The European Union is set to ban the use of halogen bulbs and households are expected to switch to more energy-efficient lights, starting next month. A continent-wide switchover to light-emitting diodes (known as LEDs) is underway that will slash emissions and energy bills, according to industry, campaigners and experts. LEDs consume five times less energy than halogen bulbs and their phaseout will prevent more than 15 million tons of carbon emissions a year. The new notification will enforce a ban on the production and import of globe and candle-shaped halogen bulbs. Manufacturers and shop owners will not be allowed to store, import or sell the classic-style halogen lights starting on Sept 1. However, it is not a total ban. Some oven lights that are halogens will still be permitted for sale, as well as some capsule, linear and low-voltage reflector bulbs. There is no directive to immediately replace the halogen lights before they stop and can be substituted when the bulbs expire. … [Read more...] about Europe set to ban use of halogen light bulbs from Sept. 1
Light emitting diodes
Penang to be first state in M’sia to use 100% led street lighting
GEORGE TOWN: Penang will be the first state in Malaysia to have 100% Light Emitting Diode (LED) street lighting by 2020. State Housing, Local Government, Urban and Rural Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said this was part of efforts to fulfil the promises made in the 14th General Election (GE14) manifesto. He said it not only involved streetlights maintained by the local authorities but also those managed by Tenaga Nasional Bhd. "Penang will be the first state in Malaysia to have all LED street lights, which can save energy and reduce bill costs by up to 60%," he told reporters after chairing the Local Government Council meeting here today. He said in Penang, a total of 33,198 street lamps would be converted into LEDs by 2020, while there were 57,655 in Seberang Prai. "Last year, the Penang City Council had footed electricity bills for street lights amounting to almost RM6 million, while RM7 million was paid (for the purpose) by the Seberang Prai Municipal Council," he … [Read more...] about Penang to be first state in M’sia to use 100% led street lighting
Samsung to unveil new lineup of QLED TVs in US
Done with its much-awaited launch of Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona last month, Samsung is now geared up to unveil a fresh line-up of QLED TVs. The "first look" event is slated to take place at the American Stock Exchange in New York on Tuesday, Samsung said in a statement. "Throughout the continuous evolution of its technology, Samsung always designs its products around the lifestyles of its customers. The new QLED TVs will do this in brand new ways for 2018," the company said. In an earlier blog in January, Samsung had mentioned the arrival of its digital assistant "Bixby" on QLED TVs. "Samsung's AI, Bixby, will be integrated into this year's QLED TVs so that you can use your voice to control. With the click of a button, call on Bixby to help you find the content you love," the blog read. Samsung generally launches its new TV line-up at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January but this year, the South Korean giant unveiled a … [Read more...] about Samsung to unveil new lineup of QLED TVs in US
Samsung Electronics to slash OLED panel production as iPhone X demand disappoints: Nikkei
Samsung Electronics Co will slash output of its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels in response to its customer Apple Inc’s decision to cut production of iPhone X amid weak demand, the Nikkei reported on Tuesday.Samsung Display now plans to make OLED panels for 20 million or fewer iPhones at the South Chungcheong plant in the January-March quarter, significantly lower than its initial goal of supplying panels for 45 million to 50 million iPhones, the Nikkei reported.Samsung Electronics stock fell as much as 2.3 per cent in morning trade, while shares of Japanese OLED component makers, such as Hodogaya Chemical Co and Hirata Corp, also declined.Samsung Display has yet to set a production target for the April-June period, but a further cutback is possible, the Nikkei reported, without citing sources.Samsung Electronics was not immediately available for comment.Apple will halve its iPhone X production target for the first three months of the year to around 20 million units, … [Read more...] about Samsung Electronics to slash OLED panel production as iPhone X demand disappoints: Nikkei
Samsung is showing off TVs with a new technology called QLED — and it could be a gamechanger
OLED displays have dominated the TV space over the past few years because of their ability to display pure blacks at incredibly high – and eye-pleasing – contrast ratios, but they are difficult and costly to manufacture. Companies have also explored quantum dots displays, which still use a backlight but have chemical properties that allow them to display an ultra-wide gamut of colours, the one you’d want for high dynamic range (HDR) content. Samsung is therefore trying to build QLED panels, which will use quantum dots for displaying colours but eliminate the backlight to sport OLED’s perfect blacks. The Korean giant is showcasing prototype TVs at CES that, like last year, use quantum dots and some smart engineering to get close to QLED results, but aren’t quite there yet. Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays have been repeatedly touted over the past few … [Read more...] about Samsung is showing off TVs with a new technology called QLED — and it could be a gamechanger