One of the biggest suppliers of LCD panels to notebook and PC monitor manufacturers, AUOptronics, has been convicted by a US court on Tuesday, of price-fixing, a serious anti-competitive practice that cripples innovation and is bad for consumers and progress of the industry. The company faces fines as high as US $1 billion, which could amount to a big blow to the company that already finds itself facing losses.

AUOptronics' conviction follows the December 2011 mega-settlement of LCD makers including Samsung, Sharp, Hitachi, HannStar, and Chimei Innolux. At the time, AUOptronics and LG Electronics were the only fence-sitters. LG Electronics agreed to pay a US $400 million fine, in 2008. AUOptronics' current position is that it finds the evidence presented against it, which led to the conviction as being "distorted and incomplete," and that it will appeal against the verdict. The quantum of fine levied against AUOptronics will surface in the months ahead.

LG Electronics has today announced the release (in Japan at least) of its D2500N-PN 25-inch monitor offering glasses-free 3D (TriDef software needs to be installed to enable 3D). LG's 3D display makes use of a TN panel, comes with a built-in webcam (which tracks the user's head movement to optimize the 3D experience), and features a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a 5 ms response time, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio (5,000,000:1 DCR), and 250 cd/m2 maximum brightness.

The D2500N-PN includes DVI and HDMI connectors and is expected to become available at the end of this month priced at about 150,000 yen (~ $1,923).

Indilinx, a leading provider of solid state drive (SSD) processors and a subsidiary of OCZ Technology Group, announces OCZ Indilinx SSDs based on the acclaimed Everest Series SATA 3.0 (6 Gbps) platform are shipping in LG Electronics' thinnest notebook yet, the Super Ultrabook Z300 based on the Intel Ultrabook initiative.

"We are excited to continue our partnership with LG Electronics and provide our Indilinx Everest based OEM SSDs for integration into the company's exciting new Super Ultrabook Z300," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "These custom OEM Indilinx SSDs are the ideal solution for the Z300's ultra slim and stylish form factor, and help deliver a superior overall computing experience for customers with quicker transfer speeds and faster boot up."

LG Electronics (LG) will showcase four new notebook models and an all-in-one PC at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 in Las Vegas. LG's brand new Super Ultrabook Series, the Z330 and the Z430, offer powerful performance and sleek design unseen in ordinary Ultrabooks, while the P535 and the A540 establish a new standard for 3D notebooks. Lastly, the V300 is the ideal 23-inch all-in-one PC for entertainment, thanks to its immersive 3D display and In-Plane Switching (IPS) -enabled wide viewing angle.

"At this year's CES, LG will showcase products that are not only new, but also establish categories defining new standards for personal computing devices," said J.J. Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of LG Electronics IT Business Unit. "Our new products feature a range of breakthrough technologies from LG, such as IPS display, glasses-free 3D and Super Speed Boot, that will noticeably elevate the personal computing experience. These technologies reflect our goal of satisfying various consumer demands, as well as our aggressive strategy for 2012."

LG Electronics (LG) will present the future of TV technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas with the unveiling of the world's largest OLED TV with a display size of 55 inches. By incorporating the company's 4-Color Pixels and Color Refiner features with LG Display's advanced OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panels, LG OLED TV generates the most natural colors of any TV set at a much lower price point than could have been achieved using the standard manufacturing process.

Five major LCD panel makers, including Samsung, Sharp, Hitachi, HannStar, and Chimei Innolux; agreed to pay over US $553 million in settlement to regulators for a price-fixing case. The case by regulators alleged that these companies colluded to fix prices of LCD panels 1999 and 2006, affecting billions of dollars of commerce. The scam unearthed in 2006, by regulators of Japan, Korea, United States, and the European Union. Many companies and executives have since pleaded guilty to criminal antitrust violations and paid more than US $890 million in fines so far.

The latest payout of $553 million is aimed to resolve claims by "indirect" purchasers that bought televisions and computers with thin film transistor LCDs, as well as claims by eight USA states: Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin. It also includes payments of $14.7 million by the companies to settle civil fine and penalty law claims by the states, the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said. He stated "This price-fixing scheme manipulated the playing field for businesses that abide by the rules, and left consumers to pay artificially higher costs for televisions, computers and other electronics."

LG Electronics (LG) announced today that its newest collection of 3D glasses, including a pair designed by renowned eyewear designer Alain Mikli, will be introduced in the first quarter of 2012. The new 3D glasses -- the F310, the clip-on F320 and the Alain Mikli F360 -- are lighter and more comfortable to wear while upgraded design features such as curved lenses and clean frame structure have transitioned 3D glasses from burdensome requirements to stylish fashion accessories.

"Compared to active shutter glasses, LG's 3D glasses are far more comfortable to wear and much more affordable, making it possible for large groups and entire families to watch 3D programs and movies together," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of the LG Home Entertainment Company. "LG is addressing two of the biggest barriers to 3D acceptance head-on and we're confident consumers will react favorably to our strategy in the coming year."

LG Electronics (LG) will unveil its 2012 IPS monitor line-up at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month. LG's new IPS monitors will provide consumers with the most optimal 3D viewing solution, offering immersive 3D viewing with higher resolutions from wider viewing angles. The new IPS monitors are divided into the DM92, DM82 and DM52 series, in addition to the D43 3D monitor.

"The quality and technological superiority of LG's 3D display products are second to none, according to the findings of internationally renowned research organizations and respected media outlets," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Home Entertainment Company. "The 2011 IPS monitor line-up shows LG's commitment to further build upon on this reputation and technological prowess in order to provide consumers with the most immersive home entertainment experience possible."

LG Display, a leading innovator of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) technology, today announced that it has developed the world's largest 55-inch OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diodes) TV panel. The 55-inch panel is a significant step forward in the popularization of OLED TVs and demonstrates the effective application of AM OLED technology to larger panel sizes at a more cost efficient level.

"Our objective has always been to actively define and lead emerging display technology markets," said Dr. Sang Beom Han, CEO and Executive Vice President of LG Display. "Although OLED technology is seen as the future of TV display, the technology has been limited to smaller display sizes and by high costs, until now. LG Display's 55-inch OLED TV panel has overcome these barriers."

Welcome to the TechPowerUp 2011 PC technology Christmas special. We hope that you will enjoy reading it while tucking into your turkey, Christmas presents and a little too much wine... In this article, we go through the technology of 2011 that has had the most significance, the most impact and was generally the most talked about. It's not necessarily the best tech of 2011 which is the most significant though, since lemons can be just as significant as the ground-breakers in how they fail to deliver - and the backlash that goes with it.

January: Intel Sandy Bridge i5 & i7

Released on January 9th, the new Intel Core i5 & i7 processors were based on Intel's second generation Core architecture built on a 32 nm production process (HEXUS review). They included an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) physically on the same piece of silicon along with HyperThreading. These new dual and quad core processors soundly beat all previous generations of Intel processors in terms of processing performance, heat, power use, features and left AMD in the dust. Therefore, Intel badly needed some competition from AMD and unless you have been living under a rock, you will know how that turned out in October with the launch of Bulldozer. Sandy Bridge was a sound win and is generally considered to be the only architecture worth considering at this point. The i5-2500K is currently at the sweet spot of price/performance. It comes at a stock speed of 3.3 GHz, but typically overclocks to an amazing 4.5 - 5 GHz with a decent air cooler and without too much difficulty in getting there. Models in the budget i3 range were released at various times later. See this Wikipedia article for details.

LG Electronics (LG) and Intel entered into a strategic alliance to adopt and jointly promote Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) technology. Intel WiDi will be embedded into next year's LG CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, making them the first in the TV industry to feature Intel WiDi technology. Intel WiDi is a wireless connectivity inter-face which allows for instant, high-definition viewing of content stored in notebooks and other external mobile devices on large screen TVs, projectors or monitors.

"Through this strategic alliance, CINEMA 3D Smart TV users will be able to access a wider variety of content in a more convenient manner," said Seog-ho Ro, Senior Vice President of LG Home Entertainment Company's TV Business Unit. "Intel WiDi will be one of several features that will enhance the user convenience of our CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, further differentiating our products from the competition."

Optical disc drives have been pretty cheap for years now, yet there is enough money in the business, that three executives managed to collude in price fixing of these devices, scamming HP, Dell and Microsoft in the process - and in the end the consumer, who foots the higher prices. The three are from Hitachi-LG Data Storage Inc. (HLDS) and have reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice on price fixing charges for optical disc drives during the 2005-2009 timeframe. According to Security Week, the three executives, Sang Hun Kim, Young Keun Park, and Sik Hur, will each pay $25,000 USD in fines and serve little sentences of seven to eight months in prison at a "correctional facility" aka prison, that is yet to be decided.

LG Electronics (LG) extends its glasses-free 3D monitor lineup with the 25-inch DX2500, which incorporates glasses-free parallax barrier 3D and head-tracking technologies. With the DX2500, LG becomes the first in the industry to receive TÜV Rheinland certification for a glasses-free 3D monitor.

"LG is taking glasses-free 3D monitors mainstream with the DX2500," said Si-hwan Park, Vice President of the Monitor Division at LG's Home Entertainment Company. "With the DX2500, we are making the LG brand synonymous with glasses-free 3D monitors. In 2012, we'll continue to expand our range of glasses-free 3D monitors featuring different designs and advanced functions."

LG Display, a leading innovator of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) technology, today announced it has developed a 47-inch Full HD LCD panel, featuring vertical single side LED backlight technology, that offers maximum brightness while consuming less electricity than other LCD TV panels over 40 inches in size and even normal PC monitors over 20 inches in size.

The newly developed LCD panel achieves the world's lowest power consumption rate among large LCD panels by dramatically reducing the number of LED lamps used while maintaining a high level of brightness. To reduce the quantity of LED bulbs used, LG Display introduced its own backlight technology in which LED lamps are attached vertically to a single side of the panel, a world first for such technology.

LG Electronics (LG) has introduced a new monitor series based on in-plane switching (IPS) technology, the IPS5. The IPS5 series is the latest version of the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Award winning monitor line-ups of the IPS1 and IPS6 series. The IPS5 series has been upgraded with expert color calibration to ensure that colors remain sharp and true. The IPS5 series is equipped with outstanding color reproduction technology intended for enterprise customers and photographers who require bright and realistic images.

"We're committed to continually improving all aspects of our monitors with the best technology currently available," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. "The IPS5 series is proof of that commitment, as these monitors deliver superbly accurate images with true color representation with a wide viewing angle for demanding professionals."

LG Electronics (LG) will be taking the wraps off its new high-end monitors - the ultra-slim, vivid picture-quality E91 and D237IPS - at IFA 2011 in Berlin, Germany. The E91's 7.2 mm depth and luxurious acryl finish are sure to make it a hit with style savvy consumers while the D237IPS boosts LG's market-leading Film Pattern Retarder (FPR) 3D display technology on IPS panels, for even clearer, brighter 3D images.

"These monitors aren't just for work and internet browsing, they were designed to be the center of entertainment for any bedroom, study or dormitory," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. "The E91 and D237IPS combine elegant design and unique technology to look great in any room and still be able to deliver exceptional images and videos."

LG announced its first 3D-capable notebook, the XNote A530. Two of its biggest selling points are the 15-inch LED backlit display that's capable of 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, and stereoscopic 3D webcam, that uses two individual cameras to build a stereo 3D video stream, backed by LG's software. The XNote A530 is powered by "Sandy Bridge" 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M graphics. A Korean press release also mentions that the notebook will back 3D PT software, that allows users to make stereo 3D presentations that can be displayed using 3D-capable displays and projectors. The company did not announce pricing and availability details.

LG Electronics (LG) will be unveiling its first all-in-one PC which will feature the innovative Film-type Patterned Retarder (FPR) display, found in its popular CINEMA 3D TVs. The LG V300, developed in partnership with Intel, will be unveiled at Computex 2011, Asia's largest IT exhibition, in Taipei from May 31 to June 4.

The LG V300 will come with an impressive list of features including 2nd Generation Intel Core processors, 3D FPR display, In Plane Switching (IPS) screen technology that creates a stunning 178-degree viewing angle and a triple camera system for superb multitouch capability.

LG Electronics (LG) today unveiled the world's first glasses-free monitor utilizing eye-tracking technology to maintain an optimal 3D image from a range of viewing angles. The 20-inch D2000 monitor was developed as a fully func-tional entertainment display capable of reproducing games, movies and images in all their realistic glory.

"With a full line-up of 3D TVs, laptops, projectors and smartphones, LG Electronics is by far and away the industry leader in all things 3D." said Si-hwan Park, Vice President of the Monitor Division at LG's Home Entertainment Company. "LG's position has always been that 3D will and must eventually function without glasses. The D2000 is a look at what the future has in store."

LG Electronics announced the latest member of the XNote series, the XNote P210. Its biggest selling point is its size. While it's the size and shape of a notebook with a 11.6-inch screen, it actually features a larger 12.5-inch screen. This is made possible by using an extremely slim bezel (the portion surrounding the actual display area of the screen). The screen resolution isn't mentioned, though it bears an "HD" badge. In all likelihood, it could have a resolution of 1366 x 768 or 1280 x 720 in the worst-case.

Measuring 299 x 192 x 20.9 mm, the XNote P210 weighs 1.3 kg. It is driven by an Intel Core i5 470UM dual-core processor clocked at 1.33 GHz featuring Turbo Boost and HyperThreading. Other hardware specs include 4 GB of DDR3 memory, Intel HD graphics with dynamic frequency, and 320 GB hard-drive based storage. Connectivity include WiFi b/g/n, and Bluetooth 3.0. Windows 7 Home Premium x64 comes pre-installed. Slated for February, the XNote P210 is expected to be priced at around US $1,100.

LG introduced what it claims to be the slimmest PC monitor in the world, which is just 7.2 mm thick. The E2290V from LG is a 21.5-inch full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels resolution) monitor that is able achieve its low thickness thanks to LED backlit. Panel specifications include 2 ms response time, dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000,000:1, and brightness of 250 cd/m². Display inputs include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. It is priced at €329.

LG Display, a leading innovator of TFT-LCD technology, announced today that it has launched the 23-inch 240Hz LCD for monitors (dual monitor and TV use) that refreshes at a rate of 240 frames per second to deliver clear picture quality with no ghosting effect.

The industry have been engaged in a heated race to improve the motion picture response time (MPRT), unveiling products with refresh rates of 120Hz or 240Hz which are respectively twice and four times as fast as broadcast signals (60Hz). However, the technology has mostly been applied to LCD panels for high-end TV panels that are 40-inch or larger. This is the first time that 240Hz technology was applied in a 23-inch product under mass production.

LG made its latest netbook, the X-Note X170, official today. This 10.1-inch netbook is based on Intel's Pine Trail platform, and makes use of a dual-core Atom N550 processor clocked at 1.50 GHz, aided by 1 GB of memory, embedded GMA 3150 graphics, 250 GB of storage, and connectivity features which include 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, WiFi b/g/n, and Bluetooth 3.0. The screen resolution is 1024 x 600, but the buyer can opt for a 1366 x 768 pixel display, too. The proprietary SmartPOP connectivity feature makes it easy to sync data, calls, and messages with smartphones. Available in two lid color options (silver and red), the X-Note X170 may cost the equivalent of $566 to $602 (depending on the display choice, perhaps).

LG Electronics (LG) today announced the world's first premium notebook offering cinematic 3D experience at near Full HD quality. To deliver an immersive 3D experience while rendering high-quality movies, games and graphics, the LG A510 features a hardware combination never before offered on a notebook: 15.6-inch Full HD 3D LED LCD display powered by Intel Core i7 Processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M graphics card with 1GB of dedicated DDR3 video memory.

"3D is increasingly becoming a common part of the home entertainment landscape so it's against this backdrop that we're working to make this technology better and more accessible for consumers," said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "As more and more people consume content and interact via portable screens, we think this is a natural next step for business travelers, college students and small office/home office owners. And we put the entire package in a beautifully-designed chassis because we don't think high-tech has to be a dull grey pizza box.

At the IFA event in Berlin, LG introduced four new LED-backlit monitors with IPS technology, of which one is intended to be of professional-grade. The LG IPS2062T, IPS226V, IPS236V and IPS231P are sized at 20", 21.5", 23" and 23", respectively. With the exception of the IPS2062T (which has a resolution of 1600 x 900), all are full-HD (1920 x 1080) ready. All four models have dynamic contrast ratios rated at 5,000,000:1; brightness of 250 cd/m²; and response time of 6 ms. Maximum viewing angles measure at 178°/178°.

While the IPS2062T takes in DVI and D-Sub inputs, IPS226V, IPS236V take DVI, D-Sub and HDMI, the IPS231P lacks HDMI, but has stereo speakers and takes audio in. Another feature that sets the IPS231P apart from the other models is its stand that allows you to adjust its height (by up to 11 cm), tilt, swivel, pivot. LG did not give out pricing and availability details.