NEC, the Japanese electronics group, has become the first company to sell a large screen television set that is as thin as a framed painting. The TV, called PlasmaX, has a 42 inch screen, which NEC says offers brighter images and better contrasts than normal sets.
The PlasmaX went on sale yesterday in Japan for 1.2 million yen (£6,000). It contains screen, tuner and speakers in a panel that is only 99 milimetres thick, or one tenth that of conventional TVs.
Japanese electronics makers have been rushing to develop flat screens in anticipation of a substantial demand due to the spread of multi media systems.
Flat screens are expected to be popular in Japan, where bulky conventional sets have hogged much of the limited space within homes.
Plasma display panel (PDP) technology, which most manufacturers believe is best for large screen flat TVs, could not provide images as bright as those from conventional sets until recently. NEC claims it overcame this problem with its new technology. The PlasmaX emits pure colours through a display panel which uses clear, thin, capsulated filters to cut unnecessary light.
However, given high costs, it will take several years before PDP TVs become consumer products. NEC aims to reduce the price to about Y420,000 for a 42 inch TV by 2000.
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