Nowadays, whatever we want to buy, the choice is so wide that we are only limited by budget. When looking for TVs for sale, we are flooded with promotions on LCDs and plasmas of all sizes and prices. For those who are real fans of television, technophiles in general or home theater lovers, there are some special options.
The Biggest Television
The world’s largest
TVs for sale are made by Panasonic. A 150-inch plasma was first presented in Las Vegas in January 2008 during the Consumer Electronics Show. The record in terms of size has once again come back to this manufacturer. In 2006, Panasonic achieved the record with ‘only’ a 103-inch plasma HDTV, but then it was overtaken by Sharp which introduced a 108-inch LCD TV. The new Panasonic plasma is 138-inches wide, 79-inches tall and weighs more than 440 pounds. The price, of course, is as massive as the TV, but imagine sitting comfortably at home watching baseball with full-scale players!
The Thinnest Television
While some focus on size, others work on thickness. The most successful is Sony with its Organic Light Emitting Diode backlighting technology -- the 11-inch XEL-1 TV is only 3 millimeters thick. Unfortunately the OLED technology is now applicable only to small TVs. What is important, even though it is so slim, is that the TV still has breathtaking image contrast, color and brightness and is more energy-efficient than an LCD of similar size. That is why Sony wanted to develop the technology, and some bigger
TVs for sale of this type are expected in 2010. In the meantime, competitors like LG, Samsung, and Panasonic are also working on their OLED prototypes. For now, consumers will have to do with the 10mm thick Bravia or 9mm Pioneer’s Kuro.
Manufacturers are investing in research and development to constantly delight customers by pushing the borders of size and thickness further and further.
