A recent survey commissioned by Philips shows that while New Zealand consumers now tend to opt for energy efficient light bulbs over traditional incandescent bulbs, they need more information and encouragement to make the shift from CFL light bulbs to LED for their homes. Philips’ release this month of its latest LED bulb range, with a further reduction in recommended retail prices across the range, provides consumers with another reason to move up the lighting technology curve. 

Blue light is important for the body to regulate the circadian rhythm, but too much exposure can cause permanent damage to the eyes, reported Pocono Record.

Shopping in a big department store can quickly devolve from a simple errand to an odyssey filled with frustration. What section do they put the bath towels in again? Is there a route to take that avoids the chemical attack of the perfume aisle on the way to kitchenware? Where do they put the on-sale jackets?

Royal Philips, the global leader in LED lighting, kicked off its sixth consecutive Cape Town to Cairo roadshow (//www.philips.com/C2CAfrica) by lighting up the iconic Clock Tower, the Port Captain’s building and the Swing Bridge, at the popular V&A Waterfront (//www.waterfront.co.za) in Cape Town, South Africa. This year’s roadshow theme, ‘Sustainability through Innovation’ is more pertinent than ever before as the company spearheads the LED lighting revolution in Africa with smart lighting solutions designed for the continent.

Acuity Brands introduces the Entera™ system from Healthcare Lighting®, a new thoughtfully designed hospital lighting platform that marries the fresh design of LED illumination with integral controls to help enable the best in patient care. The multi-functional system can provide the appropriate level of energy-efficient lighting, at any time of the day.

Global 40W replacement LED bulbs Average Sales Price (ASP) dropped 1.0% in April 2015 to US $11.8, according to LEDinside’s latest LED bulb retail price survey.

Edison Opto is the first manufacturer to launch AC COB Modules in the LED industry. Edison Opto releases 7W omnidirectional AC COB module─EdWing Series and high efficacy driver on board module─DOB Series respectively.

Apple might be releasing limited edition of sapphire screened phones for the larger sized 5.5-inch models in the upcoming iPhone 6S, an Apple Insider report quoted Ming-Chi Kuo, Analyst of KGI Securities saying.

Sony is expanding its Life Space UX product series this month in Japan with the launch of a new Bluetooth speaker LED bulb.

The intelligent lighting system of the future will make its premiere in the new Opel Astra generation at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt (September 17 to 27, 2015). With the new Astra, the ground-breaking full-LED matrix light IntelliLux that enables driving with glare-free high beams will be available in the compact class for the first time, making top-of-the-range lighting technology accessible to the largest audience ever. After having introduced bi-xenon adaptive lighting in the current generation Astra, Opel again takes on a pioneering role in lighting technology with its next compact bestseller.

MaxLite adds to its portfolio of architectural-grade linear fixtures with the L-FORM™, a slender LED luminaire designed to deliver continuous runs of high-quality illumination in narrow suspended or surface mounted interior applications.

Acuity Brands unveiled this week at LIGHTFAIR® International luminaires using its Duet SSL(TM) Technology, a new design concept that optimizes the performance of OLED and LED light sources in a single luminaire. The interplay of the two solid-state technologies effectively combines the focused and directed light benefits of LEDs with the soft, uniform glow of OLEDs, offering specifiers new and more dynamic ways for lighting a space.

Philips Stadion, the home of PSV Eindhoven, is the first stadium in the Netherlands to be fully equipped with ArenaVision LED pitch lighting from Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, meeting the strict requirements of international sports federations and broadcasters. This innovative LED lighting makes it possible for Philips Stadion to highlight specific parts of the pitch during a football match or a concert, and to also transmit the smallest of gestures on the pitch to the thousands of people in the stadium as well as all those watching at home. Philips Stadion also benefits from maintenance and other operational cost savings, positively impacting on the daily running costs of the stadium.

Taiwanese LED lighting manufacturers revenues reached new heights last month, with Unity Opto, Edison Opto and Ledlink heading the trend, reported UDN.

LED manufacturers have announced their revenues for April lately, with Taiwanese LED chip and package manufacturers Epistar and Genesis Photonics Inc. (GPI) performance outshone other competitors, reported China Times.

LED package prices continued to fall in the second quarter, according to the latest price report from LEDinside, a division of TrendForce. Compared with the prior quarter, the average LED price for lighting application products has fallen by 1~9%, excluding the package 2835 LEDs. Since the 2835 LED products are mainstream products in China’s lighting market, their average price decline has reached 10~17%, more severe than products of other package types. For backlight LED package products, average prices dropped by 3~6% during the second quarter. Price competition in the direct-type LED backlight market remains fiercest this year compared to other LED packages market.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced on May 5, 2015 the competitive selection of nine projects for solid-state lighting (SSL), in response to the SSL R&D funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001171. The one- to two-year projects will focus on the areas of Core Technology Research, which involves the application of fundamental scientific concepts to SSL technology; Product Development, which involves using the knowledge gained from basic or applied research to develop or improve commercially viable SSL materials, devices, or systems; and U.S. Manufacturing, which involves accelerating SSL technology adoption through manufacturing innovations and improvements that reduce costs and enhance quality and consistency.

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a follow-up GATEWAY report on LED system performance at the Yuma (Arizona) Sector Border Patrol Area. Six LED luminaires – installed on three poles as part of a trial installation detailed in a prior GATEWAY report – continue to be monitored, with illuminance measurements recorded initially in February 2014 and again in September 2014 at about 2,500 hours of operation and in March 2015 at about 5,000 hours of operation.

Dow Corning, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, reported today that the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) granted a patent protecting the company’s high refractive index (RI) phenyl-based optical silicone encapsulant technology, which targets advanced LED lighting applications. Specifically, the patent protects the composition of curable organopolysiloxane chemistry used to formulateDow Corning® Optical Encapsulant products, which offer numerous high-value benefits to LED devices. 

Dialight announced the launch of it’s next-generation DuroSite® LED Conveyor Light. The fitting is designed specifically to eliminate lighting maintenance in the harsh environment of mining applications, where maintenance of thousands of light fittings installed on kilometers (km) of conveyors and walkways across vast sites is an expensive and ongoing burden. 

Alpha, the world leader in the production of electronic soldering and bonding materials, will present a technical paper on LED die attach technologies at the upcoming Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE) taking place June 9th – 12th in China.

Panasonic Corporation announced today that it has developed the industry’s smallest*1 semiconductor device, the “PhotoMOS”[1] CC type series, which achieves low consumption current and contributes to equipment downsizing. The relay is operated with a low consumption current, and as a result the working time of the battery operating the equipment is longer. It enables steady operation for measuring equipment, probe cards [2], wearable devices, security equipment and medical equipment.

Inspired by European seaside resorts, the fascinating and contemporary design of Marino Vista banquet hall at the Grand Lacere Kagoshima in Japan provides an unforgettable experience to its guests. The banquet hall is designed to create a visual and tangible connection to “marine” with various décor elements such as wavy walls and ceilings, mosaic sand brick tiles, and curtains resembling waterfalls. Together with the décor elements, the use of colors, lighting and music mimics “water flows” in the venue, creating a fresh impression and relaxing ambience. 

The Noida Authority in the National Capital Region plans to upgrade streetlights with energy efficient LED bulbs to cut down electricity and maintenance costs, reported The Times of India.

In this GE blog entry, Walter Kraus, the chairman of the Li-Fi Consortium, sheds insights on the different Li-Fi technologies available to the market at the moment.

Ketra, the supplier of premium digital lighting systems, today announced that it will be illuminating newly reinstalled galleries of medieval art, as well as additional areas at the Art Institute of Chicago, a world-renowned art museum with one of the largest permanent collections in the United States. Chicago-based design firm Lightswitch Architectural was tasked with designing the Art Institute of Chicago’s lighting and presented the museum with the concept of transitioning to LED light using Ketra’s premium LED system.

With an expected audience of 200 million, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) will this year once again be a great TV entertainment show. Last year's winner came from Austria, so the 60th ESC will be taking place from May 18 to 23 in Austria. Spectacular stage and light shows are a traditional fixture of this major media event. As the Official Lighting Partner, OSRAM is responsible for the majority of the lighting this year.

Enlighted, a leading technology innovator and provider of energy efficiency solutions, has launched a unique partner collaboration program with lighting manufacturers. The Customer First™ program integrates Enlighted technology directly into partners’ lighting fixtures to enable smart lighting solutions being demanded by market leaders seeking to optimize their real estate portfolios.

Osram is definitely showcasing how it is exploring more profitable niche markets, such as the launch of green LEDs for heart rate monitoring in wearable devices. LEDinside thinks Osram might have been Apple Watch’s green LED supplier, due to the many similarities in the product features.

About two years ago, LED manufacturers that turned up at LED Forum 2013 were skeptical about smart lighting taking off anytime soon. Many industry insiders projected it would be a niche market that would take another two years before fully blossoming, while others believed at the time only gadget lovers would warm up to the products. Their predictions have been fairly accurate so far.