1080p HDTVs getting smaller?

In the "bigger is better" age that the HDTV market seems to be in, this is a bit of shocker. Panasonic has developed a 50-inch prototype 1080p display which crams 2.1 million happy little pixels in a more compact screen size. Panasonic debuted the prototype at the CEATEC JAPAN show that continues to run through Saturday of this week.

In terms of brightness and contrast, the 1080p set doesn't sacrifice any performance when compared to current Panasonic 50-inch PDP sets. I like this development, simply because not every room can handle a 60-inch or larger set, which is the size range that Panasonic will be offering a 1080p PDP next month in Japan with their model TH-65PX500. What do you think: are 1080p sets in smaller sizes worth developing or is bigger better?