Toshiba will become a big player in optoelectronics—if their lighting division has its druthers. The company will release high-output LED light bulbs with a total flux equivalent to that of a 60 W incandescent lamp.
The “natural white” type and the warm white type feature total fluxes of 810 lm and 600 lm, respectively. Alone, the natural white type features comparable luminance to that of a 150 W incandescent lamp, while the warm white type is higher than that of a 100 W. The general color rendering indexes (Ra) of the natural white type and the warm white type are 70 and 80, respectively. According to Toshiba, they both last 40,000 hours. But the show-stopper is the luminance efficacy—93 lm/W for the “natural white” type. For reference, the average LED is from 25-64 lm/W.
According to Shinichi Tsunekawa, president of Toshiba Lighting & Technology, Toshiba’s is the first 8.7V LED light bulb with a total flux of 810 lm. This is crucial, because it comes with a hefty price tag-- ¥9,135 (approx. US $101) for both of the types. Why so pricey? According to the company, the bulbs feature “a dedicated LED package and a dedicated chassis.” And the sales volume is relatively low.
