PC Memory Company Rambus Focus on LED Market

Rambus is best known for its PC memory technology. Recently it has developed a process for making flat LED plates to replace overhead office lighting.

The company on Wednesday at the Lightfair Intenrational conference will show off prototypes of a system that it says can lower the manufacturing costs of LED lighting for commercial buildings and flat-panel displays.

Last year, Rambus bought patents from Global Lighting Technologies related to components of a flat LED fixture. Having developed product prototypes and a manufacturing process, Rambus is now seeking to license that technology to other companies, executives said on Monday.

The components to a flat-plate LED designed for overhead lights. The textured gray layer is a lens to reflect light uniformly on a flat surface,
(Credit: Rambus)

The technology itself is not the actual LEDs, but components for an edge-lit lighting panel. LEDs are placed on the edge of a panel, which is about a half-inch thick. A “light guide,” made up of textured plastic, acts as series of tiny lenses to reflect the light so that it emits uniformly from the flat plate.

The prototypes that Rambus plans to show are two rectangle shaped light sources–one 2 feet by 2 feet and the other by 3 inches by 43 inches.

If the company is successful, larger versions of those flat-plate light sources would replace florescent bulbs used in office buildings. In a commercial product, manufacturers would license the process technology and use LEDs from another supplier, Rambus executives explained.

“My guess is that we’re about two years away from parity with fluorescents because LEDs are on a faster cost curve,” said Tim Messegee, vice president of marketing at Rambus.

Now companies or consumers buy LEDs based on the cost savings over time and for other benefits, such as the lack of mercury and the longer life of LEDs, he said.

LED for Backlighting LCDs in Shot Supply

According to market researcher iSuppli Corp, the LEDs used for backlighting LCDs larger than 10 inches diagonally are in short supply at a time when shipments of LCD panels are to expected to soar.

The shortage is likely to last until the end of this year. ISuppli predicts large-sized LCD display shipments with LED banklights will more than double this year to 276.7 million from 117.8 million units a year earlier. By comparison, total display shipments are expected to rise to 642.5 million from 526.6 million.

ISuppli predicts shipments of LED backlights to rise another 73% to 477.6 million units in 2011 and take up 88% of the total large-sized LCD television market by 2014.

“There have been mounting concerns in the industry about supply constraints for LEDs and light guide plates, two of the major components for LED backlights,” said Sweta Dash, senior director for LCD research at iSuppli. But Dash expects the supply will increase and the constraint will ease going into 2011.

The increased popularity in LED backlighting is due to its substantial advantages, compared with the older cold-cathode fluorescent lamp technology. LED are slimmer, lighter in weight, consumes less power and are free of mercury.

More than 40% of the LED backlights are used in LCD televisions, mobile computers and desktop monitors. While used in electronic signage, industrial and medical applications are on the rise. By 2012, LED backlights will be used by all notebook panels, iSuppli said.

Philips Offers its $10 million LED bulb

Recently, Philips stands as the lonely first in the would-be line of contenders vying for the $10 million prize slated by the US government for offering an energy efficient alternative to the 60 Watt light bulb.

The idea of an XL prize money on developing a light bulb may seem absurd but the amount of energy it would help save, which comes to 34 Terawatt-hours of power nationwide per year, does validate the huge offering. The entries were supposed to deliver at least 900 Lumens output, with a consumption of less than 10 watts, and a lifespan of at least 25,000 hours.

Energy saving is good, we hope they also keep the cost economics of the 21st century lighting substitute in mind.

Affordable LED Lamps Come to Korean Homes

As we all know that LED lamps have long been known for their efficiency, but due to high prices they have been mostly restricted to expensive industrial and consumer goods like billboards, TVs and automobile lights.

But yesterday Philips, the Dutch electronics company, announced it would begin selling LED bulbs at the local discount chain E-mart.

Branded “Ambient LED,” the lights work in sockets for incandescent or halogen lights. Ambient LEDs last 45 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Replace one incandescent light with an LED, and it can cut 30 kilograms of carbon dixiode emissions per year, the same as planting a tree.

“With hopes of introducing high-quality lighting to consumers, we are offering LED lights at a very competitive price,” said Kim Yun-yeong, vice president of the company’s light division.

Ambient LEDs are priced around 20,000 won ($18), about half the cost of previous varieties.

LG Electronics also began selling LEDs for homes in February. The Seoul-based company announced yesterday that it received a certification from the Korea Energy Management Corporation for the product’s exceptionally high energy efficiency.

Compatible with halogen sockets, LG LEDs can be used for 12 hours daily for 10 years and cost 34,000 won.

“We plan to accelerate our LED light business in the coming days by introducing eco-friendly bulbs different from other lights,” said Kim Yong-hwan, director of the company’s solution business team.

LG plans to use those lights at its Yeouido headquarters when they are renovated this year.

Samsung Electronics, meanwhile, is adopting a wait-and-see approach, still uncertain whether LEDs will succeed in the consumer market. Samsung has been making LEDs for industrial purposes since 2007.

GE Developed a New Energy-saving LED Bulb

It is reported that GE Appliances & Lighting, a dealer in major appliances, lighting, systems and services for commercial, industrial and residential use, has developed a new LED bulb that consumes only 9W of power and provide 77 percent energy savings while at the same time offering the same lighting output of a 40-watt incandescent bulb.

The new LED bulbs can last for 17 years and are expected to outperform currently available products that may be underwhelming consumers right now.

GE has claimed that their new LED bulb is better at directing the light downwards onto the intended area and produces 450 lumens whereas LED bulbs offered by other vendors can only produce 350 lumens. GE has also filed multiple patent applications for the bulb and expects it will be an ENERGYSTAR (News – Alert)-qualified LED omni-directional light bulb.

John Strainic, global product general manager at GE Lighting has commented that this is a bulb that can virtually light users’ kid’s bedroom desk lamp from birth through high school graduation. It’s an incredible advancement that’s emblematic of the imagination and innovation that GE’s applying to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Strainic added that consumers are reluctant to move away from the less efficient incandescent because they prefer the light quality they produce. The new GE Energy Smart LED bulb will address that lighting preference head-on and give consumers yet another option to light their homes and businesses.

GE will put prototypes of the bulb – outfitted with Cree (News – Alert) XLamp XP-G LEDs – on display at two upcoming trade shows: Light + Building 2010 in Frankfurt, Germany, and LightFair 2010 in Las Vegas. The high-efficiency, high-lumen-output LEDs used in the GE bulbs are Cree’s smallest and brightest lighting-class LEDs, designed specifically for general lighting.

Analysts have suggested that the introduction of high-quality retrofit light bulbs, like the GE Energy Smart LED bulb can be the next step in LED lighting revolution.

Energy Saving Light Jamming Cable TV?

It is reported that ever since old style incandescent bulbs initiated to be phased out, some viewers having certain types of set top box have experienced strange incidents, with their televisions acting weird.

Extending a confirmation, Philips Electronics has affirmed that the culprit behind the problem could most probably be with an early type of energy saving light bulb, which can lead to an interference with cable TV equipment.

To further expatiate, experts believed that the infra red produced by the low energy light bulb can be mistaken by the set top box as a signal from the remote control thereby causing an interference.

A spokesman for the firm said, “Some very early compact fluorescent lamps, shortly after starting, could cause interference with TV controls due to the frequency of operation of the bulb and when placed near a TV”.

However, technicians related the problems to an early type of Philips bulb combining with certain brands of set top box.

Normal light bulbs also emit infrared, however, they do not flicker the way energy efficient light bulbs do.

Philips Unveils a 12-watt LED Light Bulb

It is reported that Royal Philips Electronics unveiled a 12-watt LED light bulb that it will begin selling as a substitute for standard 60-watt bulbs by the end of the year.

The bulb will be dimmable and will provide 806 lumens, with the potential to save up to 80% in energy consumption, compared to incandescent bulbs.

Philips said the bulb has a 25,000-hour lifetime.

With federal legislation phasing out inefficient lighting in the years to come, it’s likely that additional LED replacement bulbs will hit the shelves in 2011. Last week GE (NYSE: GE) unveiled its first–a replacement for 40-watt bulbs.

Philips also detailed broader marketing plans for its LED offerings in years to come. The company is introducing a home lighting system called LivingAmbiance, which wirelessly integrates luminaires and lamps to create different light settings–including a range of thousands of different color–with touch-button control.

In 2010, the company will introdue a product platform of outdoor luminaires that it hopes municipalities will adopt for streetlighting.

The company is currently exhibiting its new products and concepts at the Light + Building architecture fair Frankfurt Germany.

SAMSUNG 3D LED TV TO BE WON

Samsung’s Skype-enabled, 7000 and 8000 series High Definition 3D LED TVs reportedly sold over 10,000 units in just, and this achievement is made all the more remarkable simply because it was achieved within six weeks. Half of the TVs sold were 55? models for which the major reason is considered to be their capability to convert 2D stereoscopic images to 3D ones with just one push of a button.

and out of the total number sold, around half of them were of the 55″ variety. One of the main reasons this model is so successful is due to the TV’s 2D to 3D feature, where such conversion technology is available to enable users to convert 2D to 3D stereoscopic images with but a single touch of a touch of a button. It would be interesting to see whether the US will see such adoption rates or not.

Blowout Prices on LED TVs

As LED becomes more and more mainstream, the question ought to be asked: is an LED TV worth the extra cash? To some, absolutely not. Only price matters. To others, price takes a back seat to the overall viewing experience, and from initial reviews by buyers and critics, the viewing experience is worth every dime.

So what is it about LED TVs that are better?

One of the strong criticisms of LCD TVs has always been the color and contrast. While LCD TVs control a competitive edge over plasma TVs in a lot of areas, the overall black levels of the traditional LCD TV cannot compete. To enhance the experience, manufactures began developing LED LCD TVs that offer a pair of lighting techniques that sharpen up color and contrast levels.

The first, standard edge-lit LED TVs, offer a slightly better lighting technique than a traditional LCD TV in that more powerful, more efficient lights located on the edge of the TV shine inward and diffuse evenly on the screen.

The second, full-matrix LEDs, utilize a technology better known as local dimming that disperse LED light from the back of the TV, instead of the sides, giving it a very even distribution of light. Essentially, the full-matrix technology is able to achieve unmatched color levels and contrast.

The beauty of the LED technology is not just the improved picture quality; LED TVs are more efficient and slimmer than just about any TV on the market. In fact, Samsung’s LED TVs use as much as 40% less power than any equivalent-sized traditionally-lit LCD TV.

Essentially, the best TVs on the market are LED TVs. So, where are the best places to buy the highest-rated LED TVs at the lowest prices?

Highly regarded as one of the best TVs in the last year, the Samsung UN55B8000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV has dropped significantly in price as Samsung has already launched many of the enhanced, upgraded C5000, C6000, C7000, and C8000 series models (the C7000 and C8000 are the new 3D LED TVs). Priced as low as $1,823.99, this local dimming model is almost $2,000 less than the suggested retail price, and has moved up to the #1 bestselling LED TV on Amazon.

If 3D LED is the direction you want to go, the Samsung UN55C7000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D LED HDTV (Black) has dropped from $3,299.99 to $2,669.00 (more than $600 off a 2010 TV). As mentioned in other Tainted Green reviews, the Samsung 3D LED TVs includes a 2D to 3D converter that instantly changes regular TV into 3D TV. Few large retailers can even get close to this price.

Finally, if value is what you want and you don’t mind a non-Samsung LED TV, Sharp offers the Sharp AQUOS LC40LE700UN 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV for under $900. The price is right and so far, the reviews have been very positive.

The time is now, when models are changing and prices are dropping, to buy an energy efficient, slimmed down LED TV.

LG First Offer 3D LED TV

Global electronics manufacturer LG is set to offer a first in the burgeoning market of 3D TVs: it will have the first sets with LCD backlighting.

The LX9500 will be the company’s first entry into the 3D market, which has currently become filled by Samsung and Panasonic The LX9500 will be available in both a 47-inch and a 55-inch model.

The 1080p sets will have Skype’s TV platform, USB support, HDMI connections, and support for LG’s USB-powered 3D glasses. It is also decorated with a full backlit display, the first 3D set to do so.

According to the blog Ubergizmo, which translated LG’s Korean press release, the set is planned to be released in Korea next month at around the equivalent of a little over $4,000.

The LX9500 will then make its way to the US and Europe by May.

Early adopters in the 3D TV market have proven that there is significant demand. Panasonic’s first set of 3D TVs sold out across the country within just a week, and Samsung’s sets are also selling through at higher rates than analysts were expecting.