December 2000

NEWS & ANALYSIS

Philips Shows LCOS-Based Products
Philips Components has started to show two new prototype products that it plans to bring to market next year and will offer
to potential OEM customers.  One platform is a 23-inch rear-projection monitor that has UXGA (1600 x 1200) resolution.  The
second is a 64-inch HDTV with WXGA (1280 x 720) resolution.  Both are based upon Liquid-Crystal-On-Silicon (LCOS)
microdisplays designed by Philips and fabricated by Hana Microdisplay Technologies, Inc. 


Miyota Qualified for All Aspects of F-LCOS Production
Displaytech, Inc. has announced that its manufacturing partner, Miyota Company Ltd., has now been qualified for all aspects
in the production of QVGA (320 x 240) Ferroelectric Liquid-Crystal-On-Silicon (F-LCOS) displays.  Previously, Miyota was doing
only the back end package and test operations.  Now, it will also do front end wafer-scale cell fabrication.  Qualification for
the production of projection panels is expected in early 2001.

TI Extends DLP Technology into Photofinishing
When Texas Instruments (Dallas, TX) first started developing its Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology, it was expected
to find application in the printing industry as well as projection.  The projection applications have taken off, but a second
major application area, photofinishing, has been quietly gaining momentum.  Last month, the company signed up
its third major customer, Gretag, The Imaging Company.
    
Colorado MicroDisplay Raises $35M
Colorado MicroDisplay, Inc. (CMD) has raised $35M in strategic private equity investments in its fourth round of funding.
GE Equity was the lead investor in the round and was joined by several other investment firms and Polaroid
Corporation.  Funds will be used for expansion of customer support services, for operations expansion 
and for product development.  The company has now raised a total of $63.5M.

Microdisplay Companies Eye Optical Switch Opportunities
One of the hottest technology sectors right now are all-optical switches for fiber-optic communications and data networks.
Interestingly, developers of these elements are leveraging technologies developed for microdisplays in a quest to supply 
components to drive huge increases in network bandwidth.  Some of these optical switches are based upon moving mirror
technology similar to the DLP technology developed by Texas Instruments.  Others are using new technologies to steer 
light from one fiber to another. 

QUALCOMM Commits $500M to Investments 
QUALCOMM Incorporated, a leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless
technology, has formed QUALCOMM Ventures.  This organization will make strategic investments in startup companies 
to support the adoption of CDMA and drive usage of the wireless Internet.  The company is making a $500M commitment
to this strategic initiative that will be invested over a period of four years. 

3-D Display Prototype Nears Completion
A true 3-D display system can produce volume pixels, or voxels, that exist in all three dimensions.  Such systems are often
called volumetric displays since the voxels fills a physical volume.  Early next year a company called Actuality Systems,
Inc. will be ready to demonstrate its new volumetric display system.


APPLICATIONS

Front Projection - News from COMDEX and other sources includes projection announcements from: Toshiba America Information Systems,
Epson, Compaq, InFocus (Proxima), Electrograph Systems, Viewsonic,  Hitachi, Optoma Corporation and NEC Viewtechnology and on the
 CRT projection front, Zenith Electronics.

VideoWalls - We report on Clarity Visual Systems,  Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, and Nanjing Power Supply Bureau. 

Rear-Projection DLP/LCD -Companies featured here are Texas Instruments, Hitachi America, Panasonic, Mitsubishi
Electric, Sony, Runco International, ProScreen and Marantz America.

Large Area LCDs - There’s exciting news from IBM and others including LG Philips LCD, Sharp, Samsung Electronics America,
Loewe, Eizo Nanao, NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics, Philips Flat Display Systems (FDS), Rainbow Displays Inc. (RDI) and Advanced
Optics Electronics.  

Vis/Simulation - Well tell you news from Sun Microsystems, PTC and Trimension Systems and Evans & Sutherland.

 
MARKET INTELLIGENCE
CRTs Remain Strong
Flat Panel Display Q2 Sales Approach $6B
DTV Sales Grow Despite Delays
Set-Top Box Outlook
Sony Ramps Up Digicam Production
Digital Camera Prices Down in Japan
Taiwan Continues Penetration

BOTTOM LINE
JVC Has Weak First Half
Kopin Grows Despite Stressed Suppliers
eMagin Reports Q3 Results
Integral Vision Looks to FPD Growth Next Year
Sharp Surge in Japan
Institutions Claim Over 15% of Xybernaut
C-3D Digital Hits Million Mark

MOVERS & SHAKERS
Texas Instruments John Van Scoter assumes leadership of TI’s Digital Imaging Business with Bob England's
departure.  Sherel D. Horsley, announced he is retiring at the end of the year.  Michael Cherniawski joins
Colorado MicroDisplay as VP of Operations.  Display expert, Dr. Candace Petersen joins InFocus 
as VP of Product Marketing.  Pete Mardis and Phil Hearn join ComView Visual Systems and Richard Cashmore, Ph.D.
joins Fakespace Systems.