SID
The Society for Information Display (SID) is the premier international professional society exclusively devoted to the advancement of electronic-display technology, manufacturing, and applications. Its international headquarters are located at 610 South Second Street, San Jose, CA 95112, U.S.A. Visit SID online at www.sid.org.