Panasonic has come up with the world's largest high-definition plasma display panel (PDP).
In layman's terms this means the Matsushita Electric Industrial, the company behind the Panasonic brand, has produced the world's largest plasma TV.
As if the 103-inch PDP it launched earlier was not enough, the company decided to push the boundaries even more and came up with a 150-inch high definition version. Taeko Danno, Deputy General Manager of Panasonic Middle East, told Emirates Business: "The prototype of the 150-inch plasma was launched at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
"Consumers at the show were simply amazed to see the gigantic size of the screen and the unparalleled clarity.
We got a terrific response to it and a whole lot of customer inquiries. However, mass production has not begun as yet, it will be announced shortly."
Nevertheless TV fans in Dubai will soon be able to see the huge plasma for themselves.
"The 150-inch plasma will be on display at the Gitex technology exhibition in October 2008," added Danno. The 150-inch PDP delivers dynamic, overwhelming image quality with 8.84 million pixel resolution. The prototype has a screen size equivalent to nine 50-inch PDPs. Its effective viewing area is 11ft wide and 6.5ft high.
However, this has not affected the picture quality.
The company made use of enhanced PDP technologies and the experience it accumulated developing the 103-inch model while developing the prototype.
As a result the 150-inch plasma provides stable and uniform images across the vast expanse of the screen and has the same brightness as the 103-inch plasma.
The ultra-large PDP offers true-to-life colour reproduction and quick response to moving images and renders clear and crisp images.
"There is a huge demand for large screen televisions from both home theatre users and industrial users. We have sold more than 600 units of the 103-inch version in the Gulf region, which represents about 40 per cent of global sales.
"There is a definite market for this product, especially in the Middle East. There are a large number of millionaires in the region who can afford such a product."
The price of the 150-inch plasma has not yet been decided but it is expected to be well over the Dh250,000 mark. The 103-inch model costs Dh245,000.
PDP is a relatively young technology – plasma TVs appeared on the market only 10 years ago. They have steadily improved in quality and gained popularity to become a leader in the global market for high-quality, large-screen TVs.
PDPs have established a reputation as displays that excel in high-contrast, colour reproduction, moving picture resolution and wide viewing angles. However, room for improvement remains as the technology's full potential has yet to be realised.
Panasonic showcased two new plasma technologies at the consumer show in Las Vegas.
One was a 42-inch panel with double efficiency technology that halved energy consumption while maintaining brightness and picture quality, and the other was a 50-inch plasma that was less than one inch thick.
However, while seeking to raise the bar in the kind of products it offers, Panasonic is also making sure it meets its commitment to the environment. "Panasonic has become the first company to completely eliminate lead from PDP TVs. Also our Plasma TVs have a long life of 100,000 hours so that they don't add to electronic waste prematurely, and components made from natural materials, such as bamboo fibre diaphragms, are used in the speakers."
So go ahead and indulge yourself once the world's largest plasma TV comes on the market. You can do so in the knowledge that you are acquiring not just the latest PDP technology but also the most advanced green features.
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