Plasma TV Positioned For Continued Growth Through Innovation And Versatility

New Technology Advancements, Features and Larger Screen Sizes on Horizon for 2007

February 8, 2007

On the heels of Super Bowl XLI – watched by tens of millions of Americans on more big, flat plasma HDTVs than ever before – the Plasma Display Coalition highlighted the cutting-edge technology advancements that will continue to drive strong plasma growth throughout 2007, according to the Plasma Display Coalition. Innovations from coalition members, Hitachi, LG, Panasonic, Pioneer and Samsung announced for the first time at last month's International Consumer Electronics Show, strongly reaffirm plasma as the leading large screen choice for home entertainment systems, according to Jim Palumbo, President, Plasma Display Coalition. "In less than two months, plasma has had three milestones: a highly successful holiday buying season, the Consumer Electronics Show and the Super Bowl. Results from all three show that plasma TVs deliver what consumers demand in a home theater experience: technology that works with entertainment products, superb picture quality, outstanding color contrast and wider viewer angle," Palumbo explained. "To satisfy the consumer demand for very large displays, plasma models are now available in a range of screen sizes over 60, over 70 and over 100 inches (diagonal)," he added. Palumbo credits manufacturers with developing innovations that meet the consumer demand for the ultimate home theater experience. "It's a changing marketplace and continued investment in technology places plasma at the top of consumers' shopping lists for large-screen HDTV. Today's savvy consumer enters a retailer more knowledgeable and understanding of the technology, and how it interacts with other home entertainment products. This partnership – between the consumer and the manufacturer – yields a valuable and quality home theater experience." The television viewing experience faces significant transformation and today's plasma TVs serve as the hub for these changes. Many new 2007 plasma displays incorporate "Full HD" 1080p capability to provide viewers with the highest resolution display format. From screens with 60,000-hour panels and contrast ratios up to 15,000:1 to sets with 2-million-pixel arrays and advanced filter technologies, dozens of innovations in plasma TVs are coming in 2007 from Plasma Display Coalition members: Hitachi - By engineering a new method of energizing pixels on a panel, Hitachi has improved picture quality by increasing the resolution to match the dominant 1080 HDTV broadcast format in the vertical domain. This will result in a total of 1.3 million pixels utilizing a 1280x1080 pixel array. LG Electronics – New Clear Filter Pro technology replaces the front glass filter with a thin film filter to reduce reflection and double imaging, providing a haze-free, crisp HDTV viewing experience. New, Extreme Contour Compensation circuitry minimizes color contouring to display more natural color transitions. Panasonic – Improved aperature ratio and development of new rib and phosphor materials result in a 42-inch 1080p model with high density of two million pixels. The set also incorporates high definition model 1080p HD high-speed pixel drive to ensure stable light emission from all the pixels Pioneer – Completely re-engineered display infrastructure, including a new panel, filter and circuitry delivers deep, strong, vivid images and immeasurable black levels. By reducing the minimum luminance level by 80 percent, dark scenes are darker while maintaining clarity of detail along with richer colors. The filter minimizes the effect of ambient light so the display is able to maintain deep black levels regardless of lighting conditions Samsung - Exclusive UltraFilterBright technology features an enhanced panel and filter to minimize image glare and maximize contrast. Contrast ratio of 10:000:1 provides deep black reproduction that results in clearer, crisp and more finely detailed images even in bright viewing environments About the Plasma Display Coalition The Plasma Display Coalition was formed to promote the growth of Plasma TV in the United States as well as encourage the understanding of the benefits and future potential of Plasma TV. Founding members are Hitachi Home Electronics, LG Electronics USA, Panasonic Corporation of America, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. and Samsung.

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