High Efficiency CRT Recycling Technology from Panasonic.
Thursday, July 02, 2009

In response to the increasing demand for the recycling of used CRT TVs, tons of which are expected to be thrown away as a result of the US shift to digital terrestrial broadcasting as well as the upcoming transition in Japan scheduled for completion in 2011, the Panasonic Corporation and Panasonic Eco Technology Center Co., Ltd. (PETEC) have developed a recycling technology using laser beams to separate the front panel and back part (funnel) of a cathode ray tube (CRT) used in TV sets. According to the company, this laser-cut technology, which is implemented at PETEC's plant in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, allows for separating CRTs quicker and cleaner than before. In a CRT tube, different types of glass are used in the front panel and funnel. It is essential to separate them without mixing for recycling. The conventional method uses an electrically heated wire around the joint area of the front and funnel to separate them. However, this method not only requires time for the heating process but causes thermal stress fractures by the local heating, requiring manual corrections to clean the cut surfaces. The new CRT recycling technology also drastically reduces the processing time with much less manual work, allowing one tube to be processed in 50 seconds, three times faster than the previous method. The laser head of the innovative system has a "surface profiling" function to maintain a constant distance between the focal point and surface of the glass. Coupled with the "radiation energy" control adjusting laser beam light intensity to the circumferential velocity, the system achieves a high quality cut with no mixing between the front and funnel glass. Panasonic's laser cutter is fully automated to measure the size (from 14 to 36 inches) and types (normal and wide) of CRT TVs and process with the laser conditions (38 different sets of conditions) suited to the size and type of each CRT. The company said it will continue to study possibilities in applying such laser-based recycling technologies to flat-panel TVs, and is committed to further raise the efficiency of the whole TV recycling process.

LCD Panel Glass Shortage Continues.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009

A recent report from market research company, iSuppli indicates the current shortage of glass used to make LCD panels for large televisions and displays is expected to continue as panel prices rise for a fifth consecutive month in June. According to the company, amid an extreme oversupply situation in Q4 2008, suppliers of the glass used in the panels started cutting capacity to less than 50% of full utilization at the end of 2008, while some glass makers even shut down some of their glass-producing tanks. As a result, panel suppliers now are unable to increase their LCD panel production capacity despite strong demand from China and other regions. Global prices for large-sized LCD panels continues to rise. Unlike some raw materials, whose production can be ramped up quickly to meet changes in the level of demand, it takes time for glass makers to restore manufacturing to previous levels. Depending on the level of deactivation of a glass furnace, it may take from one to six months to restore it to full production. Because of this, iSuppli expects the glass shortage won't be resolved until September, by which time panel suppliers will be able to increase capacity and expand supply. As such, the shortage and resulting price increases are not expected to last, with prices for nearly all sizes of LCD TV panels peaking in September and commencing a decline that will persist through the remainder of 2009 and into 2010. Pricing for 32-inch 720p (progressive) scan LCD TVs is expected to decline to US$480 by November, with Black Friday specials possibly as low as US$299. This is down from an average of US$634 in June. For 42-inch Full High-Definition (HD) or 1080p sets, pricing in November will fall to US$628, down from US$856 in June. Black Friday specials could be as low as US$499. "If the LCD TV brands hope to come anywhere near their sales targets for 2009, they will have to offer aggressive pricing deals during Black Friday and the following weeks," said Riddhi Patel, principal analyst, television, for iSuppli. "If the deals don't materialize, sales this year will fall well short of predictions." iSuppli predicts global LCD TV sales will rise 23.5% in 2009 compared to 2008.

EU to Standardize Mobile Device Charging.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

According to a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the European Commission, 10 of the world's largest mobile device companies have agreed on a new universal charging interface for all mobile devices. Beginning in Europe in 2010, all mobile devices will be charged and connected for data transfer via Micro-USB. As per the memo; the current incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones and devices is a major environmental problem and an inconvenience for users across the European Union. Currently, specific chargers are sold together with specific mobile phones. A user who wants to change their mobile phone must usually acquire a new charger and dispose the previous one, even if it is in perfect condition. This unnecessarily generates important amounts of electronic waste. With the new standard, consumers will not need to buy a new charger together with every mobile phone, and they should also benefit from more efficient and cheaper stand-alone chargers. The environmental benefits of harmonizing chargers are expected to be very important: reducing the number of chargers unnecessarily sold will reduce the associated generated electronic waste, which currently amounts to thousands of tons. Harmonized chargers are also expected to improve energy-efficiency, thus reducing energy consumption.

The following 10 companies have signed the MoU:
• Apple
• LG
• Motorola
• NEC
• Nokia
• Qualcomm
• Research In Motion
• Samsung
• Sony Ericsson
• Texas Instruments

"The MoU covers the territory of the EU. However, as the market for mobile phones is essentially global, the MoU should be seen as a good model for other geographical markets. The Commission is committed to sharing this approach with its trading partners, in order to extend its benefits world-wide," said the Commission's Gunter Verheugen.

Jazz At Lincoln Center - Prestigious NY Jazz Landmark Hits the Note with Markertek !
Monday, June 29, 2009

New York, NY - Markertek is the sound and stage technology supply source for the performing arts industry. We recently assisted and supplied Jazz at Lincoln Center with a large order of Neutrik and Canare products at its main location in New York, NY. JALC, which is a constituent of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is located at 60th Street and Broadway in New York City at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Time Warner Center. The Hall features educational and entertaining displays including a multimedia installation with an 18-foot video wall, interactive computer kiosks and touch-activated virtual plaques. Here, visitors can celebrate the lives, artistry and music of the jazz greats that were and are an integral part of both the art form and industry that is jazz. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (JLCO) serves as the resident orchestra performing not only at the Hall but also around the world. JALC produces a year-round schedule of performance, education and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. These productions include concerts, national and international tours, residencies, weekly national radio and television programs, recordings, publications, an annual high school jazz band competition and festival, a band director academy, a jazz appreciation curriculum for children, advanced training through the Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies, music publishing, children's concerts, lectures, adult education courses and student and educator workshops. Jazz at Lincoln Center will produce over 3,000 events during its 2008-09 season. Markertek is truly honored to supply JALC and all the performing arts institutions with the connection technology necessary to keep the music playing.

Possible U.S. Ban on Sharp LCD Displays.
Friday, June 26, 2009

According to a U.S. International Trade Commission ruling this week, certain Sharp Corp. liquid-crystal display televisions and computer monitors should be banned from import to the United States. Samsung Electronics of South Korea, the world's biggest maker of LCDs, won a recent U.S. ITC ruling that several Sharp products infringe on one of the company's patents. In the complaint, filed last December, Samsung named models in the Aquos line of high definition televisions as among those made and sold by Sharp that violated the patent. Samsung had initially claimed infringement of four patents. Of the four, the disputed patent the company won was issued in 2004 and is titled 'Liquid Crystal Display Having Wide Viewing Angle'. In a notice posted on its Web site, the ITC said unlicensed Sharp LCD devices, including display panels and modules, and LCD televisions made overseas that use Samsung's patented invention should be banned from the U.S. The ban is now subject to review by President Obama, and the underlying patent case can be appealed to a U.S. court that specializes in patent law.As of yet, neither company has commented on the proposed ban.

A New Approach to Sound - the FFL.
Thursday, June 25, 2009

United Kingdom based University of Warwick spin-out company, Warwick Audio Technologies has created a groundbreaking new loudspeaker that is less than 0.25mm thick. While the 'Flat, Flexible Loudspeaker' (FFL) is, as the name implies, flat and flexible, it also extremely lightweight and inexpensive to manufacture. According to the company, the FFL is ideal for public spaces where it delivers planar directional sound waves, which project further than sound from conventional speakers. All speakers work by converting an electric signal into sound. Usually, the signal is used to generate a varying magnetic field, which in turn vibrates a mechanical cone, so producing the sound. Warwick Audio Technology's FFL technology is a carefully designed assembly of thin, conducting and insulating, materials resulting in the development of a flexible laminate, which when excited by an electrical signal will vibrate and produce sound. The speaker laminate operates as a perfect piston resonator. The entire diaphragm therefore radiates in phase, forming an area source. The wave front emitted by the vibrating surface is phase coherent, producing a plane wave with very high directivity and very accurate sound imaging. Steve Couchman, CEO of Warwick Audio Technologies, believes the new speaker could entirely replace the speakers currently used in homes and in cars, as well as in public address systems used in passenger terminals and shopping centers. "The sound produced by FFLs can be directed straight at its intended audience. The sound volume and quality does not deteriorate as it does in conventional speakers, which means that public announcements in passenger terminals, for example, could be clearer, crisper, and easier to hear." The FFL was first developed by Dr Duncan Billson and Professor David Hutchins, both from the University of Warwick, with early trials using just two sheets of tinfoil and an insulating layer of baking paper to produce sound. Since then its design has significantly evolved and the technology is now ready for commercial applications. The company expects to launch its first commercial FFL product later this year.

Sennheiser Adds Filter Option to Enhance Broadcast Applications.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

At InfoComm '09 Sennheiser unveiled the new MZF 8000 filter module for the company's MKH 8000 microphone series. According to Sennheiser, using the new MZF filter module, the MKH 8020 (omnidirectional), MKH 8040 (cardioid) and MKH 8050 (super-cardioid) RF condenser microphones can provide excellent sound and climate resistance, even in tough broadcasting and film applications. The filter effectively suppresses both handling and wind noise, features extremely low self-noise, and the signal level can be lowered via a broadcast-quality pad - allowing it to be optimally adapted to the recording equipment. "Our MKH 8000 microphones are compact and light making them ideally suited for use with telescopic microphone booms," explained Dawn Birr, Sennheiser's product manager for professional products. "The filter module allows users to target and suppress unavoidable handling noise and eliminates wind noise almost completely." For this purpose, the MZF 8000 has two low-frequency filters: a roll-off filter that can be switched on when required, and a fixed low-cut filter that effectively suppresses frequencies below 20 Hz. A switchable -10 dB pad on the filter module reduces the signal level when required. Like the company's other modules for the series, the new filter module can also be used with a remote cable as a separate unit, allowing the sound engineer to further reduce the weight on the boom. The module has a transformerless and fully floating output and can therefore be easily connected to recording equipment. The MZF 8000 filter module is available now.

LG Enters Thin-Film Solar Cell Business.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Flat-screen and consumer electronics maker LG Display Co Ltd has announced plans to focus its R&D capabilities on a thin-film type solar cell and nurture it as a future growth driver. With an investment of 50 billion won ($40 million), the company plans to build a pilot line within its Paju display complex in South Korea later this year and build an outdoor test power generation facility. The company aims to raise the current energy conversion efficiency rate of 8% to 12% by 2010, and eventually achieve efficiency rate of 14% to prepare for commercialization in 2012 and hopes to secure sufficient commercial value by lowering the manufacturing cost to less than US$1/W. While LG targets the market for cells used in photovoltaic power generation, buildings and public displays during the initial stages of commercialization, the company's long-term blueprint includes expansion into solar cells for mobile displays and automobiles, as well as solar cells for extreme environments such as offshore photovoltaic power generation stations. According to LG, research firm Nano Markets expects the market for thin-film solar power cells to grow to $14 billion in 2015 from $4.6 billion in 2011.

Markertek Welcomes to the Family this Week:

California Institute Of Technology
KVIE Inc.
CBC Radio Canada
SGTV
KMSS Television
Groove Boston
Disneyland Broadcast Services
KVNF Public Radio
News 14 Carolina
Verizon Pennsylvania
Ameron Global
WDTN-TV
WKBW TV Inc.
Spokane Valley Online
Comic Relief
 

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