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SCMP Reporter

AU Optronics receives approval for china plant
Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp, the world's third-largest  liquid crystal display maker, plans to invest US$200 million to US$300 million over five to six years in a new plant on China's  east coast,  according to the company's chairman.

K.Y. Lee, the chairman of AU Optronics and BenQ, said yesterday that the plant in Xiamen had been approved by the local government earlier this year and would eventually double AU Optronics'  LCD module manufacturing capacity in  the mainland. 
Mr Lee also said BenQ aimed to return to profitability  next year. 
'The mobile-phone division is key,' he said. 'The other businesses are quite healthy.' 
Reuters

elpida to start shipping pram chips this year
 Elpida Memory of Japan  aims to start shipping advanced memory chips that combine the strengths of dynamic random access memory  and flash memory chips as early as this year. 
The world's fifth-largest dram maker said the prototype phase-change random access memory (pram) chips was likely to come with a 128-megabit memory capacity, and that it aimed to start commercial production by 2010. 
Pram chips can retain data after power is shut off like flash memory chips and also enable users to write and read data quickly.  ?Reuters

Samsung sdi develops new 3D display panel
South Korea's Samsung SDI said  it had developed a new technology to display three-dimensional images on mobile phones and other devices. 
Samsung said it was the first company to develop  active matrix organic light-emitting diode  display panels. The new product was much faster in displaying 3D images than existing  LCDs, Samsung SDI said. 
The 4.3-inch  panel guarantees 'the world's highest definition' in terms of 3D images, the company claims. ?AFP

Pioneer seeks DVD recorder tie-up
Japan's Pioneer Corp will end development of  DVD recorders and seek a tie-up with Matsushita Electric Industrial in next-generation models in a bid to turn the loss-making business around, according to a report in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.  
Pioneer is the world's fourth-largest player in the DVD recorder market after Matsushita, Philips Electronics and Sony, but has been losing money due to fierce price competition and heavy development costs. 
The proposed alliance would include Pioneer procuring chips and software from its larger rival. Matsushita is expected to agree to the  deal, the paper said. ?Reuters

Japanese firms plan digital TV venture
Matsushita Electric Industrial, Sony and four other Japanese electronics makers will set up a venture to offer digital television and  video content over the internet through a new portal offering video-on-demand.

Sony Communication Network, Sharp, Toshiba and Hitachi make up the six partners that agreed to set up a company on July 7 with capital of one billion yen ($69.4 million). 
The  portal will help  promote digital television in Japan in preparation for when  analogue broadcasts are switched off in  2011. ?Bloomberg 

Level 3 to acquire Looking Glass for US$96m
Level 3 Communications, a  long-distance phone and data network operator in the United States, has agreed to buy privately held Looking Glass Networks for US$96 million in cash and stock.
The transaction also included US$69 million in  Looking Glass liabilities, Level 3 said yesterday. Bloomberg 




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