INTRODUCTION
Displays are a vital part of industrial and consumer products throughout the world. Once thought of as simple indicator lights, they have become major devices in the performance of computing, medical imaging, and process control, and have also become a fixture in the world of entertainment. From video to kitchen appliances and portable computers-even your digital wristwatch-they are now an "enabling technology".
Estimates place the current annual market for flat panel displays at over $35 billion. Liquid crystal technology accounts for approximately 82% of this market. Other display technologies include electroluminescence, plasma, vacuum fluorescent, light emitting diode and a new entrant-the field emission display. Keeping ahead in this rapidly evolving technology is a challenge to investor and technologist alike.
A major objective of flat panel displays is the replacement of the CRT with its bulky vacuum tube and expensive power needs. But the tube is not going away! It's a $25 billion annual and is the major display used in TV and desktop computers. Even at half the growth rate of flat panels, the CRT will still be generating over $27 billion annually in 2005. One thing is certain-the market for displays is huge and will continue to expand with the growth of the information world we live in.
This anthology is based on BCC, Inc.'s monthly newsletter Display Development News, which covers the following:
