The unbelievable expansion in the market for flat-screen TVs is matched only by the progress made in plasma displays (PDPs) and especially LCD screens. Manufacturers are spending lavishly to make their products absolutely perfect and more affordable.

It has to be said that the LCD TV market is a highly coveted one. This is not surprising, when you realize that more than 100 million units are expected to be sold in 2010 (with about 40 million projected for 2006) and that the LCD will oust the good old cathode ray tube (CRT) from our sets beginning in 2009. But this revolution – and that’s exactly what it is – doesn’t benefit just from multimedia applications. Manufacturers are now shifting their efforts toward colour LCD TFT screens dedicated to professional and industrial applications that have never performed as well, as was witnessed at the 2006 DISPLAY exhibition. These displays now boast increased contrast, broad viewing angles, reduced response time and richer colourimetry, while their prices are universally dropping.

Within this context, DISPLAY has become an indispensable gathering-place for visual displays in France, because it’s an opportunity for screen suppliers – whether of subassemblies or complete display equipment – to meet prospective and established customers, all motivated by specific, concrete projects. As for the visitors, without a doubt they will have a chance to seek and find solutions that meet their specification demands, because DISPLAY is not just about LCD TFT: it is also a mecca for exploring the latest innovations in all of the many types of LCD display, whether colour super twisted nematic (CSTN), graphic, alphanumeric or segmented. The goal is clear: to offer the best response to the full range of applications that make up the French market, including electrical goods, a sector that has shown a solid demand for displays recently. And no doubt the famous five-legged sheep – a French symbol for all things weird and wonderful – will be well represented at DISPLAY. Where mature technologies are concerned, let’s not forget above all the VFD displays for every application that demands excellent visibility and extreme temperature ranges. Emerging technologies are also on hand, above all with OLEDs, which are becoming more readily available and increasingly competitive. And what can we say about the increased market presence of electrophoretic displays (EPDs), whose primary outlets involve high-volume electronic brands?

In short, innovation in display isn’t going to dry up any time soon.