Recently, Toshiba released new LED lights that are shaped like midget reflector and beam lamps.

LED-based midget Reflector and Beam Lamps can be used with the existing light bulb sockets without any special adjustment because they have the E26 base. The new lights use Nichia Corp's LED. The light source comes in two types, with one incandescent and the other white. They are expected to be used as the illumination lighting for signboards, facilities and shops.

The midget reflector lamp model is equipped with five LEDs, and its luminance is equivalent to that of a 60W incandescent bulb. The power consumption is 5.3W. The luminous efficiency of the incandescent color type of this model is approximately 50lm/W, and that of the white type is about 68lm/W. Although it has about the same dimensions as the 40W-class product released in 2007, its output has been increased by 50%. Because the amount of heat generated by the light is increased due to the higher output, the company reportedly improved the LED layout and the chip so that the heat can be released more efficiently.

According to the company, both models have a life of about 20,000 hours. This is about 13 times longer than that of an incandescent reflector lamp and about three times longer than that of an incandescent beam lamp,

Until now the company has released LED downlights under the product name of "E-Core," but after the release of the latest models, all LED lights will be developed under the same brand. "Starting from non-illuminating applications such as traffic signals and automotive instruments, LED light bulbs are now being increasingly used for partial illumination such as downlights and other lighting equipment," Toshiba said. "From now on, the adoption of LED lights will be further promoted as the general lighting in houses and offices," the company added, pinning hopes on the expansion of LED lighting market.

In particular, Toshiba said, "in the market for special lighting equipment such as reflector lamps, 16% of all products will be replaced with LED lights by 2010, with 30% being replaced by 2012." With respect to home-use lighting equipment, Toshiba said that "once their cost drops, LED lights, together with bulb-shaped fluorescent lamps, will be used in place of incandescent bulbs because LED lights have the advantage of being stably bright immediately after they are turned on, which isn't the case with fluorescent lamps."