AOC pushes transition to LED technology

The country appears ready to jump to the next level of technology evolution — LED or light emitting diode — after the migration from CRT (cathode ray tubes) to LCD (liquid crystal display) screens in the last few years, Taiwan-based AOC said. AOC, the first information technology vendor to launch an LED monitor brand here unveiled on Thursday an "online calculator" that allows consumers to find out for themselves the energy-saving capability of LED monitors. AOC, distributed locally by Glee Electronics, said the shift to LED from LCD is now in full swing even if LCD is still a relatively new technology. Daniel Lagdameo, AOC business development manager, said 70 percent of their monitor lineup this year uses LED technology, while the balance uses LCD. "We expect the LCD portion to grow to 100 percent in a matter of time," he added. Speeding up the exit of LCD is declining prices of LED monitors, said Phoebe Barrameda, Glee Electronics brand manager. "There is almost no price difference now between LCD and LED monitors," she pointed out. Citing an IDC report, executives said AOC is now the top LCD monitor brand in the Philippines with a 22-percent share. There are no figures yet for LED monitors, they added. They said the shift to LED is also happening with television sets, although not as fast as in the case of monitors that do not have tuners. AOC, which also has a lineup of LCD TVs, said it was pushing LED monitors, and would be launching a light emitting diode TV model soon. Aside from being more energy-efficient, LED does not contain mercury unlike LCD and CRT. "It is safer to use, and safer as well for the environment," the company said. The technology behind LED, which uses semiconductor as a light source, was discovered in 1907. It is commonly used for replacement of incandescent and neon indicator lamps. It has since moved to household products. LED screens consume 30 percent less electricity because these produce more light per watt than the material used in LCD or CRT monitors. AOC said consumers may check power consumption between the major technologies using the company’s online power savings calculator. — Melvin G. Calimag/NPA, GMANews.TV