Legit Reviews

Samsung is showing a 102" (more than 2.5 meters) Plasma Display with a "Full HD" resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The contrast ratio was an amazing 2,000 to 1!!!



The 102-in. panel was fabricated from a 102-in. diagonal glass substrate, from which four 50-inch panels can be cut out. Although 42 in. is considered an industry-standard size, Samsung SDI is focusing on 50-in. to 60-in. panels as well, according to a Samsung SDI spokesperson.

Samsung SDI intends to invest about 30 billion won to begin producing large size 80 and 102 in. panels this half of 2005. The company expects these panels to find use in public displays and businesses.

That's one big grasshopper!
Samsung is putting alot of money into new fabs for bigger, better displays both plasma and LCD (in spite of a disastrous for all LCD makers, they have started work on 2 next gen fabs for computer monitors)
great for consumers/pricing, but they must see a profit or market dominance somewhere down the line

the Japaneese understand the concept of a loss leader. They know that investment into the technology will turn a profit, maybe not in 1-2 years but in 5-10 they will get a healthy ROI (return on investment).

I'm not sure plasma tv's will be around in the mainstream for that long with so many other technologies emerging and out there already. There are some inherent qualities that don't lend itself towards affordability and quality. Once they start to dim you are hosed. I much prefer the DLP format. Who needs a TV that big anyway besides bazillionaires who would be lucky to watch it twice a year? You'd have to sit 20+' away for optimal viewing. I bet it would be cool for gaming though

I didn't get an answer on pricing, but I believe their 80" plasma is going for about $45,000! That would put this 102" well above that price... I'm guessing $60,000ish!

I agree with the comment on DLP televisions. A close friend just bought a Samsung HLP4663W 46-IN DLP Rear Projection TVfor $1500 brand new and it looks great. It's a little thicker, but for that price who cares...

I'll be in the market for a TV this summer and DLP will be tops on my list due to the price/performance ratio.

I have the 50" Samsung DLP (I forget the model HLN-502 or something) and I love it. They are especially cool if you plan on gaming on it (PS2, XBOX or you can hook your PC to it) as there is no worries about screen burn in. This is also helpful when watching TV in the 4:3 format - the bars can cause burn in other types of TV's. This was a big factor in my decision along with the price. Like you, I don't care that it is several inches thicker. I don't plan on hanging it on the wall Also, it's only 8 or 10lbs for a 50" TV!

The big difference in plasma and dlp is in brightness, both dlp and lcd tv's have anti glare and light absorbing materials that reduce the over all level of brightness, even though they may have the same specs as a crt or plasma they take that reading for brightness and before application of the anti glare coatings on the glass. Im still a crt guy, when i move up to hdtv ( this summer i hope) im going to get a crt, they have the best color range, brightness, and viewing angle. the only thing that i loose with a crt is size, under 40in, and weight from all that glass.

Yeah, CRT's are still the cheapest and they have the best picture of any available tech. The killer is their limited screen size and overall weigth/size. If I decide to make my bedroom TV and HD model I will definitely go with a CRT.