Organic LED (OLED) Soon to Dominate HDTV Market

Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology has been the star at the electronics trade shows this year. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, the biggest product introduction was made by Sony, with an OLED display. The new 11" Sony TV is called the "XEL-1". The Sony HDTV is extremely thin (less than 1/10") and light-weight. At the FPD International Show in Asia in November, Samsung introduced a 31" OLED HDTV with 1080P resolution and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

Companies like LG, Toshiba, Matsushita (Panasonic) are investing hundreds of millions of dollars, developing this promising technology. Toshiba plans to sell a 30" OLED display in 2009. Samsung says that they will sell large screen OLED sets in 2010.

Eastman-Kodak holds a several patents in OLED technology. Manufacturers will probably be required to pay a licensing fee to Kodak for every OLED TV sold. Eastman-Kodak just introduced the OLED Material EK-GD403, which utilizes green dopant technology. The technology advance is a stampede.

There is a lot of money to be made. According to DisplaySearch, in 2007, the market for LCD TVs was estimated at $27.4 billion, while the market for plasma TVs was estimated at $7.5 billion. An OLED TV that was cost competitive would likely get a significant share of this market. DisplaySearch estimates that the OLED market will grow to more than $17 billion annually by 2015. According to iSuppli, the current market for OLED devices is a little more than a half-billion dollars per year. Samsung currently has a 70% market share. But cost and technology problems have prevented OLED from being used in larger equipment such as HDTVs or computer monitors.

Easy Wall-Mountable HDTV

Most consumers say they want a wall mountable HDTV. However, according to the NPD Group, a consumer and retail market research information firm (NPD.com), only 13 percent of current LCD TV owners and 25 percent of plasma TV owners say their set is mounted on the wall.

"Consumers are drawn to flat-panel technologies for their wall-mounting capabilities, but the difficulty of such an installation often leads them to explore alternatives such as stands or retailer installations." said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis, The NPD Group. But with OLED, the job of mounting the hardware would be much easier, more like hanging a painting on the wall. The hardware weighs a fraction of LCD or plasma.

OLED Performance

OLED displays have already used for some time in digital cameras, cell phones and other devices with relatively small panels, because they are very energy efficient, which is very important in portable devices.

A significant benefit of OLED displays over traditional liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function. Because of this, they draw much less power. And because there is no backlight, an OLED display is much thinner than an LCD display.

And because there is no backlight, an OLED system has a larger viewing angle than an LED system, and an OLED display can be much thinner than an LCD display.

The response time for OLED is faster than normal LCD screens. An average of 8 to 12 milliseconds in response time is normal for a LCD compared to 0.01 milliseconds in response time for an OLED. This means that OLED will be less subject to "blur". Blur occurs when there is rapid motion in the programming, such as sports. When the picture changes quickly, the pixels can lag in response.

One of the problems that has limited OLED use was that the blue OLED technology had a short lifetime, but a new type of blue LED, the "PHOLED", has a 20,000-hour lifetime (20-25 years of normal TV use). This was a major breakthrough in the effort to commercialize this technology for the HDTV market.

In theory, OLED displays can be more efficiently manufactured than LCD or plasma displays, meaning that they should not be as expensive. The Sony XEL-1 sells for $2500, but you should remember that the first large LCD and Plasma displays were much more expensive when they were first introduced. If production costs can be cut, the OLED HDTV set should eventually be less expensive that comparable LCD sets.

OLED Performance Pluses:

• Power Efficienct
• Very Thin and Light-Weight, 1/4" or less
• Better Brightness than LCD
• Wide Viewing Angle (~ 160 degree viewing angle)
• Excellent Contrast (> 1,000,000:1)
• Once developed the Manufacturing Process should be Inexpensive (the process is similar to ink-jet printing)
• Very Large Displays are Possible (> 100 inch)
• Response is better than LCD (good for fast moving images like Sports)

If the OLED does not live up to its promise, it will not be the first HDTV display to do so. Remember the surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED TV)? Toshiba and Canon were ready to go into production, but patent disputes with a company called Nano-Proprietary killed the technology. That probably won't happen this time. The main obstacle will be the manufacturing process. If units can be manufactured cost-competitively with LCD and Plasma, it should get very interesting.

About the Author: Brian Bradshaw is a Certified Technical Specialist (InfoComm CTS). Areas of expertise include Video, Audio, Computation, HDTV, Satellite Systems, and Communications. He has a communications technology business in Plano, Texas (Dallas). More information can be found at his Website

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Infrashine Flat Irons - Why They Are So Highly Rated

Consumer ratings of Infrashine Flat irons give them an excellent, overall score. This isn't surprising; they are well-made, look good, use the best ceramics, and most importantly, of all, deliver on their promise to give you perfect results every time. But, they do have one or two little shortcomings.

Okay, they're not cheap and their price tag means they have to compete with other, well-regarded makes like T3 and CHI. But, you just have to look at an Infrashine hair straightener to know that you're buying quality. They look good; the slightly rounded handle makes them ergonomic, the controls are well-thought out in design, and the plates are made of the best ceramic in the industry.

They're also lightweight, which combined with their design, makes them very easy to use. Both the 1/2" and 1" models weigh around 1.2lb making them among the most lightweight you can buy.

Another great feature is the configurable temperature setting; there are 5, ranging from 140F to 400F. In all honesty, the high setting is probably too high for most hair types, but having 5 different settings means you can fine tune the temperature to suit your hair type.

With the build quality, ease of use, temperature settings and high-grade ceramics it's no wonder Infrashine get such good marks in flat iron ratings. However, not everything is perfect and these styling tools are no exception.

Many high-end straighteners now have ceramic plates and heating elements coated with something called tourmaline. Ceramic was first used because it heats up quickly and maintains an even temperature, but also because it emits high amounts of negative irons. The ions help to break down water droplets, which help reduce drying time and, therefore, heat damage. But, negative ions break down the water droplets in to such small particles that they can be absorbed into each hair shaft. This means that moisture is locked into your hair making it look shinier and healthier.

Tourmaline produces much more negative ions than ceramic; up to 5 times more. Your hair is less damaged and suffers far less 'frizziness'.

Unfortunately, Infrashine flat irons don't yet use tourmaline, which is a real shame. If they did, I would say that they would be the 'perfect' styling tool. Apart from the lack of tourmaline, these irons are among the best you can buy. You should also note that even other top brands don't still use tourmaline either.

A flat iron from Infrashine is definitely a worthwhile investment if you want salon-perfect results. When you read enough reviews you'll soon appreciate why their owners giving them such a good rating.

Follow the links for the Infrashine flat irons. You can also read flat iron ratings on other high quality brands like GHD, Chi and T3.

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PSP Pandora Battery

In a nutshell, what the pandora battery does is allow a bricked or working official-firmware PSP to have access to view and run the programs installed on the magic memory stick. When you use a pandora battery, you immediately see a list of options that are running off the magic memory stick. Therefore, both the pandora battery and the magic memory stick are essential in unbricking or installing custom firmware on a PSP.

After you have used the Pandora Battery / Magic Memory Stick Combo to unbrick or downgrade/m33 your PSP, the battery and stick are reusable on an unlimited amount of PSPs. You can continuously reuse the pandora battery on any number of PSPs.

Remember to keep the Pandora Battery decently charged. However, since in the pandorizing process the battery loses it's battery meter, do not over charge it. This means that after it loses all charge, charge it for about two hours after which you have to manually stop charging the battery or else it could cause the battery to stop functioning. Remember, it no longer knows when to stop charging. You have to manually pull the plug.

The batteries are fully charged when we pandorize them and ship them out, so try to be mindful of when yours becomes low on charge. When you believe it is low, don't charge it for more than two hours, because overcharging WILL cause problems.

If after you are done using your pandora battery and magic memory stick and would like to use it as a normal battery, and the memory stick as a normal one, respectively, please follow the following instructions.

If you want to buy Pandora Battery we recommend you head over to Pandora Battery Buys they are the leading reseller of Pandora Battery & Magic Sticks.

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How Do Solar Panels Work?

Solar panels are becoming more and more popular today as an alternative to traditional electricity generation methods. By using solar panels, we can harness the solar energy provided by the sun and generate power for anything from a refrigerator to an automobile. Have you ever seen solar panel covered roofs or school zone signs with solar panels atop and wondered how these solar panels work and what's going on "behind the panels?"

Lets look at what solar panels are comprised of and how solar panel technology works.

Solar panel technology is based on 2 types of solar heat collection: solar collectors and solar cells. Since virtually all home and do-it-yourself solar panel projects utilize solar cells, we'll focus on the solar cell technology. Solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells, is what makes up a photovoltaic panel, or more commonly known as a solar panel. Don't let the word photovoltaic intimidate you. Lets break it apart: photo = light and voltaic = electricity (think of volt or voltage). In essence it's representing the idea of converting light into electricity. These photovoltaic cells are mainly comprised of a semi-conductor, most commonly silicon. I'm sure you have heard about silicon, and are actually using the technology right now... in your computer! Silicon, used in microprocessors in every computer around the world, is a very popular semi-conductor, meaning it has the ability to conduct electricity. When light hits these silicon filled PV cells, the solar energy is absorbed and a current is produced inside the cell. By stringing together these PV cells into a solar panel, and placing contacts on the outside of this panel, we are able to tap into this electrical current.

Now that you know how solar panels work, what happens next?

Once we have the solar panels wired and working together, they need to be strategically placed in order to guarantee they are exposed to maximum sunlight. In the case of using solar panels at home, the roof would be the ideal choice for the solar panels. It is very important to pay close attention to the angle and placement of the panels to ensure the solar panels work at their highest efficiency. If even one of the solar cells is not fully exposed to sunlight, it can greatly reduce the efficiency of the entire panel. It is also quite common to adjust the angle of the panels through out the year in order to keep the solar panels exposed to sunlight during the different seasons. This might or might not be necessary for you depending on your individual configuration.

At this point we have generated electricity, but the process is not complete yet. In order to be able to use this energy inside your home, we need to first convert the current from a direct current (DC) to an alternating current (AC). To do this, we can use an inverter, which converts this electricity into an AC current that household appliances such as a refrigerator or air conditioner are able to use. Another good step is to make sure you store this energy for times when either there is little or no sunlight, such as at night. This can be done by storing this energy in deep-cycling batteries. Deep cycling batteries allow you to fully charge and recharge your batteries in order to draw a small amount of current over a long time span. This differs from a car battery, where you need a larger boost for a very short duration, i.e. when you start your car.

Next time you see solar panels at work, you'll notice that it is in fact multiple panels placed together. If you look closely enough, you can see the individual PV cells that make up each solar panel. Also, take note of the panels position. Look to see how others have maximized the panels exposure to the sun, by the height, angle, and placement of the panel in order to allow the solar panels to work most efficiently.

Learn how you can have solar panels working in your home to reduce and maybe even eliminate your electric bill.

Visit A Green Way Of Life today - Your source for the latest in green news, tips, products, resources, & more.

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Digital LCD Projectors - What Are They?

Simply put, digital LCD projectors are the next-generation projectors. They're the immediate successor of CRT projectors, a type that is slowly being removed from the market these days. LCD pertains to the liquid crystal display technology also used in laptops and plasma TV's. And when it comes to this technology, LCD's are way different from its predecessor, the CRT.

Digital LCD projectors use certain systems and chips that are not present in CRT's. And these are the very things that make the device compact and portable. The chips used are quite small and they replace the cathode ray tube that is chiefly used by CRT's.

But more than its size, LCD projectors became the more preferable option because it has better contrast and brightness ratio. What's more, the entire device uses less power. It has become apparent that smaller chips are able to do the same job that bulky tubes can do.

Companies that need projectors for their business operations and presentations are better off with these devices. But what's surprising is the fact that digital LCD projectors have penetrated homes too. These projectors work even if the room is partially lit. Therefore, you really need not create a dark room just to use it. This is why the device is quite usable inside homes.

And as far as the price is concerned, LCD projectors are surprisingly a lot more affordable. Today, it is quite possible to get these devices for $1,000 or even less. On the other hand, CRT projectors still cost around $3,000 in the market. This is why the CRT's are in the stage of being phased out.

But then again, digital LCD projectors have limits too. For one, these devices rely on pixels. As such, viewers may see small squares making up the image, just like in mosaic arts. This may happen if the image was projected to a large size. Also, the small pixels used by these LCD projectors are at risk of burning after continued use. Therefore, you may see some black or white spots in the screen.

Find the latest information about high quality digital projectors and how to choose a top rated digital lcd projector for all of your movie and presentation needs at digital lcd projectors.

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High Definition DVD Players in France

The French are known to love their movies. French movies are popular not only in France, but also in other French speaking countries in Europe as well as in Africa. Intense competition among players has resulted in slashing of high definition DVD players cost. DVDs as such are already available at relatively cheap rates. With more and more people opting to watch movies from the comforts of their homes, high definition DVD player sales have gone through the roof. The home theater technology hit France around the same time, as it had the rest of the world. The French embraced the new technology with open arms. Now, there must be seldom a home in France, without at least a basic home theater system in place.

With many high definition DVD players hitting the market in France, the sales are expected to further increase. This is in total contrast to the returns in other retail segments in France in recent times. The sluggish growth in other segments has been attributed to the strength of the Euro and the decrease in demand for other products. This in itself shows the French love for movies and now for high definition DVD players.

The demand for DVD players has been on the rise not only in France, but also in other parts of Europe too. The European markets are totally estimated to yield around $10 billion in revenue to the DVD industry, according to research analysts. It is predicted that the market will grow to around $17 billion by the end of 2009.

One factor which is driving the sales of high definition DVD players in France is the flooding of the market by Chinese manufacturers. France has seen a deluge of Chinese products, from digital cameras to computers to home theater systems, you name it and every conceivable Chinese electronic item is available in France. Even DVD players from leading brands like Sony, Philips, or JVC are actually made in China, apart from the number of other smaller players. China is reported to export around five million units of DVD players to France alone, every year.

DVD player sales constitute around 15% of the consumer electronics sales in France. Every year around ten million DVD players are sold in France out of which a significant percentage is that of high definition models. Most of the sales are cornered by globally renowned brands, while some part of the sales go to the no name appliances.

One good thing with France is that you can buy your high definition DVD player or for that matter any kind of DVD player, literally anywhere. Yes, you can buy them in hypermarkets, departmental stores, supermarkets, electronic dealers, you name it and they stock it full, with hundreds of models on display.

There are large specialist stores like Boulanger, Darty, and FNAC, which are leading names when it comes to dealing with DVD players. These specialists make up for around 40 % of the total sales of DVD players in France. Hypermarkets, supermarkets, and departmental stores gobble the rest of the percentage up.

While it is true that the Chinese made DVD players have made their mark in France, the French are known to prefer Japanese brands too, when it comes to higher end models of high definition DVD players. These higher end models typically cost around 1,500 Euros.

The leading brands of high definition DVD players in France include Schneider, Samsung, Thompson, Sony, and Philips. One can get a read-only player for an average price of around 80 Euros. One can get quality high definition DVD players for a price range of around $300 or more. One can also find French brands like Crealy doing brisk business in high definition DVD players.

Most of the leading brands offer excellent after sales service and this is one reason for the spectacular growth of high definition DVD players in France. Quality control standards are very high these days and it is common to find leading players give a guarantee on their high definition DVD players, which could be up to even five years. France follows the 230 volts electricity standards like most other parts of Europe and therefore its always better to check your DVD players specifications, before you plug it in.

Even low end high definition DVD players are finding takers, because generally even these models are manufactured with good components and people are buying these products with little expectations of after sales support.

Another habit with French is that many of them use their computers to watch DVDs. Another related product, which is witnessing a boom in the French market, is the DVD recorder. They are being bought left, right, and center by the French. It is expected that they will gradually take over from read only players, over a period of time.

In fact, most of the home theater systems available in France are already fitted with recorders and their market is increasing. Recordable DVD players are available for around a price ranging from 200 500 Euros, depending on whether they come with a hard drive or not.

One can easily find stores stocked with a huge variety of high definition DVD players. In France. One can in fact find an entire range of DVD players, recorders, and combo units. Certain terminology may differ though, for instance models which record from tapes are known as DVD/magnetoscopes in France. Stores like FNAC and Virgin mega stores stock up the latest collections in large numbers.

Even though recordable DVD players are increasingly selling more, France has strict rules in place to avoid people making backup copies of their discs. Just as in the case of high definition DVD players, you can find DVDs almost everywhere in France. There is one problem though with French videos and DVDs. They sometimes dont play in other countries, thanks to the video format. The French use the SECAM format, when compared to North American countries that use NTSC and Australia which uses PAL. France comes under the zone 2, as far as DVD regional coding goes. A code free DVD player would be able to play it though in other countries.

If you are a tourist looking for DVDs in France, you can check out the videos which say Avez-vous cette film en NTSC. They could play in your country. The French are passionate about their movies. You must have surely heard of the French new wave directors, if you were an ardent student of world cinema. French film studios like Gaumont film studios are famous the world over. Almost all of us must have heard of the Cannes film festival, yet another testimony to the refined taste of the French when it comes to cinema. DVDs are therefore a popular option for the French, giving them the ultimate home movie watching experience.

Most of the Hollywood DVD releases take place either simultaneously along with other countries or a week or two after the movies American release. The release again depends on various factors like the studio and who is having the DVD rights. The French appreciate both their films and foreign films. DVDs of movies of other languages like English sell like hot cakes in France, mostly with French subtitles. Such DVDs would bear the inscription VO denoting version originale. The dubbed versions carry the inscription VF version Franoise.

Where to get REGION FREE DVD players/recorders. To prevent the latest movies from reaching countries where a film has not reached theaters yet, Hollywood studios imposed a block. This regional coding is a digital flag on the disc that tells the DVD player where a particular DVD comes from. This is supposed to prevent the disc from being used by an incompatible player in another country. A normal DVD player can only play discs designated for the player's own particular region. However, a codefree DVD player is a capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere around the world. A codefree DVD player can play DVD discs from all 6 regions and both standards, PAL and NTSC. That's every DVD movie on earth! PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs. You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com in California. They give you a LIFETIME Warranty and ship worldwide. Tel.800-514-2984 or tel. 925-686-9945

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Points To Look For When Buying A Coffee Maker

If you are gearing up to buy a coffee maker you need to be clear about your taste and requirement. Buying home a coffee maker has become a necessity with the increasing dependence on coffee for kick starting the day to day tasks. Your morning can't be perfect without a mug full of coffee.

But the availability of a wide variety of coffee makers in the market can make it difficult for you to zoom in on one machine. For, all these differing genres of coffee makers have their own benefits. However your acquaintance with basic features of a coffee machine would help you in choosing a good coffee maker.

The basic facility of removing coffee pot without waiting for coffee brewing to be over must be available with your machine. With your coffee machine you should be able to immediately serve the coffee. Your machine must be equipped with coffee pod facility. That means you should be able to make coffee with pre-packed coffee pods in no time. Most of the machines come with this pod compatibility.

You must also check coffee makers against digital features. A good coffee maker would come with a digital display panel attached with a timer and auto off mechanism. This feature is very beneficial for home use as auto off would let you pay attention to other things in home, while you are making coffee.

An efficient water filtering equipment happens to be an integral part of superior quality coffee makers. Its presence ensures that your coffee won't get a bad flavor due to excess iron and other unwanted content of water.

You may also look for a coffee maker that offers you a bean grinder that is integrated with the machine. These grinders grind only few beans to give needed amount of coffee. This feature results in a flavor that carries tinge of freshness with itself.

If you happen to be a great coffee enthusiast, you might be having a craving to prepare specialty coffee drinks of Barista at home. For that you can have an espresso coffee maker at home. A superior espresso machine offers you a variety of drinks that you would love to have as well as offer to your guests.

Gone are the days for semi automatic and automatic genres of coffee makers. Super automatic home coffee makers have come on the block and are in great demand. This machine comes with various special features and in no time it completes the coffee making process from bean grinding to offering coffee require only few seconds.

So, buy a coffee maker with latest features to enjoy the coffee with finest flavors in no time. Coffee making won't be an ordeal with the new coffee maker, I bet!

To get more information on coffee, coffee recipes and coffee health visit http://www.have-a-coffee.com/

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Tea - Coffee - Rest - A Great Game For Your Music Lessons

You can easily brighten up your classroom Music Lesson with this simple game that children will ask for again and again! It's easy to set up, you can do it successfully with no musical equipment at all and it teaches rhythm and musical confidence while everyone has fun! Add it to your lesson plans!

Preparation:

Arrange chairs in a big circle. Set aside one chair for yourself. If you have enough drums for the whole class, put one in front of each chair. The children will be using their hands to play the drums. You, the teacher, should ideally have a cowbell and a beater.

If you don't have enough drums, you can alternate drums and other percussion instruments - such as tambourines, castanets etc - around the circle. You can get everyone to move around after each round of the game, so the instrument distribution will be fair. If you don't have any instruments at all, just clap the rhythms!

Begin by demonstrating the main rhythm: crotchet, two quavers, crotchet (quarter note, two eighth notes, quarter note). The time signature is .

Actually say "Tea, coffee, rest; tea, coffee, rest;" and get the whole class to repeat it several times. Then get them all to play the rhythm together on their instruments.

Next, substitute a "rest" for the third beat - in other words, the rhythm becomes crotchet, two quavers, crotchet rest (quarter note, two eighth notes, nothing). When they can all do this together, you'll be ready to start the game. Explain that everyone has to abide by your rules and that your decisions will be final.

How to play Tea Coffee rest - training version

Get the children to put down their instruments for this version. Start quite slowly. Count aloud "one, two, three" and look straight at the child who is to start, to eliminate any doubt. You keep the pulse going with your cowbell.

The first child says "tea" on the first beat, the second child says "coffee" on the second beat and the third child says nothing at all. The fourth child says "tea" and so on. Insist that "coffee" is two even quavers (eighth notes) in strict rhythm. Keep going round the circle until everyone understands.

How to play Tea Coffee rest - real live version

The children take up their drums and percussion. Explain that this time they will be playing the same tea, coffee, rest rhythm on their instruments, one at a time. If anyone makes a mistake they will be "out" and will have to sit on the floor, leaving their instrument on the chair.

Count "one, two, three" as before and keep the pulse going with your cowbell (yes, even on the rests). The first child strikes his/her drum once on the first beat, the second child plays two quavers (eighth notes), the third does nothing, the fourth child plays once, the fifth plays two quavers (eighth notes), the sixth does nothing, and so on round the circle.

Whenever anyone makes a mistake they are "out". They immediately put down their instrument (on the chair) and sit on the floor, without any argument! You restart with the same count-in, looking at the next child in the circle.

As the numbers of active players decreases, you can up the tempo. If you're left with three (or six) good players who don't make a mistake, just stop and restart (on a different child) quickly so that they are taken off guard. Or reverse the direction. When you're down to two players, even you will be confused!

You can help the children by looking earnestly at each player when it's their turn - or tease them by looking earnestly at another child so that they play at the wrong time.

Give the winner a Smartie or sticker or whatever currency they value, then get everyone to move around (by one chair) before sitting on the chairs again. Start again straight away and keep the pace up. Four rounds of the game are probably enough, even though the children would happily play it for hours. The next time you play you won't have to do any explaining.

A note of caution: this game will make you seriously popular, but the downside is that children may tell their parents that they just play games in their music lessons. Be prepared to defend the activity and explain how it teaches children to count in time, to come in independently, to listen and fit in with others, to perform in a group and to recognise note values!

Thanks to Ros Shaw for telling me about this and many other great games.

The writer: Tom Morrell has a PGCE in Music from Homerton College, Cambridge and many years of teaching experience in the UK. For other ideas and to find out how to supplement your humble teacher's income, visit steprightthisway.com.

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