With costs for LED backlights using a mix of red, green and blue LEDs remaining high, LED industry players are considering using a combination of blue LEDs with red and green phosphors for TV-use backlights. In 2009, such designs may become popular.

Recently, GE Lighting Systems has debuted the first two of many upcoming outdoor LED lighting systems: the LED StreetDreams post-top fixture and an outdoor area light.

Recently, Malaysia-based SMT LED manufacturerDominant Semiconductors Sdn Bhd is offering a brighter white LED in the DomiLED product range (DDW-PJG).

Today, Power Integrations (Nasdaq:POWI), the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, announced a series of design ideas to help designers of LED driver circuitry benefit from the company’s recently introduced LinkSwitch-II family of AC-DC power conversion ICs. The new design ideas (DI-184, DI-185 and DI-186), demonstrate that LinkSwitch-II ICs are well suited for power supplies and ballasts driving high-brightness LEDs.

Today, Samsung SDI said that it will be spending over $500 million USD to boost production of next-generation OLED displays to six times its current level by mid-2009. This latest move comes as panel makers try to get bigger shares of the growing market for OLED displays, which offer better contrast ratio, slimmer designs and better energy efficiency than current LCD or plasma displays. However, production costs are still high, too high to make OLED TVs available to the masses.

Recently, GE Lighting Systems, Inc., part of GE Consumer & Industrial, showcased its new LED StreetDreams™ post-top fixtures at the 76th Annual Conference of Mayors in Miami, Florida. From June 20-24, more than 250 mayors from cities all over the United States descended upon Miami, and GE offered them a sneak peek at one of its latest energy-efficient lighting solutions. For the event, GE provided six of its LED StreetDreams™ luminaires. The new lighting system was installed in the median along Pan American Drive leading up to Miami City Hall.

It’s reported that Everlight has harnessed its expertise in LED manufacturing and combined it with its own leading technology in PCB population, mechanical design, optical design, and thermal management to create a highly efficient and aesthetically pleasing indoor lighting fixture.

It’s reported that advanced high intensity LED technology available from AbacusLED matches the output of incandescent panel lamps, and is specified for the most demanding applications including defence systems.

As a leader in engineered LED solutions, DDP has developed an energy-efficient LED light engine ideal for landscape and path lighting applications. DDP’s efficient 3.8 watt, 100 lumen forward-fit solution delivers 5100K light evenly over a 120 degree area.

June 24, Future Lighting Solutions, a provider of LED lighting components and solution support, announced that it has donated Luxeon Rebel LEDs from Philips Lumileds for use on a solar car being built by students at the University of Minnesota. The car will compete in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge, a 2,400-mile race scheduled for July 13-22.

It's reported that Texas-based United Supermarkets LLC has retrofitted low-temperature and medium-temperature refrigerated display cases in all of its 47 stores with a GE ecomagination product, an LED solution from Lumination, a GE Consumer & Industrial business. In all, United retrofitted more than 3,600 doors in its reach-in door merchandisers by replacing traditional T8 and T12 fluorescent lamps with the GE LED lighting.

It’s reported that Philips has used LED fixtures to light an entire office building in Paris. The office, owned by Generali and located at 100 Champs-Elysées Avenue, Paris, "marks a milestone in lighting history" according to Philips. The company claims that, for the first time, functional office lighting powered entirely by LEDs goes hand in hand with scenic and atmospheric effects that are also based on LEDs.

Optoma Corp., a world leading vendor of own-brand projectors, is scheduled to start delivery of world`s first household LED (light-emitting diode) DLP (digital light processing) projector at the end of this year, according to company sources.

According to market sources, LED chipmaker Formosa Epitaxy has successfully increased its LED brightness to meet the requirement for use in notebook backlighting applications, which is 1,800mcd.Formosa Epitaxy has achieved a blue LED brightness of 1,800mcd this quarter and the sources estimate Formosa Epitaxy will reach a brightness of 2,000mcd by year-end. Formosa Epitaxy is only the second Taiwan-based LED chipmaker to achieve a brightness of 1,800mcd. Epistar reached a brightnesss of 2000mcd in the first quarter of this year.

The LED car light series from Lazer Security comprises of items such as tail light red, stop light red, stop or tail light red, reverse light white, indicator light yellow. Lazer Security also offers wedges globes which are available in colours such as white, white blue or tinge, green and blue. The wedge globes from Lazer Security are well suited for replacing park lights.

Some people just aren't meant to light candles in their homes - namely the clumsy or accident prone. Fires are the cause of many a fire, so to get over this little hurdle, LED candles were invented. These particular ones provide an alternative to the floating candle.Phillip's LED floating candles (which look a bit like those mini light-bulbs you'd get in science class to learn about circuits and electricity) will stay afloat in water and create a relaxing ambience for up to 20 minutes. 20 minutes is disappointing, especially as that's after a 10 hour charge!

OSTAR®-Projection LED modules and IR DRAGON® infrared emitters from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors are the LED light sources behind a new reconfigurable control and display interface designed by Digital Dash, Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.The Digital Dash Reconfigurable Tactile Display (RTD) prototype model is the world's first multi-touch interface that incorporates physical controls with a curved display surface. The display is well-suited for use in automobiles, sound mixing boards, and other control- and image-intensive user interface applications.

OSRAM high performance LEDs are meeting today's need for more efficient, energy-conscious lighting solutions

Traffic, street and park lights are the city's biggest users of electricity, accounting for 25 percent of electricity the city uses, Meyers said.The city is now in the middle of a three-year plan to replace all traffic lights with energy-efficient LED -- light-emitting diode -- lights and have replaced the lights at 10 intersections already, Clough said. Each LED bulb saves an estimated 60 percent from a traditional light.

According to PC World, Sony is adding to its Bravia LCD (liquid crystal display) TV range with a new 32-inch model that consumes considerably less power than existing sets. Based on an average of 4.5 hours of viewing per day the set will consume 86kWh (kilowatt hours) of power versus 115kWh for Sony's existing 32-inch Bravia model. That's a 25 percent reduction in annual power consumption.

Move along Macbook Air, there's another skinny notebook that aims to take the market by storm. Toshiba announced on Jun 18 a new version of its Portege R500 ultraportable, the Portege R500-S5007V.

The latest notebook from Toshiba, the Portege R500-SP209C, includes a number of proposed "world's firsts", including a 128 GB solid-state drive, transreflective LED display, and 7 mm DVD SuperMulti drive.

The mantra of switching to energy-efficient lightbulbs is the eco-tip equivalent of Genesis to Christians; it's the oldest one in the book. So we're going to assume you've switched most of your standard light fittings to energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) already, saving yourself around £60 over each bulb's lifetime.

It looks like it's lights out in Bonita Springs — for light emitting diode (LED) lights, anyway. After multiple debates, City Council has decided to prohibit LED-lighted signs in the city for the time being.

Texas Instruments yesterday announced a new technology that could dramatically change the perception and appeal of front projectors. Its new Brilliant Color DLP chipset works with a PhlatLight Light Emitting Diode (LED) light source to produce images. Traditionally, DLP projectors relied on a color wheel and mirror design, which would produce color images in conjunction with a lamp light source. Competing projector technologies 3LCD, which uses red, green, and blue LCD panels, and LCOS both require a lamp as well.

Model SKYHS-2W from HK.Tibo Electronic Lighting Co. Ltd is a rope light with a white PVC tube housing. The product comes in individual units with a standard length of 1m. Each unit contains 80 LEDs in yellow, red, blue, green or white, and has a power rating of 4.4W. The model is easy to set up and has low installation costs. It is suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and complies with GS requirements. A roll contains 50 meters.

Carmanah Technologies Corp. said it is providing solar-powered airfield lights for a United States Air Force installation in the Middle East. The order, valued at approximately USD $463,000, will enable the facility to upgrade its five-year-old system of A702 solar-powered airfield lights with Carmanah's wireless, A704-5 GEN II runway lights.

The LED module BACKlight Protect is the ideal solution for permanent and luminous lettering and light boxes in outdoor applications. The robust housing protects the modules from dust, moisture and condensation through dripping or splashing water according to ingress protection IP 66. The special encapsulation of the LED modules ensures maximum robustness during installation and operation. Further convincing features of the BACKlight Protect LED modules include flexibility, efficiency and a homogeneous illumination of advertising spaces with brilliant colors.

Billions and Trillions of Colors: A Visible Difference? provides readers with valuable insights regarding color that may be a revelation to many. For example, the technical paper points out that manufacturer promises of billions or even trillions of colors are not necessarily the best barometers of color quality. Why?

Available in amber and red colors, 1 W Moonstone(TM) LED emitter ASMT-Mx00 is capable of being driven to high current of 350 mA to deliver up to 42 lumens output. Energy efficient product features 120-deg viewing angle, exposed pad for heat transfer, low-profile design of 3.3 mm H, and greater than 8 kV ESD. Utilized in architectural, garden and decorative lighting applications, emitter is compatible with IR soldering processes, and is encapsulated in heat and UV resistant silicone compound.