Sharp 108-Inch LCD Flat Panel Television

LCD Television manufacturers, such as Sharp, JVC, and Toshiba are showing LCD sets with improved contrast ratios, 120HZ screen refresh rates (wihich eliminates motion lag), more 1080p models, and much larger screen sizes in the 47-inch and above category, in direct competition with large screen Plasma sets. With reference to screen size, Sharp has broken all records with a 108-inch prototype (pictured), which has more screen surface than the largest Plasma set currently available. NOTE: That is a real 1080p high defintion image displayed on the 108-inch Sharp in the photo - not a simulated image.

However, Plasma manufacturers are not sitting still. Pioneer displayed pre-production Plasma units that have been redesigned from the ground up with almost unlimited contrast ratios, improved color consistency, and significant improvements in video processing and scaling. Panasonic, on the other hand, is also taking LCD on by touting their improved eco-friendly Plasma sets that feature lower power consumption and the elimination of toxic elements used in internal components. Lastly, Plasma may finally match its LCD competition in native resolution, as more 1080p Plasma sets were on display than seen before.

With LCD and Plasma finally competing on equal footing in both screen size and technology, the future for the consumer certainly looks good as quality goes up and prices keep coming down.

Reported from the Annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show) by Robert Silva, About.com Home Theater Guide. Sharp LCD TV Photo (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.com, Inc.