“Using the same digital expertise that brings true-to-life depth and crispness to Samsung’s latest LED TVs, we are now bringing light with true-to-nature tones to any room in the home, any time of the day,” said Kevin Dexter, Samsung’s senior vice president of Home Appliances.

Earlier this month, the South Korean government announced that its dominant LED and electronics manufacturers, including Samsung and LG Electronics, are now forbidden from marketing LED luminaires in Korea, although LED retrofit bulbs and modules will be allowed. The move is designed to give smaller LED luminaire manufacturers in Korea a chance to build local business.

Toshiba’s A19 lamps

Toshiba International Corp. has introduced two 40W-equivalent A19 LED lamps with a traditional shape and 450-lm or 500-lm output (2700K and 4000K CCT). Efficacy is 54 lm/W and 60 lm/W, respectively. The 450 Series lamps are manufactured to Energy-Star performance levels, including a lamp life that is at least 15× longer than a 40W incandescent with 75% less energy consumption.

The lamps are currently undergoing Energy Star testing. To date, Toshiba has 25 Energy-Star-qualified LED replacement lamps including PAR20/30/38 lamps. The A19 lamps are fully dimmable.

Toshiba was an early adopter of LED technology, having abandoned the production of incandescent light bulbs in March 2010. “We are 100 percent focused on LED lighting and completely committed to making it the prominent technology in the lighting industry,” said Ken Honeycutt, Senior Vice President of Toshiba International and Chief Venture Executive of Toshiba’s LED Lighting Systems Division.