 Michael Ciesinski President U.S. Display Consortium |
In keeping pace with this fast moving electronics era, you’ll note that USDC has embraced a more user-friendly HTML-format for our quarterly DisplayTrends newsletter.
In this latest issue, you will find some interesting perspectives on current market conditions and outlooks for the future of our industry. Within, you’ll also learn more about our first-ever West Coast Display Technology Investment Conference, which will be co-sponsored by WR Hambrecht + Co. Please be sure to mark your calendars for September 23, 2004 to hear from some of today’s top FPD industry leaders, as they hit the streets of San Francisco. In closing, USDC welcomes any suggestions or comments on how we can further improve DisplayTrends. Moreover, if you would be interested in submitting an article for our next issue, please contact Marie Labrie at MCA via email at: mlabrie@mcapr.com  |
| Please click on the headlines to view the entire articles. | ||
Driver Chips Push Display Action
The progress in flat-panel displays (FPDs) over time has always been very visible, whether it’s the relentless increase in visual quality or the continuing decrease in price tags. Typically, there are a number of component technologies behind the scenes that contribute to the improvements, ranging all the way from new contrast-enhancement films to advanced thin-film transistor (TFT) structures. Among these enablers are display driver chips, which (at a minimum) deliver the power that turns display pixels on. While these ICs may not have the sex appeal of a super bright or super high-resolution FPD, they play an important role in the progress of FPDs. |
||
|
Changing Conditions in LCD Market Demand Changing Strategies from Panel Suppliers
From tight supply to oversupply. From price hikes to price erosion. From order backlogs to swelling inventories. What a difference a month makes. The arrival of July 2004 reshaped the dynamics of the large-sized TFT-LCD panel business, as weakening demand and rising production conspired to take the wind out the industry’s sails. While this is not the first time that conditions in the LCD market have undergone such rapid changes, the shift in conditions in July may serve as one of the more dramatic illustrations of the market’s capriciousness. |
||
|
Big Growth Ahead for Small-Sized LCDs
Driven by increasing demand for mobile phones and digital still cameras, the market for all types of small-sized LCD panels will swell to 3.2 billion units by 2008, rising at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3 percent from an estimated 2.8 billion in 2004, iSuppli/Stanford Resources predicts. Market revenue will increase to $22 billion in 2008, rising at a CAGR of 4 percent from $19 billion in 2004. iSuppli/Stanford Resources defines small-sized LCDs as displays that are less than 10 inches in diagonal size. The market for small LCDs includes both active- and passive-matrix displays. |
||
|
USDC’s Display Industry Investment Conference Moves Westward
The San Francisco Bay Area is not only home to several leading display technology companies, but also for some of the most prominent investment firms. Based on the success of USDC’s annual New York Display Technology Investment Conference, it was clear that a similar conference was needed on the West Coast to help educate participants from investment firms, research houses, brokerages and related financial institutions on the latest business trends, advancements and investment opportunities afforded by the burgeoning display industry. USDC teamed up with San Francisco-based financial services firm WR Hambrecht to co-sponsor this one-day conference, which will be held in San Francisco on September 23. |
||
|
Investing in Displays: Something Nice to Say
Growing up my father always told me that if you don’t have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut. Well, when a persistent colleague first floated the idea of my writing an article on investing in the display industry I chose to keep my mouth shut and demurred. But with most of the stocks in this industry having been slammed hard recently, along with most other technology stocks, I finally have nice things to say about investing in the display industry. |
||
|
|
|