Volume 4
AUGUST 2006
Number 8

Insight Media News
3
Upcoming Reports from Insight Media
3
Sponsorship Opportunities Available for Insight Media Webinars
4
Microdisplays
5
TI Reports Solid Earnings
5
UMO to Acquire Thintek
5
LBO Receives $2.5M Seed Funding
6
Optics & Engines
7
Lightmaster Systems Ceases Operations
7
Design Wins
8
Hyundai IT Adopts Tvia's LCD-TV Design Solutions
8
Zoran Powers Sanyo's New HDTV for US Market
9
Display Electronics
9
AMD Buys ATI for $5.4B
9
Micronas Posts Losses for 1H-06
10
LCD Components
10
Applied Materials Completes Purchase of Applied Films
10
Key Component Makers Cautious About 3Q
11
Japan's Asahi Glass to Build PDP and LCD Furnaces in Korea
12
Samsung Corning vs. Asahi: It's Not Just Glass
12
LED/Laser Devices
13
Microvision Signs Agreement with Laser OEM
13
Heat - as Well as Cost - Slows Adoption of High-Power LEDs
13
Cree Makes World's Most Efficient LED
14
LED Chipmakers Expect Good 2Q Despite Mediocre June Sales
15
But June Sales Didn't Sizzle
15
LED Makers Support CMO's 32-inch LCD Backlight
16
China Invests in Domestic LED Industry
17
Led Brightness Improvements Coming in Leaps and Bounds
17
LCD BLUs
18
Every LCD-TV Needs a Backlight Unit
18
Harison Toshiba To Double CCFL Capacity Each Year
19
LED Backlights Start at the High End
19
For BLU Makers, Cutting Costs is Job 1
20
Wellypower to Ship U-shaped CCFLs in 3Q
21
Flat Panel Watch
21
LCD Prices Pressuring Plasma
21
Q2 LCD Panel Winners and Losers
24
LG Down; Samsung Up
24
CMO Wins, Others Loose in Taiwan
26
Sharp Gains in Japan
27
The Haves and Have Nots
27
Sharp Planning $4.25B Gen 10 LCD Fab
28
The Invisible Hand Behind the LCD Panel Biz
28
LCD Inventories May not Recover Until 4Q
30
Korea: Pricing Slide Remains Constant
30
50" HD Modules to Drop Below $1K in Q4
32
Falling 1080p TV Prices Will Drive Autumn Sales
33
Hospitality Market for HDTVs Highlighted
35
China's CES Suffers 1080p Confusion
36
Business and Strategic
37
Plasma Makers Target Europe for Assembly and Sales
37
Acer Tips LCD-TV Hand at Computex
38
Amtran Straddles the ODM/Brand Gap at Show
40
BenQ's June Revenue Shot Up 78% On-Year
42
InFocus' Second Quarter Financial Results Below Guidance
42
LGE Summer 2006 Line Show
43
Matsushita's President Seeks To Double Profits
45
Meiloon Projector Sales to Boost Second Half
45
Mitsubishi, Sharp Diverge on Capex, Not Profits
45
Planar's Big Plans to Expand Specialty Displays
46
Pioneer to Boost PDP-TV Shipments to 1.7M Units
47
Samsung to Launch HDTV Retail Campaign in US
47
Sharp LCD-TV Sales Surpass 10M
48
Sharp's "True HD" Rollout
49
Syntax-Brillian Ups 4Q Sales Outlook
49
Syntax-Brillian Signs Marketing Deals
50
Taiwan LCD-TV Brands Gaining in North America
50
Taiwan Firms Extend to SE Asia
51
TCL Multimedia Suffers European Loss
52
PDP-TV
52
Pioneer Ships 1080p Plasma Display
52
Matsushita Launches 103-inch Plasma Display
53
LCD-TV
53
Twisted Nematic LCDs for Television?
53
Byd:sign Sells Low Priced LCD-TVs in Japan
54
MDTV
54
Samsung Ships LED DLP Set
54
Home Theater
55
JVC Releases DLA-HD10KS LCOS-Based Projector
55
Business Projectors
56
Hitachi America Intros CP-X268A Wireless Projector
56
InFocus Releases New Work Big Projector
56
Interactive Whiteboards
57
DNP Adds Whiteboard to High Contrast Line
57
Electronic Signage
58
Reuters and NASDAQ Join Forces in Times Square
58
Samsung To Volume Produce 82-Inch Panel For Specialty Market
58
Digital Cinema
59
Analog Devices' Video Chip Delivers Big Screen Digital Cinema
59
Ballantyne Acquires National Cinema Service
60
Barco Wins Cinema Contracts in Belgium and China
60
Christie Expands CP2000 to Go Global
61
NEC Bows Digital Cinema Server
62
QuVIS Provides Single Server Solution for 3D
62
Visualization/Simulation
63
Mechdyne Provides Northrop with Virtual Prototyping
63
VirTra Systems Upgrades Air Force Small Arms Training Simulator
64
Alternative Displays
64
Japanese Consortium to Produce Bendable LCDs by 2009
64
PVI Delays Shipments of Electronic Paper
65
DTV
66
CableCARDs DOA
66
EchoStar, Others Invests In CinemaNow
67
France's Club Internet to Launch IPTV Service
67
Infonetics Reports on IPTV Equipment Market
68
MPEG-4 Buys Bandwidth for Satellite Services
69
SageTV Extends "Any Room Video" Wirelessly
70
USDTV to Liquidate Assets
70
Investors Corner
72
LEDs Coming to a Screen/Backlight Near You
72
Sizing the Backlight Market
72
CCFLs
73
LEDs
73
A No-Brainer - Better Picture Quality at a Lower Price
74
But There is an Alternative
75
Wake up Call for 2008?
76
And the Winners Are?
77
LED manufacturers
77
Backlight Drivers
78
Investment Conclusion - Sort of…
79
Format Watch
79
Analysts Declares HD-DVD Winning Format
79
Can Ricoh End the High-def DVD Format War?
80
Blue Laser Market to Grow to $28B by 2010
81
Sony Boosts Blu-ray Disc Production to 10 M per Month
82
Sony China Debuts Full Line of Blu-ray Products
82
Toshiba Teams to Promote HD-DVD
83
Not Much Going on in China
83
Newsletter Editorial Matrix
84
About Projection Monthly
85
About Insight Media
85