According to BBC news - Sony are due to release “an ultra-thin television” that is “brighter and crisper than current generation screens”

The TV, which is due to go on sale in December uses organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) to produce the image, resulting in a screen only 3mm thick.

OLED screens are said-t0-be more energy efficient than the popular LCD panels - as they do not need a backlight to boost brightness.

The BBC also states that it is  “difficult and expensive” to make large screens using the [OLED] technology. Sony’s first OLED TV costs £850 (roughly $1700 CAD) and has an 11 inch display.

OLED screens are brighter than LCD panels and also have better contrast ratio - resulting in sharper pictures.

The diodes emit a brilliant white light when attached to an electricity supply and are also being developed for use as replacements to traditional light bulbs.

Sony has hailed the new television as a signal of its returning strength as a technology innovator.

Sony’s president, Ryoji Chubachi said at a news conference at its Tokyo headquarters: “Some people have said attractive products are slow to come at Sony despite its technological strength”

He added:”I want this world’s first OLED TV to be the symbol of the revival of Sony’s technological prowess.

“I want this to be the flag under which we charge forward to turn the fortunes around.”

Sony’s executive deputy president, Katsumi Ihara said: “I don’t think OLED TVs will replace LCD TVs overnight. But I do believe this is a type of technology with very high potential, something that will come after LCD TVs.”

The new TV goes on sale in Japan on 1 December. There are no plans for a global launch as yet.

The OLED TV has a lifespan of about 30,000 hours of viewing - half that of Sony’s LCD televisions.

(Reference BBC News)

New York, NY (July 23, 2007) – Panasonic, a leader in High Definition flat panel displays, announced that its103-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV – the world’s largest High Definition Plasma TV on the market today – has been installed in New York’s newly renovated City Hall. In addition to the 103-inch Plasma, Panasonic also installed its BD-10A Blu-ray Disc Player for playback of 1080p High Definition video content.

The Panasonic’s 103-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV will help the Mayor’s Office monitor news and play back other video content in High Definition. In addition to television channels, the Plasma HDTV will display real-time 311 call statistics and live video feed from NYC-TV’s City Drive Live traffic cameras.

“Panasonic has been a great corporate citizen, and I would like to thank them for their generous donation,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “New York’s City Hall is the oldest in the nation to still house its original government functions, and this desperately-needed renovation, including this 103-inch High Definition Plasma display, has given the building new life – making our office safer, more efficient and more technologically advanced.” “It is a great honor for Panasonic to have the flagship of our market-leading 1080p Plasma HDTVs become a part of New York’s City Hall,” said Joseph Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Panasonic Corporation of

North America. “Just as this cutting-edge display provides amazingly sharp, crisp video for entertainment purposes, it is also a great way for the city’s leaders to share remote video and other data vital to the safe and secure operation of the city’s systems.”“It is wonderful to see New York’s City Hall moving so quickly to utilize such an advanced flat panel display for information display and video needs,” said

Tom Campbell, technology adviser to the project. “City Hall has set the standard for high-technology implementation in the municipal space.” The Panasonic TH-103PH9UK provides stunning widescreen progressive display featuring full HD pixel resolution of 1,920 horizontal x 1,080 vertical, a contrast ratio of 5,000:1, and 4,096 equivalent steps of gradation for excellent color reproduction and pristine, lifelike video. Its effective display area is more than 89.3” wide by over 50.2” high with a size equivalent to four 50-inch Panasonic plasma displays. Panasonic also offers a free three-year in-home limited warranty on the 103-inch plasma display, unprecedented in the industry, via its Panasonic Plasma Concierge customer support program.

The 103-inch Plasma TV is a part of Panasonic’s line of industry-leading consumer and professional large-screen Plasma HDTV’s available in 37” (professional model only) 42”, 50”, 58” and 65” diagonal screen sizes.

For more information on the Panasonic 103-inch HDTV, please visit www.panasonic.com/proplasma. If you are interested in sales or rental of the 103-inch Panasonic in Canada, please go to www.apgdisplays.com .

Here, you can see the Aquivo weather resistant LCD screen take on a fireman’s hose…and survive it!

According to IT Portal, Sharp Corporation and Sharp Laboratories of Europe Ltd have developed a new LCD, which can simultaneously display different information and image content in right and left views in a single unit by directionally controlling the viewing angle of the LCD. This feature makes it possible to provide information and content tailored to specific users depending on the angle at which they view the screen, there is also a video available here.

The website also states that increasingly wider viewing angles in LCD screens have made possible clear, highly readable displays without loss of image quality no matter what direction the display is viewed from, and mean that several users can view an LCD simultaneously.

IT Portal also highlights the “Envisioned application scenarios”:

“LCD multimedia monitor” — Display a TV broadcast on the right screen, while displaying an Internet browser screen on the left screen.

“In-vehicle display”— Driver’s side shows a map display, while the passenger side shows a movie on DVD.
“Professional monitor” — Display sales offer information to clients on one side while revealing internal data to sales personnel on the other.

“Advertisement monitor” — A passerby who comes from right direction can see advertisement [A], and a passerby who comes from left direction can see advertisement [B]. The LCD enables the simultaneous display of two different advertisements and makes more effective use of LCD placements.

With summer well underway and people spending much more of their time outdoors, the timing of a new innovative technology launch at Advanced will be a hit with any business looking to push the boundaries of where it displays its media and entertainment.

Don’t let the environment constrain your displays

In the past, video displays have largely been confined to dry, indoor areas due to problems with ambient light and fears that inclement weather or dust build-up could damage the equipment.

HD picture quality outdoors, even in the rain

AQUiVO is a revolutionary new range of weather resistant LCD screens, specifically designed for use outdoors and in wet, humid or dusty environments. These unique screens offer the latest HD picture quality, with an IP56 all-weather protection rating for use in beer gardens, bathrooms, spa areas, hospitality areas and terraces.

Defense against water, dust, humidity and contact

IP stands for Ingress Protection, the level of rating given to a screen in its defense against water, dust and humidity and suitability for use outside. Dust is prevented from entering in any amount that is harmful to the working of the screen, and the screen is completely protected against contact. AQUiVO screens are protected against water from heavy seas or projected in powerful jets, and these will not enter the enclosure in harmful quantities.

Crystal clear images even in bright sunlight

Every screen in the range has a fully sealed, lightweight aluminum frame and a toughened glass front, finished with an anti reflective coating which means they can display excellent quality pictures even in bright sunlight.

Limitless display solutions

Come rain or shine, humidity or dust, the state of the art LCD panels ensure superb brightness, contrast and colour quality. This makes these screens the first LCDs suitable for use on patios, for sporting events, in spas, theme parks, on public transport and at golf courses, to name but a few.

The largest screen of its kind

The screens are currently available in 3 sizes including 55″, the largest screen of its type on the market, with either HD Ready or Full HD technology resolution.

For more information on the groundbreaking range of AQUiVO screens, contact us at 905-502-1110 or visit http://www.apgdisplays.com/products/aquivo/.

64 plasma units. 8 legs. 17’ high. 335 square feet of display. 7500+ pounds that needs to be free standing. These were only a few of the challenges Advanced Products Group (APG) had to face recently when building an 8×8 plasma wall for a private event.

The creation of the unique 24’ plasma wall

APG was contacted in September 2006 with a request for a large display wall for a private event to be held in May 2007. This was to be the largest plasma wall ever to be built in Canada.

The 8×8 wall required custom manufactured legs to hold a frame 13.75 feet high x 24.33 feet wide, 42” off of the floor with a total weight including all plasmas of more than 7500 lbs. A mechanical engineer and a custom metal shop were hired exclusively for this job. In the meantime, APG’s engineers and sales team were discussing all the details of the event— how the testing was going to be done, how the various inputs would be displayed on the wall, and how to control and pull everything together.

Putting it all together

To leave nothing to chance, a complete dummy build and comprehensive test was undertaken before the event; structural build, safety testing, cabling, pre-colour balancing, matrixing and control programming were all checked exhaustively.

Technical Ingenuity

During the event, the screens were controlled and remotely managed using the Crestron MP2E controller with a TPS4500 touch panel. The multiple sources were sent to the plasma wall using an Extron 8×8 matrix switcher and 8 Extron distribution amplifiers. The inputs used for the wall included 4 DVD players, 4 cameras and a media server all set to the same resolution and frequency.

APG’s programmers worked hard to make this touch panel solution extremely simple for the show operator. In the end, the operator simply needed to touch the “desired look” he wanted on the 8×8 and the input source would appear in each magnification.

The BIG day

Once everything was in place, the event was ready to start. And that’s when the plasma wall received the spotlight. Guests were amazed by the power of the screens, generating a wow factor never experienced before to every single person in that room. APG had just created the largest plasma wall in Canada, and did so to perfection. It was a flawless execution to a tight deadline.

For more information on rental of the Infinite Plasma, contact Advanced Products Group at 905-502-1110 or visit www.apgdisplays.com/products/infinite-plasma.

Infinite Plasma… the world’s first modular bezel-less plasma panels designed to connect seamlessly, display beautifully and expand infinitely.

Bezel-less
With less than 5mm separates the high quality plasma image from the edge of the unit, countless 42″ plasma panels can be joined together in a large screen format to carry huge, virtually seamless images.

Modular
The panels can be used alone, to create a slick “floating image”, or in combination to create any number of interesting configurations including horizontal or vertical strips, partial brick walls or massive displays.

Infinite Applications

Perfect for:

• control room, command centre or broadcast facility
• conference room, boardroom or lobby
• concert hall, church, museum or public space
• airport, train station, museum or gallery
• retail environments, sporting arenas
• dynamic digital signage
• exhibition hall, display booth or convention centre
• reception areas that entertain during registration
• exhibition booths that stop traffic
• awards events
• corporate presentations,

With Infinite Plasma, the possibilities are truly infinite.

About Advanced Products Group

Advanced Products Group is a division of Advanced Inc., Ontario’s leading provider of presentation products, services and solutions to corporations, educators and government. Advanced Products Group’s mission is to search the world for the latest, most innovative, highest

impact audiovisual products and bring them to Canadian marketers and a Canadian audience via rental or sales.

Currently, APG offers:

• • Infinite Plasma™, bezel-less, high resolution multi-plasma display
• panels that connect to create an infinite range and size of display
• options
• • 84” Plasma™, the worlds largest plasma screen
• • 61”, 55” & 50” plasma displays
• • HoloScreen, displays a projected image on any transparent surface
• • More unique products are on the way.

To learn more about Infinite Plasma and other innovative products, call Andrew Salamon at 905-502-1110, or email plasma@advanced-inc.com