Here at Valuelights we all knew LED lighting was awesome but we didn’t realise how much they had been snapped up in the media, hitting the big screens of Hollywood for their chance to shine with the stars. We’ve compiled the top 10 moments LED has gained its 15 minutes of fame, and schmoozed with the rich and famous.

Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHIA), the global leader in lighting, today announces the launch of Philips BlueControl, a clinically tested1,5 wearable medical device2 that uses blue LED light to control mild to moderate cases of psoriasis vulgaris. Philips BlueControl will be introduced to international healthcare professionals at the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology (EADV) Congress (8th - 12th October) in Amsterdam. It will be prescribed by physicians and available through distributors in The Netherlands, Germany and The UK from October 2014.

You can make a light fixture a wireless node today. It isn’t magic. The first question, however, should be: Does it make sense to make every fixture a wireless node?

Texas Instruments (TI) introduced a 450-V linear controller that simplifies current regulation of high-voltage LED strings. The TPS92410 controller integrates a multiplier and tunable phase dimmer detection, as well as analog dimming inputs and drive circuit protection functions to ease design of downlights, fixtures and lamps powered from an offline AC or conventional DC power source.  For more information, samples and evaluation modules, visit www.ti.com/tps92410-pr.

Cree introduces the ZR High-Efficacy (HE) LED troffer, an industry-leading commercial specification-grade troffer designed to reduce energy consumption by 70 percent when compared to traditional fluorescent troffers, enabling greater design freedom for customers looking to achieve LEED certification. Cree’s vertical integration and LED lighting system development expertise has outpaced the industry once again by bringing a commercially available 150-lumens-per-watt LED troffer to market. 

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today introduced the industry’s first AC Direct step-dimming LED linear replacement for T8 and T12 fluorescent tubes at the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) Convention 2014. Designed for use in commercial environments, the new LED Tube (L-Tube) offers an alternative to traditional fluorescent lamps to maximize energy efficiency and lower facility maintenance costs. It will be on display in booth #2112 at Chicago’s McCormick Place West from September 27-30.

Acuity Brands, Inc.​ introduces six additional designs to its line of new generation LED flush mounts​from Lithonia Lighting®®​. The new luminaires are ENERGY STAR®​ qualified and offer up to 84-percent energy savings over traditional incandescent sources. The LED flush mount luminaires are commercial-rated for 24-hour operation and do not require lamps, simplifying installation and maintenance in residential and light commercial applications.

Thailand is emerging as a lucrative export market for LED manufacturers, according to a latest report from Guangdong Science and Technology News.

NVC Lighting announced the company froze second largest shareholder former CEO Wu Changjiang’s shares in the company, according to a Securities Times report. Wu has a total of 130 million company shares, which is worth about RMB 1.06 billion based on the company stock value of RMB 8.15 as of Sept. 29, 2014.

“LED industry inventory level adjustments hit a peak in July,” a cnYes.com report quoted Epistar Chairman B.J. Lee. Market insiders’ project LED lighting PSS manufacturers Crystalwise Technology, Rigidtech and Aceplux Optotech. The market projects revenues in September and October will be unable to keep up high growth, and the market will be stagnant in third quarter.

MechaTronix, with its headquarter in Kaohsiung Taiwan, and Seoul Semiconductor, the world’s fourth biggest manufacturer of LED components, have drafted a cooperation on the design, production and worldwide distribution of standard LED coolers.Seoul’s new ZC series Chip-on-board (COB) LED arrays deliver a system level performance of 700 lumens to over 6,000 lumens. MechaTronix has developed a wide range of standard pin fin and star shaped passive LED coolers which thermally and mechanically match with all variations of Seoul’s ZC COB’s. 

The Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters, the world leader in intelligent information for businesses and professionals, announced its 2014 “Nobel-class” Citation Laureates today. Having accurately forecast 35 Nobel Prize winners since its inception in 2002, the annual Thomson Reuters Citation Laureates study mines scientific research citations to identify the most influential researchers in the fields of chemistry, physics, medicine and economics.

Ford Motor Company is investing in the future as it begins installing LED lighting at manufacturing facilities across the globe. The new lights, valued at more than US $25 million, will save energy and money while improving safety and lighting quality.

Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, today announced that after flattening the light bulb with Philips SlimStyle, the company has flattened the downlight with the introduction of the Philips SlimSurface LED family of downlights. Providing the illusion of recessed downlighting, but with just a 5/8” surface mount design that is nearly flush with the ceiling, SlimSurface allows lighting to be installed in locations where wall and ceiling clearance can be an issue, such as basements.

The clinical study of the iGrow® Hair Growth System titled “The growth of human scalp hair in females using visible red light laser and LED sources” is featured in the October 2014 issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, considered the gold standard journal on laser-based technology. The study, led by Raymond J. Lanzafame, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S., a board-certified surgeon and expert in laser applications and laser research, demonstrated the clinical efficacy and safety of the iGrow Hair Growth System’s low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to promote hair growth in women.

On April 15, 2013,Guangdong Semiconductor Lighting Industry Association released “Guangdong LED Benchmark System Recommend Products List (LED indoor lighting) SN2013040”，which covers four general categories: LED bulb, LED tubes, LED downlight, LED spotlight. Spark Optoelectronics was successful to be selectedinto this recommend list.

AgiLight, a leading manufacturer and marketer of high performing LED (light emitting diode) sign lighting solutions has signed a distribution agreement with Europe’s leading lighting solutions provider, Vink Lighting Solutions. According to the agreement, Vink will represent AgiLight’s complete lines of PRO Series, SignRayz®, BoxRayz® sign lighting products and LED Power Supplies.

Korean LED lighting industry characteristics can be summarized in two words, innovative and sustainable, said Guoqing Tang, President, LED Business Unit, Samsung, China, according to hqlednews.com. China’s LED lighting business development can be represented by three words: large scale, pragmatic, and herd mentality.  

Under the LED industry’s new restructure trend, statistics compiled by LEDinside found there has been at least 25 mergers in the Chinese market in 2014. Company leaders are greeting each other with “have you merged yet?” or “how is the acquisition negotiations going?” Companies that are missing out on the acquisitions have lost their excellent quality standard.

Veeco Instruments announced today that Epistar Corporation (TSE:2448) has successfully evaluated and accepted the new TurboDisc® EPIK700™ Gallium Nitride (GaN) Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) system for the production of LEDs.

For the past four decades, Thorn, a Zumtobel Group brand, has been lighting partner to Wembley Stadium connected by EE. In the most recent highlight of this long-term partnership, the specialist for outdoor and sports stadium lighting has now supplied the lighting solution for the Wembley Arch, a 133-metre high landmark structure that is visible across London. Thorn aspires to be the number one supplier of sports and stadium lighting and recently underlined that aim by concluding a Business Partner agreement with Wembley Stadium.

In this latest blog entry by Philips Lauren Spinella, LED devices take on the task of aiding the visually impaired.

Veteran franchise executive, Marc Plaisted, joins LED Source® (www.LEDsource.com), the leading North American LED lighting solutions provider specializing in architectural, entertainment and retrofit applications, as Vice President of Franchise Operations, a newly created position.(www.linkedin.com/in/marcplaisted)

New LNH2 luminaires from American Electric Lighting® provide a cost-effective solution to convert existing HID security lighting systems to LED. Presenting a familiar NEMA Head look, LNH2 luminaires provide a 60 percent energy reduction, while cutting maintenance costs by half to ensure very rapid payback versus HID.  ®

Grabbing headlines this week, Philips has spin-off its traditional lighting business. Implications of the lighting giant’s recent moves can be found in LEDinside latest press release on the issue. We will be releasing an in-depth report on the issue next week. Toshiba is also vying the India LED market having announced it will be setting up a new R&D facility. Moving into LED technology developments, several universities have announced breakthroughs in LED and OLED technology that can make lighting devices more energy efficient. 

Following the spin-off of Osram from Siemens, global lighting giant Philips recently announced it would split off its lighting business into a stand-alone company on September 23. That move follows an announcement in June that Philips would combine Lumileds, its LED components business and automotive lighting business into a separate company.

In a step that could lead to longer battery life in smartphones and lower power consumption for large-screen televisions, researchers at the University of Michigan have extended the lifetime of blue organic light emitting diodes by a factor of 10.

The art of video projection is becoming a widespread phenomenon. “3D projection mapping creates the illusion of multidimensional movement across or around the contours of any surface.” Many cities are now incorporating this ambitious technological art form as part of their events to tell a story using graphic, historic, cultural or mythical content. We have seen fascinating 3D projections on building façades and cathedrals all over the world, from the Sydney Opera House in the southern hemisphere, to the Canadian Parliament Building in Ottawa, to the Sagrada Cathedral in Barcelona.

Utilities, commercial buildings and more can now rely on a more energy-efficient alternative to traditional high-intensity discharge (HID) security lights with GE’s Evolve™ LED Security Light.

Power management company Eaton today announced that the 2014 Next Generation Luminaires (NGL) Solid-State Lighting Design Indoor Competition recognized the Metalux SkyBar™ light-emitting diode (LED) high-bay luminaire and the Portfolio 8-inch LED downlight from its Cooper Lighting Division. The prestigious competition recognizes and promotes excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED luminaires for commercial, industrial and institutional applications.