Panasonic, a leading maker of consumer electronics, has announced it had developed a prototype of a 103?plasma display panel (PDP) with 1080p HDTV resolution and even showcased the product at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The prototype can deliver more than two million pixels of performance.?

The new display is capable of showing video in 1920x1080 progressive resolution with contrast of 3000:1. The panel incorporates Panasonic's 1080p HD high-speed pixel drive.?The same high-speed pixel drive is used in the TH-65PX500 65?1080p plasma TV, which has been well received in Japan since its introduction last November, and the 50?080p plasma unveiled in October 2005. A drawback of the new PDP is relatively large pixel pitch: 1.182 square millimeters. Nevertheless, the new display is still the largest flat-panel display ever made.

In flat panel displays, plasma has technical advantages over other technologies, including liquid crystal displays (LCD), when it comes to making larger size panels.?Nevertheless, there are numerous technical challenges in making plasma panels that are larger than 100?in diagonal while maintaining stable discharge and high picture quality across the entire surface of the panel. Panasonic has overcome these technical hurdles by developing a new rib (a ?rib?divides each gas cell and prevents interference between adjacent cells to produce clear images) and phosphor for these super large panels.?

?Since Plasma is a self-illuminating device, it offers superior characteristics on several measures including dynamic contrast, true-to-life color reproduction, quick response time for sports and programs with fast-moving images and a wider viewing angle, an important factor for large screen display,?said Hiroyuki Nagano, director, PDP device business unit of Panasonic AVC Networks Company.

Panasonic said the 103?080p plasma panel, equivalent to four 50?panels in size, features consistent and uniform discharge, delivering the same accurate images from the center to every corner of the screen and brightness as the current 50-inch HD model (TH-50PX500).

?Until now, the market for 100? screens was dominated by front projection TVs.?Panasonic now realizes another option in this sector. Our 103?1080p PDP promises high quality images with high brightness, dynamic contrast, high resolution and excellent color reproduction that projection displays cannot match.?We believe it will create strong demand as a multipurpose display for business, educational and medical applications as well as home theater use,?said Mr. Nagano.

• Panasonic Press Release: Panasonic Develops the 103-inch 1080p Plasma Display Panel.