Ultra-Thin Displays Were a Hot Trend at CES 2008

Television displays dominated the CES show floor, but the biggest trend this year was in ultra-thin TV screens.

Hitachi was showing off its sexy 1.5 Flat Screen HDTV panel, which should be available to consumers later this year. The displays will be available in 32, 37, and 42 inches, and are only 1.5-inches deep, so they'll take up even less space on your wall. They also weigh less — the 32-inch display weighs only 24 pounds — so they'll put less stress on your wall too. Features include small speakers located at the bottom of the monitor, energy-efficient features that put the TV in a stand-by mode when there's no signal going into the TV, full HD resolution, and the Director's Series and V-Series models will include one HDMI and one VGA (15-pin D-Sub) input. The company will offer the stylish displays in different colors, including red, white, blue, and black.

Pioneer's people were also showing off a concept 50-inch plasma TV they call "Project Kuro." I'd say this was probably the thinnest, sexiest display I saw at CES. Kuro is only 9mm thick, weighs 41 pounds, has the deepest levels of black, and it's 1080p. Reps tell me it will give the illusion it's floating in space in your room when you're in the dark. This sleek concept display is a few years away from being available for purchase and in our living rooms, but it's something definitely worth looking forward to.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, Panasonic was also touting its Super-Thin One Inch Plasma prototype display at CES that's a mere 24.7mm in profile at the thickest point. The 50-inch model weighs under 55 pounds making it easier to mount on a wall or suspend from the ceiling for greater installation flexibility, which is the goal with all these ultra-thin displays. What I like about Panasonic, though, is that the company is taking disdain for wires into consideration and offering a wireless transmission system I told you about earlier.

Only the Hitachi's 1.5 Flat Screen HDTV display will be available to consumers later this year, but it's nice to get a glimpse of just how thin television displays will be in the future.