Stanford Resources' Latest Reports Predict a Full Recovery of the Liquid Crystal Display Industry.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 1999--

Stanford Resources, Inc., the most influential market research firm focusing on the global electronic display industry, is releasing two reports that exhaustively document the worldwide liquid crystal display (LCD) industry: Liquid Crystal Displays 1999 and Global LCD Supply/Demand Quarterly.

These reports will be available for viewing at Stanford Resources' booths No. 626/628 this week at the SID conference in San Jose, California.

According to Stanford Resources' Liquid Crystal Displays 1999, drastic price reductions in 1998 resulted in a $2 billion revenue decline for LCDs used in portable computers and a general slowdown of growth for the LCD market. Sweta Dash, Senior Market Analyst, states, "However, price increases and a 170% growth rate in the LCD monitor market in 1999 will recover all lost revenue, adding $5 billion in 2000."

Additionally Dash noted, "As we predicted last year, there was a shortage in TFT-LCD panels at the end of 1998. The increase in desktop monitor production will extend this shortage through the fourth quarter of 1999. The supply crunch will be eased, though, beginning in 2000, with the addition of capacity in Korea and Taiwan."

A forecast of chip-based LCDs has been added to Liquid Crystal Displays 1999. Chip-based LCDs include displays constructed on silicon substrates, or liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOS). These displays are being used now in projection systems, and will be used later in cellular phones, headsets, cameras, camcorders, and desktop monitors.

A new report, Global LCD Supply/Demand Quarterly, which is a joint venture of Stanford Resources and Techno Systems Research (TSR) of Tokyo, Japan, concurs that the TFT-LCD supply crunch will dissipate at the end of the fourth quarter of 1999. According to David Mentley, vice president of Stanford Resources, "This is good news for the notebook computer and LCD monitor sellers who have worried about rising prices since late 1998. There is enough capacity to serve the mainstream 12- to 15-inch-diagonal sizes, but it will require very skillful coordination of factory capacity to avoid shortfalls in the third and fourth quarters of 1999."

The new Global LCD Supply/Demand Quarterly provides a comprehensive analysis of the balance between LCD production and consumption on a worldwide basis. It tracks production and capacity for LCD modules and demand for LCD products throughout the world by region. Global LCD Supply/Demand Quarterly predicts short-term and mid-term shortages, oversupply, and price changes for these key components. Additionally, this report tracks LCD panels used in notebook computers, desktop monitors, and television sets, as well as all significant consumer and industrial products.

Global LCD Supply/Demand Quarterly is developed using detailed quantitative supply analysis based on a database produced by Techno Systems Research Company, Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan. Techno Systems Research provides the world's most comprehensive database on LCD production and contributes information on the supply of LCDs from plants in Japan and Asia.

The Liquid Crystal Displays report features the most detailed information available on the LCD market. The database covers 1997 to 2005 for the entire world and also for five geographic regions. Data is segmented by LCD technology, product, and screen size, and presented in terms of units, average selling price, and market value.

The report also includes a review of LCD technology issues, an analysis of the worldwide LCD market, and a discussion of the continued impact these products will have on other display technologies. A strategic analysis of the LCD market emphasiz-es trends in LCD production, major suppliers, regional issues, and bar-riers to market growth. Supplier market shares, both worldwide and for North America, are shown for more than 20 major LCD manufacturers. Company profiles of current LCD suppliers include their production plans and long-range target markets.

A complete version of Liquid Crystal Displays 1999 is also available on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM features a powerful data-modeling tool, Advance(TM) from Advance Planning Solutions, which allows users to customize views of the LCD databases. A tutorial and demonstration of the Advance model are also included on the CD-ROM.

Founded in 1976, Stanford Resources releases several other reports covering the CRT and FPD markets, including annual reports (Monitor Market Trends and Flat Information Displays) and quarterly reports (LCD Pricetrak, Flat Panel Monitrak(R), and Monitrak(R)). The firm also produces reports on projection systems, television systems, and large screen displays, along with associated market and technology sectors.

Stanford Resources provides management consulting services, including market research and analysis; technology assessment; market plan preparation; manufacturing process evaluation; and evaluation of intellectual property. Stanford Resources will host the 16th Annual Flat Information Displays Conference on December 16 and 17, 1999 in Monterey, CA. Visit the company's website at http://www.stanfordresources.com.