LED Backlit TFT LCDs To Proliferate From 2H'06 According To DisplaySearch Report

May 3, 2006

DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in display market research and consulting and part of The NPD Group, has released the second issue of its Quarterly Large-Area TFT LCD Product Plan Report. This 300-slide report analyzes and updates the following information each quarter: Product and technology roadmaps New developments in display materials Emerging market and product trends What large-area display products are being produced at each fab One of the highlights of the latest report was the inclusion of LED backlights on a growing number of TFT LCD supplier roadmaps. LED backlights have a number of advantages over traditional CCFL backlights which include: Wider color gamut Higher panel transmittance Ability to reduce panel weight and thickness Mercury and lead free Fast response and a flexible white point Can reduce power consumption Can increase dynamic contrast The latest issue of the Quarterly Large-Area TFT LCD Product Plan Report identified 18 panels on TFT LCD supplier roadmaps that will have RGB LED backlights. 15 of these LED backlit products will be introduced in the second half of 2006. According to David Hsieh, Vice President of DisplaySearch and lead analyst of the Quarterly Large-Area TFT LCD Product Plan Report, "LED backlighting has been a hot topic for the past couple of years. This report identifies which suppliers, applications and panel sizes will take advantage of the benefits of LEDs and their expected mass production timing. Companies expected to launch 10"+ LED-backlit products in 2006 include AUO, BOE, CMO, LPL, Samsung, and Toshiba Matsushita Display in the following applications: tablet PCs, notebook PCs, LCD monitors and LCD TVs." Other highlights of the recently-released Q2'06 Large-Area TFT LCD Product Plan Report include: Other backlighting solutions are also under development with near term mass production plans including Samsung-Corning's flat fluorescent lamp technology and Sharp's hybrid CCFL/LED backlighting. Notebook PC panel manufacturers are developing brighter panels, reaching up to 500-nits at the high end and 200 nits for mainstream products. Notebook panel manufacturers continue to try to reduce glass thickness to reduce notebook PC weight. Several LCD makers will adopt 0.2 mm glass on 12"W panels in 2H'06. More panel makers are developing ultra-large notebook panels˜19" and 20" wide˜which are being accepted by more brands. New 19" wide monitor products are mainly TN+Film solutions as monitor manufacturers are shifting from 19" IPS or 19" VA to TN with wide viewing angle film to reduce costs. It is expected that the TN+Film share will grow from 67% in 2005 to 90% in 2006 in the 19" segment. 19" wide panel costs can be similar to 17" SXGA; therefore, many panel suppliers are developing 19" wide as an alternative to 17"-19" SXGA products with a number of brands now offering or intending to offer these products. Due to CCFL phosphor limitations, the LCD TV panel color saturation has been limited to 72% of NTSC. However, from 2H'05, lamp suppliers have begun introducing wide color gamut CCFLs to reach 78-90% of NTSC by improving CCFL phosphors. A growing number of panel manufacturers intend to introduce these products. Through several technologies to enhance the aperture ratio and the efficiency of backlight systems, LCD TV panel brightness will reach 600 nits in 2H'06. Meanwhile, dynamic backlight control technology will enhance the contrast ratio. The Unified Display Interface (UDI) will emerge as a new interface to connect consumer electronics products and PCs. It is compatible with all interfaces: VGA, DVI, HDMI and HDCP. More advanced materials are being introduced: Corning's new environmental friendly glass substrate Polarizer film with new compensation film and TAC New Lamps (EEFL, TFL) New Backlights (FFL, LED Backlight) New BEF (Brightness Enhancement Film) structures The report is updated and published at the beginning of each quarter and covers the following topics: Large-area TFT LCD panel makers' latest product strategy and technology plans for the three major large-area applications: notebook PCs, LCD monitors and LCD TVs Notebook PC, LCD monitor and LCD TV brand strategy covering 20 notebook PC, 40 LCD monitor and 70 LCD TV brands A matrix of panel product size, economic cuts and product allocation by TFT LCD producer by application by fab for 18 large-area TFT LCD makers and over 60 TFT LCD fabs New materials for large-area TFT LCDs - non-CCFL backlights, new polarizer films and new glass substrates Display standards and regulation updates and analyses Key market trend analysis, like wide LCD monitors, medical displays and the impact of Vista on the display market

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