LG.Philips announce 0.78-inch ultra-slim 42-inch LCD -- available March!

LG.Philips just announced an "ultra-slim" 42-inch Full HD 120Hz panel for 2008. Not Q4 2008 either kids, we're talking sometime before March. So what can we expect after Sharp's 1.1-inch thin 52-inch panel and Hitachi's 0.74-inch 32-incher? Something in between right? Nope, 7.8-inches thick. Exactly, 19.8-mm or just 0.78-inches thin. According to LG.Philips, that makes it 40% thinner and 10% lighter than conventional LCD TVs which is pretty hot. It'll be CCFL backlit (not LED) though when it does hit -- that'll keep the cost down but won't do much for the contrast. The panel will be on display at FPD International in Yokohama next week where we hope to bring you a first look.

Update: Oops, major metric conversion snafu -- good thing we're not in charge of the Mars space program. It's fracking thin!

[Via DigiTimes]

[Darkest Daze @ Oct 18th 2007 2:39AM]

No LED, no sale. I'm waiting till they make (and they bring the price down to earth) an LCD that's both 120hz and LED.

[Fitzy @ Oct 18th 2007 3:06AM]

"So what can we expect after Sharp's 1.1-inch thin 52-inch panel and Hitachi's 0.74-inch 32-incher? Something in between right? Nope, 7.8-inches thick"

I don't use the imperial measurement system, but isn't 7.8 inches rather thick?

And if it's 40% thinner than older ones, glad I haven't upgraded from CRT yet.

[shuyin198x @ Oct 18th 2007 3:15AM]

Wrong decimal point Thomas ;)
The set is 19.8mm or .79"

[Thomas Ricker @ Oct 18th 2007 3:53AM]

Jeebus Fracking Christmas, sorry about that! Post updated.

Thomas

[Tafkas @ Oct 18th 2007 3:22AM]

It would look a whole lot better with some trim around the edges, and a HDMI port or 3.. :-) But It's nice to see they're still working to improve the "old" LCD techniques. No word on which TV's will actually use this panel?

Tafkas

http://tinyurl.com/2wmbxn

[Math Geek @ Oct 18th 2007 3:42AM]

19.8mm = 0.77952755826 inches.

"Seoul, Korea (October 18, 2007) – LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd. [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220], one of the world’s leading innovators of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) technology, announced today that it plans to launch a 42-inch TFT-LCD TV panel that is substantially thinner than conventional panels, at only 19.8 mm"

[Danger mouse @ Oct 18th 2007 3:49AM]

What do you mean, that's 7.8 inches? Looks like at least 11 inches to me. Just don't tell the wife.

[ec @ Oct 18th 2007 3:52AM]

For some official clarification, MathGeek is correct. It is a mere 0.78 inch thick, not 7.8. The real breakthrough here is achieves that thickness using a CCFL backlight rather than the MUCH more expensive LED alternative. In other words, this panel makes it possible to make a really thin LCD TV that doesn't cost a fortune.

[Blakamin @ Oct 18th 2007 4:53AM]

So do they replace it when your CCFL winks out in 13 months, just after your warranty expires? I have a couple of spare parallel port scanners if anyone would like parts :p

[b_a_boone @ Oct 18th 2007 11:02AM]

Not so fast you can get 30k+ hrs of light from CCFL but it still will not compare to LED unless the technology is improved greatly.

[mike @ Oct 19th 2007 1:43PM]

"good thing we're not in charge of the Mars space program."

Although, I do remember watching a satellite crash in the desert due to a similar error on NASA's part...