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Making good on promises it made last year, Samsung SDI Company Ltd. has announced the development of a 70-inich-diagonal, plasma-display panel (PDP) that it claims is the world's largest. The new display exceeds the previous size record for every kind of direct-view monitors, including cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) and liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

Announced Thursday, May 22, the 70" PDP is 1.55 meters (5' 0.5") wide and one meter (39") high, but only 89mm (3.5") deep, approximately the dimensions of a large framed piece of art. The screen's pixel count is 2.07 million, in 1920 x 1080 distribution, with RGB elements "closely spaced," according to a company press release. Brightness is specified at 800cd/m2 and contrast ratio at 1200:1. Color "reproducibility" is rated at 90%.

Samsung projects an initial production rate of 2000-3000 units of 70" PDPs per month. By later this year, production capacity could reach 40,000 units per month, assuming completion of work on a second production line and enhancements due to be finished on the company's present production line in the second quarter of fiscal 2003 (summer). With further expansion of the second production line, currently in progress and due to be completed in January 2004, Samsung's total production capacity for large screen PDPs could reach 105,000 units per month.

The development of large PDPs is an outgrowth of Samsung's research into production techniques for PDPs in the 30–40" size range, the most popular sizes with consumers. Company engineers reportedly have perfected techniques for making four such PDPs from a single glass substrate. This technology should help lower costs for coming generations of PDPs, Samsung executives stated. Retail prices for 70" PDPs have not been released.