10/2010

SBG LABS INTRODUCES DIGITAL LIGHT ENGINE FOR ULTRA-PORTABLE PROJECTORS
New Technologies Enable Revolutionary Form Factors for Portable Projection Devices

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 11th, 2010 - SBG Labs today launched its DigiLens®-LEDC Light Engine for the fast growing Ultra-portable and Pico projector display market segments. Initially, SBG Labs is targeting the rapidly emerging smart phone, portable video player, DSLR camera and camcorder requirement for LED illuminated "companion" HDTV projection display devices

SBG is already collaborating with leading Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturers to combine the revolutionary LED light collection system with next generation microdisplays. DigiLens®-LEDC Light Engine is a radical departure from industry standard lenses and mirrors, offering not only superior efficiency but also a variety of new features like software controllable 3D stereo projection – at no additional charge. A microdisplay is an array of tiny pixel-sized mirrors on a microchip. When combined with powerful LEDs and sophisticated magnifying and illumination optics, the microdisplay can be configured into many types of low-cost, small, lightweight projection displays. These will be among the first applications to benefit from this combination of technologies and will be in full production by Q3, 2009. Dr. Jonathan Waldern, SBG Labs founder and CTO, commented, "With the explosion in portable video content there is a growing demand for large size, portable high-resolution video playback. However, to save wafer cost, the micro size and optical complexity of such systems has dramatically increased. Brighter LEDs and lasers are only part of the solution as without the critical magnifying and illumination optics, microdisplays can't display HDTV content. Our new light engine is not only brighter, it offers several new software controllable features that only electro-optics can. It basically advances optics, up to the ever advancing standards set by LEDs."

According to leading industry analyst Insight Media, "reduced lumen projectors," i.e. those with lumen outputs of 35 to 700+ lumens over the 2008-2013 time frame, "represent one of the best opportunities for unit and revenue growth in the projection industry”. LED and laser sources will supplant lamp-based projection systems where industry leaders like Samsung have already committed to exclusively use only LEDs in future display products and have taken a leadership role by launching their 5mm thin LED/LCD panels at CES2009.

Insight Media further explained that current ultraportable projectors are lamp-based and represent about 45% of the total projector unit sales. They predict revenues for this segment will remain essentially flat over the forecast period, even with increasing unit sales. However, the reduced lumen projector category that SBG is targeting is forecast to reach over 1.3M units and nearly $800M in revenue by 2013 -- with almost all of this being new projector sales. Currently, there are a several products on the market that qualify as reduced lumen projectors including the Dell M109s (50 lumens), the Acer K10 (100 lumens) and the LG Electronics HS102 and Samsung P400 (both 150 lumens). All use LED sources with laser-based projectors expected later on.

About SBG Labs Inc. Located in Silicon Valley, California, with worldwide distribution and support, SBG Labs Inc. is an optical technology company that has developed a revolutionary new electrically switchable holographic device called a Switchable Bragg Grating. The electro-holographic optical technology merges breakthroughs in nano material science and optical software processing by recording holographic optics into its proprietary nanocomposite electro-optical material. SBG technology has broad applications in many everyday products, including displays, imaging, optical switches and integrated optical micro devices.