Epson Ships 80 Millionth HTPS Panel for 3LCD Projectors

Comments by Projector Reviews staff:

"So, what does this mean to our readers: 80 millionth HTPS Panel?

That's pretty easy, actually, as it tells you about how many 3LCD (or LCD) projectors have shipped - and as indicated dividing by 3 (three LCD panels per projector), you get about 26 million 3LCD projectors.

Let's put that in perspective: While these millions have been sold over more than a decade, the vast majority of them should have been sold in the last decade. Of course many of those may be obsolete, and no longer used (in 2001, most projectors were VGA or SVGA, with few XGA and no widescreen models around), the largest buyer of projectors is believed to be the education market, where getting 10 years out of a projector tends to be more a matter of finances and survival, than technology issues. As such, many of those 5-8-10, even 12 year old projectors are still in use.

Let's say half of those 26.5 million projectors are still in active use (a wild guess). That requires some perspective:

The easiest would be to compare to the popular Apple iPad. Estimates say about 40 million Apple iPads were sold going into 2012. So, sure, there are a lot more iPads than 3LCD projectors out there, but, when you consider that you see iPads everywhere, and rarely see a projector, the number of LCD projectors is still a rather huge number. For perspective, it would only take about 2 million 3LCD projectors to have one in every classroom in the US.

Of course the 80 million panels number is world wide, not US only. Still... As a side note, by far the largest quantity of 3LCD projectors produced are used for education and commercial/business applications. Home theater projectors, by comparison are a very small market."

Press Release

- TOKYO, Japan, July 2, 2012 - Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson," TSE: 6724) today announced that it has shipped a total of 80 million high-temperature polysilicon ("HTPS") TFT liquid crystal panels for 3LCD projectors, enough for more than 26.5 million projector units. For more than two decades Epson has maintained its position as the world's No. 1 supplier^* of HTPS panels, the core devices at the heart of 3LCD projectors. It has led the industry by developing and providing technologies that boost power and performance. The expansion of the 3LCD projector market has for a long time been driven primarily by enterprise demand for business presentations. Today, 3LCD projectors are widely used in a variety of market spaces. In the home theater segment, projectors offer a compelling movie-viewing experience with 3D and high contrast capable of producing jet-black shadows, while in the education segment, projectors facilitate effective learning at school. Projectors also offer effective support for events in the commercial segment by delivering lectures, art and entertainment in large spaces. These applications just scratch the surface of the potential of projection technology. In light of this, the market for projectors is expected to grow nearly 10% every year. "Epson is the leader in the development and manufacture of the HTPS panels," said Nobuyuki Shimotome, deputy chief operating officer of Epson's Visual Products Operations Division, "Going forward, we will further cement our position as the market leader by enhancing and expanding our lineup with products that leverage our unique technologies to meet specific market needs." * According to Epson research (as of the end of May 2012) Related information To learn more about the advantages of HTPS panels, visit: http://www.epson.jp/e/products/device/htps/

To learn more about 3LCD technology, visit: http://www.3lcd.com

About Epson Epson is a global imaging and innovation leader whose product lineup ranges from inkjet printers and 3LCD projectors to sensors and other microdevices. Dedicated to exceeding the vision of its customers worldwide, Epson delivers customer value based on compact, energy-saving, and high-precision technologies in markets spanning enterprise and the home to commerce and industry. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 75,000 employees in 97 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates. http://global.epson.com/

Epson Ships 80 Millionth HTPS Panel for 3LCD Projectors - Press Release

Epson Ships 80 Millionth HTPS Panel for 3LCD Projectors

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