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Meanwhile, Aurora Systems has been quietly working with several
Chinese TV set makers like TCL, HiSense and Skyworth. Each has
now developed prototypes that it expects to roll out as 43 to
52-inch TV sets this fall. Young Optics will supply the engines
for two of the sets while Prokia will supply the third engine
to the set makers.
Also set for delivery this fall is the first set based upon Philips
single-panel, spinning-prism architecture. Hyunwoo McPlus will
roll a 52-inch set by Q3'02.
In DLP sets, Optoma has created a new TV business unit and will
roll out a high-end 65-inch HDTV with a stunning 1800:1 contrast
ratio. This and a 50-inch version should be ready by October.
Already for sale however, are HTPS sets from LG/Zenith and Panasonic.
Zenith's 60-inch set is very nice looking and goes for an ESP
of $6K, but a 52-inch version should be ready by September. Panasonic
is offering 40- and 45-inch sets with MSRP pricing of $3K and
3.5K.
All of these sets remain priced above the sweet spot for volume
production, but pricing is expected to come down fairly rapidly.
Zeiss, for it's part is working on a new field lens engine design
that will offer cost reductions need to lower the overall bill
of materials for a DLP-based RPTV. By the end of 2002, it thinks
a BOM of $1,400 for a 1280 x 720 DLP-based RPTV engine should
be possible.
We also had a chance to reflect on the activities at Infocomm
and PISC a bit and have put down our thoughts in two articles
that look at emerging trends in the projection industry as well
as some of the forecasts that research firms are talking about.
FYI - Insight Media is now selling the proceeding from PISC on
our web site. We are also preparing a new report that profiles
microdisplay companies and couples this to a new forecast. Look
for this in September.
The August MDR edition contains a report of a new company, which
is offering compensation films. Grafix Plastics is offering several
grades of retardation films that offer performance and cost advantages
over traditional alternatives. Check them out at www.grafixplastics.com.
Also exclusive to MDR this month is news story on a technology
from a start-up in the UK, Seamless Display, Ltd. It has developed
a technique that applies lenses to edge-butted flat panels to
remove the visible seam between these panels.
In the Bring-to-Eye section this month, we had a chance to catch
up with activities at Displaytech and Kopin - both of whom are
competing toe-to-toe for camcorder viewfinders and other novel
niche applications for lower-resolution microdisplays.
And there are lots more in the Market Intelligence and Bottom
Line sections too, which will help give a feel for who is predicting
what, and who is raising money and/or selling products.
Until next time…
Chris Chinnock
Sr. Editor, Microdisplay Report
Chris@insightmedia.info
NOTE: The August 2002 edition of the Microdisplay report is your
first issue using the new encrypted pdf format. If you have run
your installer, you are ready to read MDR at the following link:
http://www.insightmedia.info/mdrencrypted.htm
If you have not run your installer, you need to do so before
you can view the pdf file. Please refer to a previous email from
us that contained instructions, an attachment with an exe file,
and your OrderID number. If you need help, please contact Annmarie
Gabisch, 203-831-8404, Annmarie@insightmedia.info.
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