Some analysts predicted that most of the EU countries may soon phase out incandescent light bulbs for general lighting use.

How do you determine the quality of lighting? You can’t squeeze a bulb to gauge ripeness, nor can you take it for a test drive. You can, however, utilize the following criteria to help you differentiate between low and high-quality lighting.

The combination LED Drivers provide an output of 45 W in normal operation, and the integrated battery system produces up to 4 W of emergency lighting power. In normal operation EM powerLED PRO DIM 45 W can be dimmed via DALI, switchDIM or the corridorFUNCTION and is prepared for ready2mains. Emergency light functionality is monitored centrally via DALI. One DALI address is sufficient for performing lighting control, dimming and the prescribed emergency lighting tests and for documenting them centrally – for example via connecDIM or the x/e-touchPANEL. The devices are compatible with the EXCITE series of LED Drivers from Tridonic and can be easily integrated in any installation.

Philips marketing manager Juli Megonnell shares in this blog entry the functions of FlexScape LED luminaires.

Hubbell Lighting, a world leader in lighting innovation, announced today that Columbia Lighting has launched the LTRX, a unique ambient/exam LED luminaire that offers dual functionality for normal conditions and high lumens for critical examinations.

e2v’s Sapphire family of CMOS image sensors has been expanded to include a new 2-megapixel variant, which is manufactured with a microlens designed to accept a Chief Ray Angle (CRA) as low as zero degrees. This feature significantly improves performance with excellent uniformity of response over the whole array area, ideal for applications such as microscopy.

Soraa, the world leader in GaN on GaN™ LED technology, announced that its full visible spectrum LED lamps have been installed in the new state-of-the-art Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Building at The Brinton Museum. The company’s LED lamps were chosen to illuminate, protect and accurately render the colors of rare Native American artifacts exhibited in the US $15 million 24,000 square-foot space, located in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains.

Senior LG executives spoke about the company’s OLED TV market strategy at a press conference hosted at The Humble Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan earlier Tuesday.

LG showcased its latest 4K OLED TVs to be launched in Taiwan earlier today, but these innovative TVs are not going to be their new major revenue source yet, said senior company executives during a press conference at The Humble Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan earlier Tuesday.

 LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, reports that the global average sales price (ASP) of 40-watt  equivalent LED light bulb stood at US$9.6 in May, translating to a monthly drop of 1.6%. The global ASP of 60-watt equivalent LED light bulbs in same month also fell 1.4% compared with April to US$12.9.   LEDinside analyst Allen Yu said the LED industry was showing signs of rebound in the second quarter. In the chip market, the downtrend came to an end and some product prices even went up. The prices of LED light bulbs also slowed down their decline.

DOE has published the 2016 edition of the Solid-State Lighting R&D Plan. It was developed in conjunction with community experts through input received at roundtable meetings held in September and October 2015 and at the DOE SSL R&D Workshop held in February 2016 in Raleigh, NC. The discussions covered R&D needs for LED and OLED technologies, ranging from core technology research and product development through manufacturing R&D.

This article contributed by a Wellmax editor analyses implications from the recent shutdown of Philips LED factory in Shenzhen, China. For Guangdong province alone, over 20 companies were listed. Kingsun Optoelectronic, Honglitronic entered into capital market, and the total market capitalization was over RMB 20 billion. The aggregate investment for provincial LED industry bases in Huizhou, Dongguan, Jiangmen, Nanhai, Zencheng and etc. was over 50 billion Chinese yuan.

Osram Lighting Solutions successfully held the significant specifier event in the Moodify Night Wuhan on Captain No.9, Yantze River, Wuhan, China on 27th May 2016. Around 80 participants including influential lighting designers, architects and customers gathered together to enjoy the lighting show by over 300 buildings along 20 kilometers river sides as well as to gain inspiration from the moody atmosphere.

Hopkinton, a town in Connecticut, U.S. discussed last week at a workshop enacting zoning ordinances to regulate commercial LED signs and solar energy projects, reported The Westerly Sun.

In the planning stages for a decade, a new mixed-use development near downtown Austin, Texas, now dominates a major intersection in the city’s medical district.

SIB Lighting, a Charleston-based national LED lighting advisory company, announced it has completed the first phase of a LED lighting project for Motley Rice LLC to upgrade its lighting infrastructure at its headquarters in Mount Pleasant, SC. 

InVisage Technologies Inc., the pioneering developer of QuantumFilm™ camera sensors, today launched the Spark4K near-infrared (NIR) camera sensor. A 1.1-micron pixel, 13-megapixel sensor in a 1/3-inch module, Spark4K features the world’s highest NIR resolution packing 4K video at 30 frames per second, making it ideal for augmented reality, autonomous, and authentication systems that require high-resolution, high dynamic range NIR imaging with global shutter capability.

Trinseo, the global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, today announced that it is seeing a strong demand for its polycarbonate compounds and blends. Of particular interest are Trinseo’s UL-certified clear grades, which allow for very high light transmission and the ability to compound in light diffusion aids to achieve uniformity of light distribution while maintaining high lumens efficiency.

Leading specialty power supply manufacturer Lumina Power announced the release of the new HPP-750 pulsed laser diode driver, aimed at the industrial laser market. Capable of a maximum 750 watts and 350 amps output, this laser driver operates from a high current DC source like a Lumina Power LDD series CW laser diode power supply. With a rise time of < 10µs., pulse widths of ≥ 50µs. through CW can be achieved with repetition rates to 5 kHz. Standard analog/TTL control with options for RS232 or Ethernet configurations allow the user to continuously modulate current, pulse width and frequency.

As Apple plans to introduce OLED iPhone soon, Samsung’s OLED panels will be used at the primary stage. In order to meet the OLED demand, Samsung is to shut down its L7 production line and replace it with OLED production ones by the end of December, 2016. The halt is expected to lead to short supply of 39.5- inch to 45-inch panels. Meanwhile, two leading Taiwanese panel manufacturers will directly benefit from the demand.

Apple has been the main driver behind many new technology advancements, OLED technology has come under media center spotlight spurred by market rumors about upcoming OLED touchpad panels in the MacBook Pro, and curved screen smartphones. Contending display technology micro-LED has somewhat faded into the background.

Interactive LED streetlights installed on Atlantic City Boardwalk in New Jersey, U.S. are keeping local pedestrians fully connected and powered, reported Press of Atlantic City.

GlobalMed Technologies (GMT) announced that it has acquired Omnilux Medical, the gold standard for medical and aesthetic Light Emitting Diode (LED) skincare. The asset acquisition includes three Omnilux Medical Systems: the Omnilux Revive2™, Omnilux Blue™ and Omnilux Plus™, along with numerous patents and trademarks.

Elemental LED, a leading U.S. based engineering and technology company that manufactures LED lighting solutions announced today a partnership with Legacy Lighting that extends its Diode LED product brand into Austin, TX and the surrounding area. Elemental LED and its wholesale and manufacturing division, Diode LED, provides a wide variety of superior quality linear, task, and accent LED lighting solutions for both residential and commercial applications.

Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc., a leader in advanced memory and analog IC solutions, today announced a single chip solution for automotive interior lighting. The IS32LT3175 is a feature-rich AEC-Q100 (Automotive Electronics Council) certified linear LED driver enabling reduced BOM count for low-cost and compact designs. The IS32LT3175 integrates a single channel LED driver with a programmable 150mA current source, push-button control, courtesy signal input and integrated programmable fade-in/fade-out lighting control. The device is designed for use in LED-based map lights, dome lights, door lights and other automotive lighting applications.

The leader in thin, engineered lighting solutions today announced the availability of its first-ever, innovative Cut-2-Size™ Backlighting Kit. Created for design engineers who need quick prototype backlighting for membrane switches, keypads, overlays, LCDs or other graphics displays, the Cut-2-Size Backlighting Kit is available from Lumitex. It can also be used for fast-turn, small volume production.

A full body 3D scan can be completed in less than one minute with ITRI's incredible "High Precision Automated 3D Scanner." And then there is the virtual piano, enabling lovely melodies to be played on a desktop using "VR 3D Gesture UI." Furthermore, the "Pocket Chopstick Sanitizer" can kill 99.99% of pathogens through the compact UVC LED light disinfection module in just 90 seconds. These are just three of the 14 smart city-themed innovative technologies that ITRI exhibited at its pavilion at 2016 COMPUTEX Taipei. ITRI will display what can be achieved through smart systems integration, helping to provide industry with total solutions that can drive industrial transformation, while promoting the development of smart cities. 

When is a headlight more than just a headlight? When it pierces through the night, letting oncoming traffic know exactly what you’re driving without having to see any other part of the vehicle. When it’s as much a status symbol as it is a safety system. And when it comes equipped on the 2016 Mazda CX-9, the only midsize, three-row crossover SUV in its class1 with standard LED headlights and tail lights.

The Pakistan government has announced it will be including LED lights in its fiscal year 2016-2017 budget, the emerging market is expected to present high growth rates of CAGR 45% till 2020, but the source of the projections remains unclear.

This article that covers the global companies and governments pledge to deploy 6 billion LED bulbs is written by Arianna Tozzi from The Climate Group.