SAN JOSE, Calif., May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On May 14, SID Display Week 2024, a prestigious event hailed as the “Oscars” and barometer of the display industry, opened in San Jose, the United States. BOE, a global leader in the semiconductor display industry, presents over 50 trendsetting products empowered by its three display technology brands (ADS Pro, f-OLED, α-MLED), as well as cutting-edge technologies including glasses-free 3D display, light field display, AIoT, and VR/AR. Also, the display giant first laid out the concept and solution of “full-scenario AI smart display” at the world-renowned technology event. BOE’s showcase not only epitomizes its technology foresight and industry leadership but also demonstrates the global influence of China’s display industry. Notably, BOE set up a green and low-carbon zone in its booth, which is a testament to its leading role in the field of sustainability, particularly green manufacturing, green products and technology, and green supply chain. Guided by the strategy of “Empower IoT with Display”, BOE consistently pursues technological innovation and green development, leading the global display industry towards healthy, sustainable, and high-quality development.

Leading the way with three display technology brands

At SID Display Week 2024, BOE makes a big splash by debuting a slew of industry-leading display technologies and products empowered by its three display technology brands. Into the exhibition zone, visitors are welcomed by a gigantic 110-inch 16K glasses-free 3D display, the first of its kind in the world. The UHD display boasts ultra-high resolution, multiple viewpoints, wide color gamut coverage, and other features, pushing the boundaries of the display industry. Furthermore, the product adopts the Mini LED backlight technology with wide color gamut coverage and the self-developed 16K interleaved array algorithm that achieves a large viewing angle of 60 degrees. As such, the product is ideal for a broad range of scenarios such as advertising, meetings, and education.

BOE’s first ever electric flexible cockpit product draws a big crowd. The product comprises a 17-inch central display with a curvature gradient on the driver’s side and a new 15.05-inch electric foldable screen with a 400mm bend radius in the front passenger area, allowing users to change the form as needed. The globally launched 44.8-inch oxide smart cockpit is particularly eye-catching. Armed with the chip-on-glass (COG) MLED backlight technology, the product sports a million-level contrast ratio and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, well satisfying consumer needs for premium image quality and an immersive viewing experience.

Additionally, BOE’s pioneering P0.3 Micro LED boasts a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, a contrast ratio of 40,000:1, and an astounding 110% coverage of the NTSC color gamut. The bezel-less curved slidable in-vehicle prototype adopts a modular spicing approach to achieve seamless splicing and flexible screen layout and content display. Equipped with the Mini LED backlight technology, BOE’s 16-inch Ultra-S laptop display designed for gamers features an unprecedented static contrast ratio of 2,000:1 and an ultra-high refresh rate of 240Hz. It offers an immensely smooth gaming experience with superb image quality akin to that of OLED display. With regard to frontier technology, BOE shows off its groundbreaking 32-inch light field monitor, which features a   retina-grade resolution of 4K per eye. Its impressive face trace tracking feature and active human-machine interaction system deliver jaw-dropping immersive 3D display effects, holding the visitors in awe.

Full-scenario AI smart display to be the new catalyst

AI technology has become a vital catalyst for industrial upgrading. In embrace of AI, BOE pioneered “full-scenario AI smart display” to empower various scenarios such as AI-powered TV, PC, smartphone, automotive display, and AI XR. It is working with global partners to build a win-win AI ecosystem. At SID Display Week 2024, BOE presents an array of trailblazing AI-powered display technologies and products, injecting new vitality into the display industry.

The Gen 3 UB Cell AI TV boasts a staggering 95% coverage of BT.2020 color space, a reflectivity of only 0.7%, and a perceivable contrast ratio of 1,400:1 (more than twice that of OLED) in 100 lux ambient lighting. The TV produces no color deviation or fading from all viewing angles, offering a stunning viewing experience surpassing that of OLED TV. In terms of smart display, the first-of-its-kind integrated screen temperature sensor and multichannel light sensor can perceive the panel and ambient temperature, ambient brightness, and color temperature in real time on multiple dimensions, and the adaptive dynamic drive enables optimal image quality in any environment and scenario. The local dynamic refresh display technology for LCDs supports a smart refresh mode within the range of 1Hz to 120Hz across different zones, meeting the needs in innovative scenarios such as local display and smart frequency modulation. The screen’s power consumption declines by 15% to 50%. Plus, the product is equipped with BOE’s self-developed “AI TV digital assistant” voice interaction and control system based on its offline voice algorithms. The TV can serve as a smart speaker or a personal assistant when integrated with large language models and can be used together with other smart devices, thus acting as the brain of smart home.

Aside from innovative applications, BOE brings its “AI  +  display” image quality enhancement solutions, setting new trends for the display industry. In order to further reduce the power consumption of OLED display modules, BOE launched the first ever AI-assisted image quality enhancement technology for hardware-level power-efficient OLED display. Through deep integration of AI neural networks, OLED display modules can achieve real-time 8K 120Hz image processing and power consumption is reduced by over 20%, hitting the sweet spot between low power consumption and high image quality. Furthermore, BOE can also embed the industry’s first MLED image quality restoration technology into display chips, which supports free spicing. This technology has been used in COG MLED splicing display products.

Setting the pace through “technological innovation + green development”

BOE, a global leader in IoT innovation, is committed to both technological innovation and green development. At SID Display Week 2024, BOE set up a green and low-carbon zone showcasing its leading role in green manufacturing, green products and technology, and green supply chain. A variety of power-efficient and eco-friendly products like lap, monitor, and smartphone are exhibited, which embody BOE’s commitment to embedding green concepts in the processes of design, modules, panels, and end products.

BOE presents its world-beating 14-inch power-efficient laptop display backed by its industry-leading oxide technology. Using the Gen 10 oxide technology, the product leads the pack with 30% lower power consumption, and the panel consumes only 0.7W of energy at a refresh rate of 120Hz. BOE’s 23.8-inch Easy monitor armed with the feature integration technology saves display materials by 50%, and 30% of the glass it uses is recycled glass. Recycled materials are also used in BOE’s high-end 31.5-inch AB MNT LCD monitor with a high contrast ratio and low reflectivity and its 27.5-inch H monitor backed by the unique HSR dual-mode display technology, and the modules of both monitors have an impressive recycling rate of 53%, making them eco-friendly while guaranteeing optimal image quality. Additionally, BOE’s first ever OLED display with an independent pixel driving scheme adopts the world’s first SDP power-efficient OLED display technology, reducing power consumption by 5% to 6%. The product is suitable for multiple scenarios, setting a new trend in smart and low-carbon display.

In addition to showcasing its cutting-edge display technologies that enable smart interactions, BOE held a special technology marketing campaign at SID Display Week 2024. The event featured diverse use cases in auto, healthcare, camping, and other fields, as well as its “panel-device-system” integrated solutions. It was a manifestation of BOE’s strengths in setting new industry trends with innovative technology and its efforts to strengthen communication with customers and explore new areas of cooperation.

The year 2024 marks a starting point of BOE’s new journey in the next 30 years. Upholding the strategy of “Empower IoT with Display”, BOE will accelerate the convergence of display technology with IoT and digital technologies, continue to build the “Powered by BOE” innovation ecosystem, and lead the global display industry towards healthy, sustainable, and high-quality development, thus shaping a new future of smart living.

Sony shares jumped as much as 12 per cent on Wednesday morning after the Japanese group announced strong earnings, a stock split and a share buyback of ¥250bn ($1.6bn).

Sony also upgraded its outlook, saying its operating profit would increase by 5 per cent by March 2025, driven by demand for its image sensors.

Analysts and investors were cheered by the updated guidance, the strong performance of new PlayStation tile Helldivers 2 and plans for a five-for-one stock split that would attract more retail investors.

During Tuesday’s earnings call, Hiroki Totoki, chief financial officer, declined to comment on Sony and private equity group Apollo’s interest in acquiring entertainment company Paramount Global.

The power outage occurred after a crewmember mistakenly closed an exhaust damper, causing the ship’s engine to stall, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said in their preliminary report. Shortly after leaving Baltimore early on March 26, the ship crashed into one of the bridge’s supporting columns because another power outage caused it to lose steering and propulsion at the exact worst moment.

The report provides new details about how the ship’s crew addressed the power issues it experienced while still docked in Baltimore. A full investigation could take a year or more, according to the safety board.

Testing of the ship’s fuel did not reveal any concerns related to its quality, according to the report.

The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, laden with shipping containers and enough supplies for a monthlong voyage.

After the initial blackout caused by the closed exhaust damper, investigators say a backup generator automatically came on. It continued to run for a short period—until insufficient fuel pressure caused it to kick off again, resulting in a second blackout. That’s when crewmembers made changes to the ship’s electrical configuration, switching from one transformer and breaker system it had been using for several months to another that was in use upon its departure, according to the report.

Investigators stopped short of drawing a direct line between those earlier power issues and the blackout that ultimately caused the bridge collapse.

“The NTSB is still investigating the electrical configuration following the first in-port blackout and potential impacts on the events during the accident voyage,” investigators wrote.

The safety board launched its investigation almost immediately after the collapse, which sent six members of a roadwork crew plunging to their deaths. Investigators boarded the ship to document the scene and collect evidence, including the vessel’s data recorder and information from its engine room, according to board chair Jennifer Homendy. Investigators also interviewed the captain and crew members.

“Our mission is to determine why something happened, how it happened and to prevent it from recurring,” Homendy said at a news conference days after the disaster.

The preliminary report details the chaotic moments prior to the bridge collapse while crewmembers scrambled to address a series of electrical failures that came in quick succession as disaster loomed.

At 1:25 a.m. on March 26, when the Dali was a little over half a mile away from the bridge, electrical breakers that fed most of the ship’s equipment and lighting unexpectedly tripped, causing a power loss. The main propulsion diesel engine automatically shut down after its cooling pumps lost power, and the ship lost steering.

Crewmembers were able to momentarily restore electricity by manually closing the tripped breakers, the report says.

Around that time, the ship’s pilots called for tugboats to come help guide the wayward vessel. The tugboats that guided it out of the port had peeled off earlier per normal practice, according to the report. Crewmembers also started the process of dropping anchor, and the pilots’ dispatcher called the Maryland Transportation Authority Police and relayed that the ship had lost power. The pilots’ dispatcher notified the Coast Guard.

The ship was less than a quarter-mile from the bridge when it experienced a second power blackout because of more tripped breakers, according to the report. The crew again restored power, but it was too late to avoid striking the bridge.

One of the pilots ordered the rudder turned at the last minute, but since the main engine remained shut down, there was no propulsion to assist with steering, the report says. They also made a mayday call that allowed police to stop traffic to the bridge.

At 1:29 a.m., the 1.6-mile steel span came crashing down into the Patapsco River. The workers were sitting in their vehicles during a break when disaster struck.

The last of the victims’ bodies was recovered last week.

One member of the seven-person crew survived the collapse by somehow freeing himself from his work truck. He was rescued from the water later that morning. A road maintenance inspector also survived by running to safety in the moments before the bridge fell.

On Monday, crews conducted a controlled demolition to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed bridge, which landed draped across the Dali’s bow, pinning the grounded ship amid the wreckage. The damaged ship is expected to be refloated and guided back to the Port of Baltimore in the coming days.

It arrived in the U.S. from Singapore on March 19, a week before the crash, according to the report. It made stops in Newark, New Jersey, and Norfolk, Virginia, before coming to Baltimore. Investigators said they were not aware of any other power outages occurring in those ports.

They said they’re working with Hyundai, the manufacturer of the ship’s electrical system, to “identify the cause(s) of the breakers unexpectedly opening while approaching the Key Bridge and the subsequent blackouts.”

The board’s preliminary report released Tuesday likely includes a fraction of the findings that will be presented in its final report, which is expected to take more than a year.

The FBI has also launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the collapse.