The blogosphere is crackling with reports that Matshushita (owner of the Panasonic brand) has developed a 150-inch-diagonal plasma TV, and will exhibit a prototype at CES in Las Vegas during the week of January 6. All of these reports stem from a single December 24th article in The Yomiuri Shimbun, attributed to "sources."

Ken Werner
Senior Analyst and Editor

The active area of the reputed new PDP measures about 2 meters by 3.5 meters, and could display adult human figures life size. Commercial release, says the paper, is scheduled for 2009.

Panasonic currently makes the largest commercially available display - a 103-inch plasma that sells for about 6 million yen (US $53K) - but Sharp introduced the current world’s largest display at CES 2007. That display, a 108-inch LCD-TV prototype, was notable because it made the world’s largest display an LCD instead of a PDP. Since large size is supposed to be PDP’s strength, Panasonic really couldn’t let this marketing shot across its bow go unanswered. Incidentally, Sharp says the 108-inch will be commercially available in 2008. Panasonic, for the moment, is saying nothing, but does say it will post the products being shown in its booth on January 7, the day the CES exhibits open.

What Panasonic is talking about is its agreement with Hitachi and Canon to deepen its involvement with Hitachi Displays (small and medium-sized LCDs) and IPS Alpha (large LCDs). Going forward, the plan is for Canon to obtain a controlling interest in Hitachi Displays and for Panasonic to take a controlling interest in IPS Alpha and to build a next-gen production line there. Yes, Panasonic recognizes that its leadership in the PDP-TV industry is a double-edged sword and is going to increase sharply the presence of LCD-TVs in its product line. Also, look for Panasonic to adopt at least some of the technology Hitachi uses in its ultra-thin, low-motion-blur line of WOOO UT LCD-TVs (which has not been seen much in the U.S., although it’s popular in other markets).

So, although cameras (including mine) will be clicking away madly if the 150-inch really makes its appearance in Las Vegas, the bigger news is that Panasonic, the dominant PDP-TV player, will be joining the LCD-TV boom in a serious way. Until now, the company has only been making LCD-TVs up to 37 inches to slot in under their PDP-TVs. But soon, Panasonic PDP-TVs will go head to head with Panasonic LCD-TVs, at least in some sizes.

When will we see a 50-inch Panasonic WOOO LCD TV at Best Buy?

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