Epistar’s acquisition of TSMC SSL has been confirmed this week. In a joint press release the two companies reveal Epistar will acquire a 94% share in TSMC SSL. There are also a lot of new LED applications at CES 2015 this year. Japanese electronic giant Sony is entering the competition with its audio speaker LED lights and LED display, while auto makers Mercedes-Benz and BMW dazzle the crowd with their advanced lighting solutions. Another Japanese manufacturer Panasonic is working on acquiring larger market shares in the ASEAN region, according to Malaysian newspaper The Star.

Changshu city located in Jiangsu Province, China, has exported a total of 16,063 kilograms of LED phosphor powder valuing US $12.02 million last year, according to statistics compiled by the Changshu Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

Last week LEDinside reported Epistar’s intention of acquiring TSMC SSL, a LED lighting subsidiary of leading Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC, the two companies have released a joint press release Friday (Taipei Time) confirming the deal.

Following listing on the Taiwan bourse on Dec. 19, 2014, leading sapphire manufacturer Phecda Technology announced its ambition of becoming one of the world’s top three Patterned Sapphire Substrate (PSS) supplier, according to a report by China Times.

Domestic users in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) can contribute to 33 million units saving annually if they adopt the use of LEDs, according to a report from The Hindu.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced “Prakash Path – way to light” campaign to call for a national energy conservation revolution, according to reports from several Indian news agencies.

The rapidly changing landscape of lighting in the U.S., largely due to the widespread acceptance of light-emitting diode (LED) technology, has opened a universe of new possibilities regarding LED replacement lamps.

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Progress Committee has recognized the innovative QHC LED fixture by Precision-Paragon [P2] as a “unique and significant advancement to the art and science of lighting.”

Not to be left behind rivals such as BMW and Audi, Mercedes-Benz has given its prototype automatic driving car a signaling and indicator system comprised of LEDs.

Milovan Micevic, Visual Merchandiser for H&M in Belgrade, talks to GE Lighting's Illuminated Minds about the creative process of lighting in fashion retail.

Lighting Science Group is pleased to announce the launch of the new Vintage™ Filament Series of LED lamps. Providing outstanding LED energy savings, this ground-breaking new LED lamp emits exceptional light distribution and comes in many of the traditional, incandescent bulb decorative form factors. Featuring a new innovative design that mimics the look and feel of conventional filament-based lamps, the Vintage™ Filament Series will provide consumers and designers alike with the desired shape and design elements that have been lacking with many other style LED lamps.

Panasonic Corporation showcases its innovative solutions under the theme of “A Better Life, A Better World” at the 2015 International CES, which runs from January 6 to 9, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States.

The implementation and development of lighting standards has built up the market’s confidence in the Solid State Lighting (SSL) industry, according to a Leading Testing Laboratories (LTL) report. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been working closely with standards organizations to provide technical support, covering product performance testing, statistical evaluations, data compilation, analysis, and related documents. Its goal is to quickly develop and implement required SSL product standards.

Police in Maine, U.S. have caught three men attempting to profit from smuggling a truck load of cheap state subsidized energy efficient bulbs to Chicago, according to an AP report.

The BMW M4 Concept Iconic Lights model, with exterior paintwork in Cool White metallic, features a new interpretation of the typical BMW twin round headlights. On the move, the laser technology can be identified by the fine blue strips inside the lights. Meanwhile, the rear light clusters of the BMW M4 Concept Iconic Lights model are based on OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes), which produce light from wafer-thin semiconducting layers of organic material. For the first time, both the tail lights and rear direction indicators feature OLED technology. 

Holi, a European start-up specializing in the new generation of lightning devices using LED technologies, today launches its 2nd product: SleepCompanion, the light to sleep better.

Apira Science, maker of the iGrow, the first and only hands-free, in-home hair growth device cleared by the FDA for both men and women, today launched its Indiegogo campaign at CES to crowdfund the iDerma Facial Beautification System. The iDerma crowdfunding campaign will encourage collaboration between early adopters and Apira Science, which will collect feedback on the prototype’s design to improve the user experience and ensure best-in-class results when iDerma reaches the broader market. 

The new Sphere 360 Party Speaker is a portable Bluetooth sound system from Altec Lansing that adds color to consumers' music experiences by combining 360-degree surround sound with a full-body LED light spectacle that can shimmer and shift in four different modes. The resulting sight and sound extravaganza makes the Sphere 360 both the life and the lights of the party – wherever it may be.

With the microelectronic techniques and improvement on LED displays, fine pitch LED displays become a more popular solution for replacing indoor displays, such as commercial digital signage in the mall, meeting room, ballroom, TV studio, broadcast room, central control room, and even consumer TV. However, six challenges of fine pitch LED displays still haunt display manufacturers including lower ghosting, dim line at first scan line, uneven brightness, color shift, gradient dim line and cross effect caused by LED failure. These phenomena are obvious when displaying images with more grayscales at low brightness condition.

Police in Huizhou Municipal, Guangdong Province, China have applied for the official detainment of former NVC Lighting Chairman Changjiang Wu recently, according to a latest report from Chinese-language media East Money.com.

LEDs reduced U.S. CO2 emissions by an estimated 12 million tons in 2013, produce the greatest amount of light for the energy used, and have the longest lifetime of any lighting source available. In recognition of the significant benefit to society created by the initial development and commercialization of LED technologies 20 years ago, five pioneers will receive the $500,000 Draper Prize for Engineering.

According to a recently published smart lighting report from IHS Technology, increasing emphasis on reducing commissioning costs is promoting the use of more distributed lighting control architectures with fixture-level control. 

Strawberries taste better when they are illuminated in the autumn with LED grow lights, vitamin C content also increased as well, according to a Dutch research institute.

Sony Corporation is unveiling its new product lineup scheduled for release in 2015 at the "2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES)" held in Las Vegas, Nevada beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015.

Eco-Shift Power, one of Canada's leading energy management and lighting firms, has signed a contract with Cott Beverages Canada, a division of Cott Corporation (Cott) to retrofit one of Cott's production facilities in Mississauga, Ontario. Cott is a supplier of beverages distributing to multiple countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Europe. In partnering with ECOP, Cott expects over $170,000/year savings through ECOP's NetZero LED fixtures for Warehouse, Office and Outdoor applications.

A LEADING manufacturer of bespoke special effects for blockbuster films has reduced its lighting energy consumption by 73% thanks to a new LED solution from MHA Lighting.

Continuing to grow its award-winning Internet of Things ecosystem, WeMo® will showcase an expanded line-up of WeMo-enabled LED smart lighting solutions at the 2015 International CES.

The GoControl line will span popular consumer smart home categories, including security, lighting, access control, and HVAC, as well as integrate with a wide range of standard home control solutions and Nortek’s existing control platforms.

Nexia™ Home Intelligence, a pioneer in home automation and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, will showcase a collection of new, compatible smart home products at the 2015 International CES tradeshow. Nexia Home Intelligence will exhibit its existing and new products and services at booth 20315.

The 2015 Next Generation Luminaires™ Indoor and Outdoor Competitions are underway! Written Intents to Submit are due on January 9, 2015, and both judging events will take place in March 2015.