LG Display says it has built the world's thinnest 42- and 47-inch LCD TV displays. The two new panels measure just 5.9mm (0.23 inch) thick, making them a millimeter slimmer than JVC's 7mm 32-inch TV prototype introduced last January.
While LG says it has "succeeded in developing" the ultra-slim panels, there's no word yet on when the products will ship, or what they'll cost. The picture quality will likely be good but not spectacular, although we won't know for sure until we see these panels in action.
Unlike conventional LCD TVs that use Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) backlighting, the new LG models feature LED (light emitting diode) lighting, which enables a thinner, lighter design. The new sets weigh just 6.1kg (13.45 lbs) and 7.3kg (16.1 lbs) each, making them roughly half the weight of same-sized CCFL-backlit LCD TVs.
Picture quality? The specs offer some interesting clues. The TVs will feature a 120Hz refresh rate, which improves the appearance of fast action (e.g., sports), particularly if the video was shot in HD at 60 frames per second. While 120Hz is good, it's not on par with the latest high-end displays, including faster 240MHz panels and LG's own TruMotion 480Hz LCD TV, another prototype unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show last January.
And then there's motion picture response time (MPRT), which also improves the quality of fast-moving images. The slim LG sets have a 8ms response time-that's pretty good. But 6ms is common in 120Hz sets, and the 480Hz TruMotion cuts response time to 4ms. (The lower number, the better.)
As expected, the new LG sets are full HD (1920 by 1080 pixels). They also provide a color saturation level of 80 percent (NTSC), which is above average but not stellar for LCD TVs. Many displays use new CCFLs that manage an impressive 92 percent color representation. .
If it sounds like I'm being picky, it's because I expect the slim LG models to cost plenty. LED backlights are more expensive than their CCFL counterparts, and it's likely the new super-slim LG sets will be marketed as premium TVs. Given their thin and light attributes, however, they'll probably look fabulous when mounted on a wall.