Agenda

LED illumination made a big splash at CES this year with multiple brands showing microdisplay-based rear-projection TV with LED illumination to provide better color gamut and longer life. Laser illumination has come center stage with the announcement by Seiko Epson that it has agreed to team with Novalux to bring laser illumination to projection, promising even better color gamut than LEDs. Meanwhile, UHP lamps remain the standard incumbent technology from a cost standpoint. What does the future hold for illumination of projection systems?

Moderator: Fred Hammett, IMAD

Speakers:

• Alexei Erchak, Luminus Devices: Trends in HB-LEDs for Displays
• Greg Niven, Novalux Inc.: Lasers for Microdisplay Illumination
• Theodoor Scheerder, Philips: Illumination options for new projection market opportunities
• Matthew Brennesholtz, Insight Media: LED/Laser/Lamp Technology/Forecast Review

To remain competitive with LCD and PDP products, projection products will need to find ways to cope with 15% to 20% annual price reductions over the next few years. Can cost reductions keep pace with price reductions? What are the plans of the major imager providers, key optical component providers and engine makers to address this challenge? What technical, manufacturing and supply chain management improvements are underway?

Moderator: Chris Chinnock, Insight Media

Speakers:

• Hans-Joachim Stöhr, Sypro Optics GmbH (Zeiss/Jabil): TBD
• Sander Phipps, Sony: TBD
• Ed Passon, Unaxis Optics: Will give overview of competitive environment in projection components

Screens are a key potential avenue for delivering improved performance to consumers for TVs. How will screen technology improve in the near term to aid competitiveness of projection systems, especially in front projection applications where poor contrast is a big concern?

Moderator: Chris Chinnock, Insight Media

Speakers:

• Jacob Christensen, DNP Denmark: The "real" contrast obtainable in actual installations
• Aaron P. Reilly, Screen Innovations: New Opportunities for Light Rejecting Screens

Both front and rear-projection technologies face increasingly tough competition from PDP and LCD displays. What are the prospects for these three technologies as they battle it out in the big-screen TV market? What improvements are coming in all three technologies that will change the competitive landscape? And how will the marketing efforts of the brands affect the relative competitiveness of these three technologies?

Moderator: Steve Marsland, McLaughlin Consulting Group

Speakers:

• Peter F. van Kessel, Texas Instruments: Options for Colorimetry expansion
• John Reder, Texas Instruments: Prospects for Projection Big-Screen TVs
• Peter Jamieson, Insight Media: LCD Backlights - LEDs coming faster than expected
• Gopal Ramachandran, Silicon Optix Inc.: Electronic distortion correction that enables thin RPTVs
• Steve Marsland, McLaughlin Consulting Group: Upside potential for MD RPTV in home entertainment

Panelists:

• Pete Putman, ROAM Consulting Inc.
• Sanju Khatri, iSuppli Corp
• Midori Takaso, Techno Systems Research

With traditional markets for front projection products increasingly approaching full saturation, and the rear-projection TV market already well established, what are the new leading-edge markets for projection technology? What new developments will be sparking penetration of new markets? Speakers here will address opportunities for LED and Laser-based TVs, pocket projectors, nano-projectors and very-low cost projectors. There is much excitement about this session as each opportunity can reinvigorate the projection segment.

Moderator: Bill Coggshall, Pacific Media Associates

Speakers:

• Frank DeMartin, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc.: Laser projection TV opportunity
• Dr. James F. Shanley, SCRAM Technologies: Can rear-projection succeed in new markets like cockpits, marine and digital signage?
• Dr. Nic Lawrence, Light Blue Optics: Nano-projectors
• Jong-Tae Lim, Ph.D., Samsung Electronics Co. LTD.: Opportunities for LED TVs and Laser TVs
• Matthew Brennesholtz, Insight Media: Very-low cost projector opportunities

The developers of the media processors used in projectors and flat panels are at the center of industry-wide effort to improve image quality on two fronts: minimizing problems associated with scaling and de-interlacing source images, and processing video signals to get the best out of each display technology. Several of these chip companies are well down the path toward developing a battery of image quality metrics. They will also discuss what is being done today in electronics and what the future holds.

Moderator: Chris Chinnock, Insight Media

Speakers:

• David Vrhovnik, Gennum: Opportunities for Electronics and Higher Resolution Displays
• Mike Callahan, Pixelworks: Electronic Requirements for New Projector Opportunities

Digital signage represents a large and growing opportunity, not only for projection displays, but also LCDs, PDPs and other large-area display technologies. Digital signage is undergoing a series of dramatic changes. What are the key drivers in the market for digital signage? How can the display industry capitalize on this growing marketplace?

Moderator: Steve Marsland, McLaughlin Consulting Group

Speakers:

• Randy Massengale, Spinoza Technology: Open platforms creating new opportunities in AV control
• Lou Giacalone Jr., Clarity Visual Systems: Digital Signage - the end of the beginning?
• Neal Weinstock, Weinstock Media Analysis: Digital Signage market forecast

Projection products, along with their competitors such as LCD and PDP, are sold to consumers and businesses through a number of different types of channels. These include the professional audio-visual companies, home entertainment system installers, big box retailers, the web, and crossover channels like Office Depot who sell to small businesses and do-it-yourselfers for home entertainment installation. These channels continue to innovate in reaching customers, and are increasingly competing with each other in efforts to increase their sales. What are the future prospects for these different channels and how can customers most effectively be reached? How can the display industry better serve these channels to increase its share versus other technologies?

Moderator: Steve Marsland, McLaughlin Consulting Group

Speakers:

• Kevin Collins, HB Communications: TBD
• Andy Willcox, Proline Integrated Systems: TBD
• Christopher Miller, PSNI (Professional Systems Network, Inc.): Profits dictate behavior
• Rosemary Abowd, Pacific Media Associates: TBD

Panelists:

• Rosemary Abowd, Pacific Media Associates
• Steve Kovsky, Current Analysis
• Mike FIsher, Decision Tree Consulting