Samsung Electronics today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023. The Company posted KRW 63.75 trillion in consolidated revenue, a 10% decline from the previous quarter, as overall consumer spending slowed amid the uncertain global macroeconomic environment. Operating profit was KRW 0.64 trillion as the DS (Device Solutions) Division faced decreased demand, while profit in the DX (Device eXperience) Division increased.

The DS Division's profit declined from the previous quarter due to weak demand in the Memory Business, a decline in utilization rates in the Foundry Business and continued weak demand and inventory adjustments from customers. Samsung Display Corporation (SDC) saw earnings in the mobile panel business decline quarter-on-quarter amid a market contraction, while the large panel business slightly narrowed its losses. The DX Division's results improved on the back of strong sales of the premium Galaxy S23 series as well as an enhanced sales mix focusing on premium TVs.

TPU doesn't normally cover TVs, but at Touch Taiwan had a new gaming focused TV panel that might very well end up in some very high-end gaming "monitors" as well. The panel is a 65-inch model that supports 7680 x 4320 resolution at up to 120 Hz. However, the high-end specs don't stop there, as the panel has a 4,608 zone full array local dimming backlight, which gives it a typical brightness of 400 cd/m², but it can go up to 1,800 cd/m² at 10 percent areas in HDR mode.

As with the 4K display panel we wrote about earlier, this TB panel also features AUO's A.R.T. "reflectionless" feature, which should prevent it from being overly reflective in brightly lit areas. The demo panel was powered by MediaTek's Pentonic 2000 SoC, which is currently one of the highest-end 8K TV processors and potentially the only one with support for H.266 video decoding. Sadly we don't have any indication on which TV manufacturers will use the new display, but regardless of the brand, we expect the retail products to be very expensive.

It's been a little more than a year since we launched games on Netflix to bring even more entertainment to our members as part of their Netflix subscription. In this short time, we've released 55 games, with about 40 more slated for later this year and 70 in development with our partners. That's in addition to the 16 games currently being developed by our in-house game studios. Our goal is to develop a broad portfolio of games - in different genres and formats - because we believe everyone can find joy in games if they discover the one (or many!) that is right for them.

This year we're going to continue building our portfolio - and that means new games every month. Members will discover indie darlings, award-winning hits, RPGs, narrative adventures, puzzle games and everything in between, and we're working with the world's leading studios to bring you these games.

TrendForce's recent analysis of the foundry market reveals that demand continues to slide for all types of mature and advanced nodes. The major IC design houses have cut wafer input for 1Q23 and will likely scale back further for 2Q23. Currently, foundries are expected to maintain a lower-than-ideal level of capacity utilization rate in the first two quarters of this year. Some nodes could experience a steeper demand drop in 2Q23 as there are still no signs of a significant rebound in wafer orders. Looking ahead to the second half of this year, orders will likely pick up for some components that underwent an inventory correction at an earlier time. However, the state of the global economy will remain the largest variable that affect demand, and the recovery of individual foundries' capacity utilization rates will not occur as quickly as expected. Taking these factors into account, TrendForce currently forecasts that global foundry revenue will drop by around 4% YoY for 2023. The projected decline for 2023 is more severe when compared with the one that was recorded for 2019.

We don't normally cover TV's at TPU, but this one is so different to anything else out there, that we had to cover it. A US company that goes under the name Displace, will launch the Displace TV at CES 2023 in January and maybe the least strange part of this TV is that it'll have a CPU from AMD and a GPU from NVIDIA, although technically speaking, neither is actually inside the TV itself. The display itself doesn't seem to be particularly remarkable, as it's a 55-inch 4K display based around an unknown OLED panel. However, Displace claims that the sub 20 lbs (9.07 kg) panel features "proprietary active-loop vacuum technology" which allows it to be stuck to any wall without the need of mounting hardware.

If that wasn't crazy enough, the Displace TV is powered by an interchangeable battery pack and the company claims that the TV has a month's worth of battery life, assuming you don't use it more than six hours a day. The company provides four batteries and a charging station with the TV, as well as a base unit, which houses the AMD CPU and NVIDIA GPU. The only other thing the company mentioned about the base station is that it supports Wi-Fi 6E. The Displace TV also supports gesture control, as well as voice control and a remote. For those that find a 55-inch TV a bit on the small side, Displace claims that up to four panels can be connected together to create a 110-inch 16K TV, although it seems like they've counted wrong here, as four times 4K resolution is only 8K, not 16K. It all sounds a bit too good to be true, but we'll have to wait and see if the company really shows up at CES and if it has a product that delivers on all its claims.

MediaTek today launched the Pentonic 1000, its latest flagship smart TV system-on-chip (SoC) designed for 4K 120 Hz displays. Pentonic 1000 integrates Wi-Fi 6/6E support, MEMC for smoother video, a powerful AI processor, Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail, and 8-screen Intelligent View so users can watch or preview multiple streams of content at once. The chipset also supports the most advanced video codecs and global TV broadcast standards in a single platform.

The MediaTek Pentonic 1000 combines a powerful multi-core CPU, dual-core GPU, dedicated AI processing unit (APU) and video decoding engines into a single chip. The chipset provides resolution support up to 4K at 120 Hz and is capable of VRR up to 4K at 144 Hz for gaming applications. In addition to supporting super-fast frame rates for smoother gaming, it provides a lag-free experience with Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM).

Omni Remotes (www.omniremotes.com), a global leader in home control solutions, has launched the Model P+, in collaboration with Swedish industrial company Exeger (www.exeger.com). Featuring Exeger's Powerfoyle, this perpetual remote combines premium aesthetics with state-of-the-art solar technology and has the potential to significantly reduce the use and disposal of alkaline batteries.

Built upon 2021's award-winning Model P, the Model P+ uses Powerfoyle's superior indoor light harvesting capabilities, while harnessing Omni's ultra-low power platform. For individuals, this can mean never replacing or recharging the batteries in their remotes. For the pay TV and consumer electronics industries, this would be a vital step towards meeting environmental net-zero targets.

ProScreenCast has announced their newest 4K 60 Hz with HDR screen casting adaptor, the SC01, is now available worldwide. SC01 build with HDMI 2.0b and is capable of streaming true 4K resolution up to 60 Hz refresh rate with HDR color, it is designed to stream video wirelessly to TV, projector or any display with HDMI. This allows you to experience 4K image quality on a big screen from your mobile phone or PC, without having to run cables across the room.

SC01 allows you to stream video from your mobile phone, Pad or PC to a big screen without using any cables. The plug-and-play installation is simple and you do not need to install additional APP to do the setup, everything can be done in the web browser. SC01 supports both 2.4G & 5G Wi-Fi to give you stable connection and is very compact in size and have internal Wi-Fi antenna, which allows you to carry around easily.

Jelly Key is quite possibly the most known and popular of the artisan keycap market for mechanical keyboards, and we have covered the brand's products extensively in the past. One such example is of the Retro TV series itself, which employed a unique form factor that still complied to the 1u size for keys, and composed of individually crafted and designed screens, TV shells, and internal components that came together to make a truly unique product for those who want to jazz up their keyboards further. But if disco is more to your preference, perhaps this latest offering in the Retro TV series is for you. Jelly Key has improved details and contrast with new and bolder colors and patterns. There is also a new 1.25u size option, which is retroactively available with the older designs too, as well as x32 and x77 time sized larger toys that can be showpieces as well as working with Kailh's Big Switch series. The group buy ends April 30 with prices ranging from $55-73 for single keycaps, and those who purchase an entire set (10-16 colors and 9 screens) will also get a custom designed deskpad for free.

MediaTek has announced it is the first TV SoC vendor to support Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail. Precision Detail is a new innovative feature introduced for TVs with Dolby Vision IQ, which will be supported in MediaTek's Pentonic series for 8K and 4K smart TVs. In addition, the Pentonic series will enable TV manufacturers to support features designed for gaming in Dolby Vision along with other advanced capabilities. MediaTek and Dolby collaborated on the implementation of these technologies, which will be available starting in 2H 2022 for TV OEMs to begin adopting.

Joining Dolby's suite of Advanced Imaging technologies available through Dolby Vision IQ, Precision Detail unlocks more from Dolby Vision content by revealing incredible detail in both bright and dark areas. With added texture and depth, images take on a new dimension with astonishing crispness on 8K and 4K smart TVs. In addition to Precision Detail, MediaTek's Intelligent View technology paired with Dolby's latest advancements in imaging technology can process multiple Dolby Vision streams simultaneously. Consumers can now watch different media sources at the same time in Dolby Vision in multiple windows, all in stunning detail.

LG Electronics (LG) is teaming up with NVIDIA to offer new LG 2021 4K Smart TV owners in select markets free Priority membership to NVIDIA GeForce NOW for six months. The promotion kicks off as GeForce NOW moves out of beta on LG TVs in a total of 80 markets, ready to provide users worldwide with the full power of NVIDIA's unique cloud gaming service. GeForce NOW allows users to stream free-to-play games purchased from online stores such as Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect and Origin, turning their LG Smart TV into a high performance gaming machine. Priority membership provides faster access to NVIDIA's servers so there's no waiting for games to start, extended session times, gorgeous ray-traced graphics with RTX ON and seamless, high-res gameplay at up to 60 frames per second.

GeForce NOW Priority membership is open to all customers who purchase an applicable LG 2021 4K Smart TV model during the promotion period in participating markets. The limited-time offer will run in the United States from February 1 to March 20 and will require LG TV customers to download and install GeForce NOW on their new LG TVs.

As the global vaccination rate rose, and border restrictions in Europe and North America eased, social activities also began to enter a period of recovery, with the consumer electronics market seemingly ready for the arrival of the traditional peak season in 2H21, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. At the same time, however, the global supply chain was affected by delays in maritime transport, skyrocketing shipping costs, and component shortages, in addition to already-prohibitive price hikes for certain components in 1H21. Given the parallel rise in both material and manufacturing costs, the market for end products has not undergone the expected cyclical upturn in 2H21. Even so, the overall demand for and shipment of smartphones, notebook computers, and monitors experienced QoQ increases in 3Q21, thereby driving up businesses for major OSAT (outsourced semiconductor assembly and test) companies. For 3Q21, the revenues of the top 10 OSAT companies reached US$8.89 billion, a 31.6% YoY increase.

LG Electronics (LG) announced a partnership with NVIDIA to be the first TV manufacturer to develop a Smart TV app of GeForce NOW, the premier cloud game-streaming service, for LG TVs running webOS. Boasting large screen sizes, lifelike picture quality and high refresh rates, LG's OLED TVs are a perfect match for GeForce NOW. Currently available on NVIDIA SHIELD, Windows PC, macOS, Chrome OS, Android and Safari browser for iPhone and iPad, GeForce NOW allows gamers to start playing on their LG TVs and continue on nearly any device they own.

The app will be available in beta starting this week in the LG Content Store on select 2021 LG 4K OLED, QNED Mini LED and NanoCell TV models in 80 markets. The app will enable LG TV owners with compatible TVs to instantly enjoy over 35 free-to-play games with just a compatible controller, no additional hardware required. Games include Rocket League and Destiny 2 plus hit titles such as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and Crysis Remastered Trilogy, all playable at up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second. GeForce NOW Priority members get access to the most advanced platform for ray tracing and AI technologies, streaming from NVIDIA RTX-powered servers in data centers worldwide for the most responsive gameplay and gorgeous, high-quality graphics.

XGIMI LIMITED, a leading global projection equipment manufacturer, today announced the launch of a new 4K ultra short-throw laser projector, the Aura. As XGIMI's first laser projector, the Aura is aiming to become the new living room centerpiece, claiming the throne that has been held for decades by traditional television sets. The Aura is now available globally on the XGIMI websiteThe XGIMI Aura is a forward-thinking way for anyone to enjoy music, movies, shows and games in their home using ultra short-throw technology to project images at up to 150 inches, while only being inches away from the screen. Aura features a smooth Android TV 10 user interface that has the ability to run streaming services like Disney+ and Amazon Prime, without the need for external hardware. To make watching content even easier, the Aura has built-in Chromecast functionality for seamless content casting and features three HDMI ports for external devices like game consoles, cable boxes and Blu-Ray players.

All that compatibility doesn't mean a thing if images don't look great, and the XGIMI Aura has put those fears to rest while also offering a stylish design, luxurious look and feel. The Aura is capable of projecting at 4K and HDR10 resolutions with screen sizes of up to 150 inches while also adding low latency image processing capabilities. The Aura projector is powered by 2400 ANSI lumens of brightness, meaning crisper whites, darker and richer blacks and colors that pop. Thanks to the Aura's impressive ultra short-throw technology, the projector only needs to be a little over eight inches away from the screen to get the full 100" display, a size which most TVs could never match. That level of immersion is practically magical.

It's been a long time coming, but Sony is finally ready to allow all of its PS5 customers to get access to the M.2 SSD storage expansion slot, courtesy of the September system update, which lands tomorrow. It's not the only feature that the new update will bring though, as Sony has also worked on some user experience enhancements when it comes to navigating the UI, as well as some improvements to the PlayStation Now UI.

Sony has also added support for 3D audio via the speakers built into TVs, although it's not entirely clear what this brings from the details on Sony's blog post. However, it does appear to use the microphone on the DualSense controllers to measure the acoustics of the room to enhance the audio as much as possible. The Pulse 3D wireless headset is getting access to the built in equalizer settings with this update.

Despite the intensifying COVID-19 pandemic that swept Taiwan in 2Q21, the domestic OSAT (outsourced semiconductor assembly and test) industry remained largely intact, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. Global sales of large-sized TVs were brisk thanks to major sporting events such as the Tokyo Olympics and UEFA Euro 2020. Likewise, the proliferation of WFH and distance learning applications propelled the demand for IT products, while the automotive semiconductor and data center markets also showed upward trajectories. Taking into account the above factors, OSAT companies raised their quotes in response, resulting in a 26.4% YoY increase in the top 10 OSAT companies' revenue to US$7.88 billion for 2Q21.

TrendForce indicates that, in light of the ongoing global chip shortage and the growing production capacities of foundries/IDMs in the upstream semiconductor supply chain, OSAT companies gradually increased their CAPEX and expanded their fabs and equipment in order to meet the persistently growing client demand. However, the OSAT industry still faces an uncertain future in 2H21 due to the Delta variant's global surge and the health crisis taking place in Southeast Asia, home to a significant number of OSAT facilities.

The Nintendo Switch family of systems is about to gain a new member. On Oct. 8, Nintendo Switch (OLED model) will launch at a suggested retail price of $349.99, giving people another option for how they want to play the vast library of games on Nintendo Switch. Click here to view the video announcing the new system.

Nintendo Switch (OLED model) has a similar overall size to the Nintendo Switch system, but with a larger, vibrant 7-inch OLED screen with vivid colors and crisp contrast. Nintendo Switch (OLED model) also features a wide adjustable stand for tabletop mode, a new dock with a wired LAN port, 64 GB of internal storage, and enhanced audio for handheld and tabletop play. Just like Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch (OLED model) allows players to play on the TV and share the detachable Joy-Con controllers for right-out-of-the-box multiplayer fun. And just like both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite, with Nintendo Switch (OLED model), the system can be taken on the go to enjoy its play-anywhere versatility. A carrying case and screen protector set for Nintendo Switch (OLED model) will also be available.

While demand for TVs underwent a slowdown in China and Europe due to the onset of the cyclical downturn, quarterly TV sales in North America reached a historical high in 1Q21 thanks to the proliferation of the stay-at-home economy and government-issued economic stimulus plans, such as the March 2021 handout of US$1,400 stimulus checks to most US citizens, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. Bullish TV sales in North America propelled global TV shipment for 1Q21 to 49.96 million units, a 24.2% QoQ decrease but an 11.5% YoY increase.

TrendForce further indicates that Hisense has been particularly aggressive in expanding in the overseas markets via consumer-friendly prices. Not only did Hisense successfully enter the top five list of the largest TV brands in North America in 1Q21, but the company's market share also surpassed 10% and reached 11.1%, with a 4.19 million unit quarterly TV shipment, which represents an 8.8% increase YoY.

Owing to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, not only did LED revenue experience a downward trajectory, but this decline also reached a magnitude rarely seen in recent years, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. However, as vaccinations begin taking place in 1H21, the LED market's long-stifled demand is expected to rebound from rock bottom. Hence, global LED market revenue will likely undergo a corresponding recovery this year as well, with a forecasted US$16.53 billion, an 8.1% increase YoY, in 2021. Most of this increase can be attributed to four major categories, including automotive LED, Mini/Micro LED, video wall LED, and UV/IR LED.

LG Electronics (LG) announces a planned partnership with Google to bring Stadia to its latest webOS smart TVs in the second half of this year. After Stadia comes to Google TV, LG will be the first TV manufacturer to natively support Stadia gameplay via webOS.

LG is demonstrating its commitment to supporting premium gaming on its state-of-the-art displays, made even more compelling with support for 4k and 5.1 surround sound for Stadia Pro users. Stadia on LG TVs will allow customers to instantly play hit Stadia games such as Cyberpunk 2077, NBA 2K21, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion with just a Stadia controller and no additional hardware or game downloads required.

LG Display, the world's leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it will showcase the world's first 48-inch Bendable Cinematic Sound OLED (CSO) optimized for gaming at CES 2021.

The 48-inch Bendable CSO display utilizes OLED's advantages as its paper-thin screen bends and unfolds with a curvature radius of up to 1,000R, meaning that it can be made to bend up to a radius of 1,000 mm without affecting the function of the display. It can therefore be turned into a flat screen while watching TV and used as a curved screen while gaming. The curved display offers a uniform viewing distance from the middle of the screen to its edge, maximizing the visual immersion that is popular among gamers.

Today there is a little bit of nostalgia to be brought for your reading pleasure. In the early days of dot com boom, when the internet was taking off, there was a service called Napster which allowed users to download entire music albums in MP3 format for free. Logically you needed an MP3 player to listen to these songs and there came Winamp - the most popular MP3 player at the time with a lot of features like sound equalizer, bitrate adjustment, and more. The users of this piece of software especially liked it because of the one thing - customization. You could have applied all kinds of skins to it, and users distributed a lot of them online. From anime to TV shows, you could find all kinds of skins for it. So to honor the software, there is now an online museum containing over 65.000 skins that you can view in JPG format and download to apply to your Winamp application. You can check out the museum here.

Xiaomi is looking to grab a piece of the premium TV market with the new Master Series. Xiaomi's new flagship TV, to be announced for the Chinese market on July 2nd, will be offering up a 65-inch OLED panel with a snappy 120 Hz refresh rate, which means it will be able to take full advantage of next-generation consoles' "up to" 120 Hz FPS delivery. Besides the OLED chops, there's Dolby Certification for both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

Other specs include HDMI 2.1, VRR support, and ALLM (Automatic Low Latency Mode). A quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 custom chip will be powering the TV's graphical and OS processing. Apparently there will be some sort of RGB lighting on the TV's frame, and a metallic remote control with NFC support aims to increase the premium feeling. Xiaomi's CEO Lei Jun described it as "Xiaomi's ultra-high-end OLED TV" and "very amazing." Well. We'll have to see now won't we. If it's actual competition to today's premium mainstream LG C9 and Samsung Q90R TVs, it's bound to sell like hotcakes.