SIDirect is a free monthly e-mail newsletter that updates its readers on the latest news regarding the Society for Information Display (SID) and its events, including the annual International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition. To view the complete newsletter, visit http://www.sid.org/sidirect/sidirect.html.

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March 2008 
Volume 4, Number 2

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HEADLINES 

1. SID'S 46TH Annual Display Week Premieres the Week of May 18, 2008-Features a Blockbuster Roster of A-List Display Leaders

2. Display Week Goes 3D With Special Session on 3D in Cinema-Register Now as Space is Limited for This All-Star Event

3. Registration For SID's Mobile Displays Conference Is Now In The Palm Of Your Hands

4. Mark Your Calendars for The 28th Annual International Display Research Conference

5. Sending out an S.O.S.

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SID'S 46TH Annual Display Week Premieres the Week of May 18, 2008 - Features a Blockbuster Roster of A-List Display Leaders

SID has unveiled the final program for Display Week 2008. This year's forum, now in its 46th year, is set to feature a blockbuster program spotlighting leading manufacturers and academic and research institutions from around the world. Hollywood will roll out the red carpet for Display Week, which will premiere May 18 and last through May 23, 2008, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

According to Display Week's general chair, Amal Ghosh, "The lineup of this year's Display Week is extremely exciting. With a record number of high-caliber submissions and top presenters, the 2008 program will be unparalleled to those of years past. Moreover, we will be hosting a number of events that will delve into today's latest display trends. Some of the more notable topics include a face-off on where TV is really going, the continued growth of mobile applications and what the display industry is bringing to the table in the area of touch technologies. We will also see more on 3D, where we've seen Hollywood reinvigorate the technology's viability with big-budgeted feature films exhibited in stereoscopic 3D, as well as a look at next-generation 3D display technologies."

The Symposium at Display Week 2008 kicks off on the morning of Tuesday, May 20, with keynotes from the following top executives: Paul (Shuang-Lang) Peng, senior vice president and general manager, Information Technology Display Business Group, AU Optronics Corp.; Yoshito Shiraishi, general manager, E-Products and Business Development Department, TV Business Group, Sony Corp.; and Mary Lou Jepsen, founder, Pixel Qi. These esteemed industry leaders will speak, respectively, on green products and their introduction into the TFT-LCD industry; the challenges of being the first OLED TV manufacturer; and the role of displays in ultra-low-cost computer designs for the world's underprivileged. 

In its efforts to continue influencing next-generation advancements in Hollywood and elsewhere, the Display Week Symposium will feature a record 73 sessions of more than 500 invited and contributed papers and presentations addressing such leading-edge topics as plasma, OLEDs, electronic paper (e-paper), AMLCDs, projection to microdisplays and 3D displays, among others. The four-day conference is divided into 12 broad tracks covering the latest technology areas, including:

• Active-Matrix Displays
• Applied Vision and Human Factors
• Displays Applications
• Display Electronics
• Display Manufacturing
• Display Measurement
• Display Systems
• Emissive Displays
• Field-Emission Displays
• Liquid-Crystal Technology
• OLEDs
• Projection Displays

Special Sessions and Panel Discussions
In addition to the conference Symposium and Business and Investor conferences, this year's Display Week will be packed with interesting sessions and panels. This includes a special panel discussion on Tues. evening, May 20, titled "AMLCD World Domination: Does Anything Stand in the Way?" This panel will host several industry experts spanning AMLCD, plasma, OLED and projection technologies, who will discuss the proliferation of each, given that AMLCD's market share is expected to mimic that of cathode ray tubes (CRTs)-which dominated the high-information-content display industry with a 99-percent market share for 60 years. Also new will be an afternoon of invited presentations dedicated to cutting-edge technologies surrounding the resurgence of the 3D cinema industry on Wed., May 21 (see next article). The 3D Cinema Session will kick off with a luncheon keynote address by Andy Hendrickson, VP of technology for Walt Disney Animation Studios, who will delve into the evolution of display technology and the various display-related challenges and opportunities specific to the entertainment industry.

Later in the week, on Thursday, May 22, there will be a Display Applications Special Session co-sponsored by Avnet, Inc., one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and technology services and solutions. From the basics of how to select an appropriate display for a product, to in-depth analysis of individual display technologies, to the chance to network with leading display innovators, the Display Applications Special Session offers everything attendees need to know in order to specify and design a display for a product. Speakers have been invited based on their expertise and will convey practical knowledge in their respective areas that can be put to immediate use in specific display applications.

Also on the week's program:

• Sunday Short Courses-four-hour classes covering the fundamentals of information displays;
• Display Technology Seminars-twelve 90-minute seminars on diverse topics related to the information display field on Mon., May 19; and
• Applications Tutorials-practical and interactive 90-minute tutorials from Wed. through Fri., May 21-23, in the early morning hours before the Symposium sessions begin.

For more details on Display Week's 2008 program and pricing, please visit www.sid2008.org and click on "Program". Registration is now open, so please reserve your ticket today to secure your seat at one of the display industry's premier events. Additional information on other elements of Display Week can also be found on the website, including a copy of the final program, hotel and travel information, etc. 

And for those planning ahead, here are the future dates and locations for Display Week to keep in mind:

• 2009: San Antonio, Texas - May 31-June 5
• 2010: Seattle, Wash. - May 23-28
• 2011: Los Angeles, Calif. - May 22-27
• 2012: Boston, Mass. - June 3-8

Display Week Goes 3D with Special Session on 3D in Cinema-Register Now as Space is Limited for this All-Star Event

SID reports the new 3D technology-focused addition to its program lineup for Display Week 2008 has already received acclaimed reviews and interest. Slated to debut Wed., May 21, Display Week's Special Session on 3D in Cinema will feature invited talks from leading experts in the field, on topics spanning the full 3D movie process-from content creation (animation and live action) and editing, to post production and theatrical display. Leading 3D technology provider Real D will provide stereoscopic projection equipment and viewing glasses for audience members, enabling speakers to screen illustrative clips.

The session topic is timely, given viewer attendance at 3D versions of recent films, such as Beowulf and Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds. Both generated record-breaking per-screen averages from 3D locations, delivering eight times the box office revenues of theaters showing the films in standard format. 

To help Display Week attendees gain this in-depth understanding, SID created the 3D session, inviting speakers who are working at the cutting edge of contemporary 3D moviemaking to explain how the characteristics of 3D display technologies shape every aspect of the movie creation process. Topics and speakers for the session will include:

• It's Not Real Life: Stereoscopic Content Creation-Phil McNally, Dreamworks Animation;
• Adapting "3D" CG Films for "3D" Presentation: The Technique and Technology-Rob Engle, Sony Pictures Imageworks;
• Stereoscopic Live Action: Content Capture and Post Production-Steve Schklair, 3ality Digital Systems;
• Post Production for Stereoscopic Movies-Norman Rouse, Quantel;
• Dolby 3D Digital Cinema-Jeff McNall, Dolby Laboratories;
• 3D Exhibition in the Digital Age: Bringing a New Dimension to Entertainment-Rod Archer, Real D.

Throughout the presentations, session attendees will be treated to clips of leading 3D features, which have played a part in helping digital cinema continue to move to the next level. Furthermore, the technology has implications beyond the movie theater. Gamers have embraced stereoscopic 3D in rapidly growing numbers, as evidenced by the popularity of stereoscopic 3D certification and advocacy group Meant to be Seen (MTBS)-its year-old website has more than 3,000 registered members and 10,000 unique visitors a month. Other markets poised to make the shift to 3D digital within the next few years include home entertainment and professional displays.

The Special Session on 3D in Cinema will be held in the L.A. Convention Center's Petree Hall on Wed., May 21, from 2:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., with a question-and-answer period to follow. The cost to attend is included in the fee for the Symposium technical program, which features additional sessions on 3D display technologies and applications ("Novel 3D Displays" and "Stereoscopic Displays" from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the morning of the Special Session, and "3D Applications and Measurement Techniques" from 3:40 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tues., May 20, and "3D Integral Imaging and Autostereoscopic Displays" from 10:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Thurs., May 22). For those not attending the full Symposium, the session registration cost is $100. More information, including synopses of each talk, is available at http://www.sid.org/conf/sid2008/program/3d.html.

Registration for SID's Mobile Displays Conference is Now In the Palm of Your Hands

Registration for SID Mobile Displays 2008 is now open. This year's conference will be held at the Hilton San Diego Resort in San Diego, Calif. on Sept. 23 & 24, 2008. The conference is designed especially for planners and managers involved in the production, use, purchasing and design of small displays, components and materials. Exploring the business and technology trends for displays used in mobile products, such as mobile phones, personal media devices, handheld games, digital still and motion video cameras, and navigation products, this forum draws attendees from the display industry, as well as engineering, marketing and business planners from the following sectors:

• Mobile phone product designers
• Other handheld mobile system designers
• Small display makers 
• Driver chips for mobile displays 
• Display component makers including backlights, optical enhancement films, polarizers, and drivers 
• Wireless service providers
• Power management 
• Graphics and display system architecture 
• Materials and components for mobile displays 

Please note that the Call for Papers deadline for this particular conference is April 18th, so act soon. Currently, SID is soliciting abstracts on the following topics:

• Applications Market Overview
• Displays Market Overview 
• Wireless Carriers and Service Providers Perspective on Displays
• User Interfaces
• Touch and Novel Haptic Interfaces
• Mobile Display Technology Advances (Si, p-Si TFT LCD, OLED)
• Display Driver/Controllers and Mobile Graphics Accelerators
• Mobile Video
• Interfaces and New Architectures
• Color Management, Backlight Options and Technology
• Power and Energy
• Advanced Display Concepts

Those interested can submit abstracts (100-500 words) to Laura Castellano at: laura@etc-eventmanagement.com. For more information on the conference itself, please visit: http://www.sidhottopics.org/index.html.

Mark Your Calendars for The 28th Annual International Display Research Conference 

The International Display Research Conference (IDRC) is highly regarded as the global forum for covering the fundamental technologies for advanced electronic displays. This forward-looking conference rotates yearly between North America, Asia (commonly known as "Asia Display") and Europe (dubbed "Euro Display"). The 2008 IDRC returns to the United States this year, where it will be held at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, from Nov. 3 - 6, 2008.

This year's conference will emphasize one of today's hottest and most important topics: energy efficiency. IDRC's central focus will be on energy-efficient displays, and attendees will learn about research, physics, devices, optics, materials and technology aspects for enhancing LCDs, LEDs, OLEDs and PDPs that lead to higher display efficiency and the reduction of global warming.

IDRC offers a more intimate look at topics being actively researched in universities and the display industry at large. This year, the conference will be broken up into the following 14 technical sessions focusing on some of the most relevant display research topics of today:

• AMLCD Devices 
• Flexible FPDs
• Electronic Paper and Reflective Displays
• Advances in OLED/PLED Devices 
• Advances in AMLCD Materials and Alignment
• AMLCD Compensation Films/Backlights/Color Filters
• Advances in Projection Devices
• Active Substrates 
• Nano-Science and Technology in Displays
• New Display Materials and Applications
• Advances in Plasma, FED and CRT Devices
• MEMS
• Ink-Jet Processing of Displays
• Research in Medical Displays
• 3D Displays 

The abstract and manuscript submission deadline is July 11, 2008. All authors are required to upload their submissions online at: http://www.sid.org/idrc2008/idrc2008.html. More information on the conference itself can be found at the url above.

Sending out an S.O.S.

At SID, we're continuously striving to provide a valuable service to our members and the display industry. We would like to hear how we can enhance our overall value and better serve you with SIDirect. As mentioned in last month's issue, we'd be interested in hearing what types of topics and features you would be interested in seeing in this monthly forum, so please let us help you. Starting in the April issue, we'll be offering a special bonus for SIDirect readers moving forward, so stay tuned.

We welcome any and all suggestions on how we can make SIDirect a more useful tool for you. Also, if you would be interested in submitting an article for our next issue, please email Marie Labrie at: mlabrie@mcapr.com for more information on article guidelines, etc.