LEDs light Sharp's newest line of HDTVs

Yesterday, Sharp announced its newest HDTV line, the Aquos LED series. As its name implies, the Aquos LED HDTVs use LED backlighting instead of conventional CCFL. Because LEDs lack the toxic chemicals of CCFL backlights, use far less energy, and last longer, they present a temptingly green alternative to "conventional" backlighting. LED backlighting has gained popularity over the last year, with Sony, Samsung, and Vizio announcing numerous LED-lit models. This will be Sharp's first broad release of LED HDTVs.

According to Sharp, each new Aquos LED model far exceeds Energy Star 3.0 standards, and consumes much less power than similarly-priced Sharp LCD screens from last year. The company also estimates that the new models will last much longer, expecting 100,000 hours for every screen.

Philips Lights Up Times Square for New Years Eve

Philips has been slowly pulling out of the entertainment side of consumer electronics, but they're still a major player in the lighting industry. This year's Times Square Ball is going to be bigger, brighter, and surprisingly greener than ever before, thanks to Philips' LUXEON LEDs.

This is the 101st dropping of the Ball in Times Square.   The size of the Ball has doubled since last year -- 12 feet in diameter and three times as many LEDs as last year - 32,256 to be exact. But, the exciting part is that it is 20% more energy-efficient than just last year. The Ball will use about the same energy per hour as your double-oven at home.

The chairman of Philips Lighting North America had this to say:

Facelift in a Lightbulb

This is gonna be short, because I've got to run. Gizmodo is reporting about a study about to be published that's found exposure to LED light daily for a few weeks caused "rejuvenated skin, reduced wrinkle levels, juvenile complexion (oy - does that mean zits again?) and lasting resilience."

Around here, we've all been real excited about LED and OLED hitting TV sets. So we're kind of excited to think watching lots of TV and make you look younger! (Okay, not exactly, but we're all excited these days about anything "LED.")

Take a look at why they say this process works.

White LED Versus RGB LED

Traditional LCD screens use fluorescent lighting components — cheap, reliable, but power-hungry. Lately, manufacturers have been using RGB LEDS in their backlight units, mainly in high-end units. While more expensive, they use less power, have better color reproduction, and in general, provide a better picture than CCFL (fluorescent) backlights.

However, manufacturers are now looking at using white LEDs

Eternal Sunshine of the Sharp Solar-Powered LCD

It's not clear whether Sharp is showing their latest prototype as a for-real solar powered LCD screen, or if it's a dramatic visualization on how little power is required to run this new 52-inch TV.

Using a solar panel just a bit bigger than the ultra-thin set itself, this television will run as long as the sun is shining on the panel — it doesn't have any type of battery, so it can't store that power for use at night or cloudy days. A battery should be easy enough to add in the future.

Why does it use so little power?

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

How many times has this happened to you? You're giving a big presentation to the boss, and the projector bulb burns out. The boss gets mad and fires you and you're poor and your wife leaves you and your kids hate you. Well, that's happened to me plenty of times. But no more.

Osram, an LED company (or, as they prefer to call themselves, an "opto semiconductor" company) has announced that they have developed a white LED that is brighter than any other LED, and very power efficient as well. With a mere 1.4-amp power source, a single LED can output as much as 500 lumens. That's bright enough to illuminate a room, operate as a car headlight, or light up a video projector. There's a small catch...

Let There Be LED Light

The common incandescent light bulb is a more efficient heater than it is a light source. They convert 90% of electricity into heat, and only 10% into light. Sorry Mr. Edison, but that sucks.

LED lights are much more efficient — ranging from 47% to 64% efficiency, but they have been too expensive to use for general lighting. That is, until some clever folks at Purdue University made a major advance in LED development.

Until now, LED lights for in-home use were 20 times more expensive to produce than conventional or even compact fluorescent light bulbs. LED lights are based on a sapphire-based substrate. Plus, sapphire-based LEDs needed a separate collector to reflect light that would normally be lost.

What's this new advance that could change the way we light our homes?

L.E.D.'s for LCDs

You've heard all the buzz about OLED displays, but there's another way cool technology that's aiming to knock LCD displays for a loop. This technology is already aiming to replace the common lightbulb, and now it's looking to get entrench itself into the TV business. What's the buzz all about?

Dolby's LCD Lights Up with LEDs

Contrast ratio junkies have long dismissed LCD televisions, repeating the idea that LCDs don't get black or bright enough compared with plasmas. A new technology from Dolby Laboratories and SIM2 Multimedia might just change their minds.

A prototype from the two companies incorporates a “high dynamic range” involving light emitting diodes that can be brightened and dimmed within specific regions of a screen.

Laser LEDs in the Living Room?

A Massachusetts startup called Luminus Devices wants to make flat-screen LCD TVs brighter and more energy efficient with a type of Light Emitting Diode called a PhlatLight. But because the laser-enhanced technology is so pricey for consumer electronics, the company announced it has taken in $72 million in funding.