Taiwan-based high power LED manufacturer Edison Opto plans to provide products for TV backlight applications in 2013. According to industry sources, Edison Opto's TV backlighting products passed verification in the second quarter and will begin shipments in July.

Edison Opto noted that in the past, side-lit LED TVs required light guide plates, but direct-lit LED TVs do not need such components. For 32-inch side-lit LED TVs, the light guide plate cost is around US$7/unit. Without the light guide plates, said Edison Opto, production costs can be effectively reduced.

Furthermore, LED brightness efficiency has been increasing. Direct-lit LED backlighting modules mostly adopt high-power LED components with a brightness efficiency around 0.8W per unit. 32-inch models adopt around 50-60 units. The brightness efficiency per LED is expected to be 1.5-2W starting in second-half 2013 to 2014. In addition, the number of LEDs per TV will be reduced to 18 units. Edison Opto is likely to benefit as more backlighting modules adopt high-power LEDs.

Edison Opto recently completed the expansion of two production lines at its plant in Yangzhou, China.

The firm has been aggressive in securing new customers in China since 2013. According to industry sources, Edison Opto became a supplier for China-based industry leading lighting firm, NVC Lighting, in the second quarter and this helped the firm to see a significant sequential revenue growth of 36% in April.

As more China-based lighting firms begin production of LED lighting, Edison Opto may see sales in China reach NT$1.5-2 billion (US$500-667 million) in 2013.