14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung has unwrapped a 70-inch LCD panel and hopes this will help increase the competitiveness of LCD technology in the big-screen TV sector. The panel refreshes the picture at double the speed of the LCD panels used in most TVs, and that means 120 Hz. The demonstration took place in Yokohama, Japan, and images and text scrolling across the panel appeared to move more smoothly than on existing TVs, according to PCWorld.
The manufacturer plans to begin commercial production of the 70-inch panel early next year, and it should be available in TV sets in the following months. This launch marks an important step for LCD technology as the market is dominated by plasma displays. When flat-panel first started becoming popular the division between LCDs and PDPs was around 42 inch, but LCD makers have steadily increased the size since then.
Competition between LCD and PDP makers is fierce, because so much money is at stake. The market in screens for flat-panel TVs is expected to be worth $29.6 billion this year, up 60% on last year, according to a report published on Tuesday by DisplaySearch. Samsung told that it expects to take the lead in 50-inch range by mass producing 52- and 57-inch LCD models using 8G (eighth generation) production lines. Furthermore, it presented 4.8- and 7-inch displays with WSVGA resolution for use in ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) devices and mini-PCs.
