By James Wells in Berlin
BERLIN: Sony, Panasonic, Sharp and Philips released new televisions today at the IFA trade fair that focused on one thing; thickness, or more importantly the thinness of the panel.
Sony won the battle on the day for the thinnest commercially available panel with its ZX-1 LCD TV at just 9.9 mm and an OLED-like 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, however the 1080i resolution was the only factor letting it down.
Philips featured an 8 mm thick panel which was only a prototype, while its major release, Essence, was 38 mm thick but boasted a staggering 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a 2 millisecond response time.
Earlier this morning in the first press conference of the day, Panasonic released a 50-inch plasma panel under its Neo line measuring just 24.7 mm in thickness in 50-inches with prototypes in 58-inch and 65-inch sizes.
Sharp also released a 1,000,000:1 panel measuring just 22 mm in thickness. The XS-1 will be released in 52-inch and 65-inch models.