Fujitsu Hitachi develops smaller HDTV plasma displays
The PDPs use FHP's proprietary ALIS method (Alternate Lighting of Surfaces) drive circuit technology. FHP previously introduced a 42-inch PDPs, also positioned for use in household television sets.
Thanks to their thin profile, lightweight, large viewing area and wide viewing angle, PDPs are considered a large draw for consumers, particularly in Japan, where living spaces are smaller. The units are pricey, however – most of the time commanding more than $10,000 at retail. FHP did not reveal the suggested price of the new sets.
The PDP market – particularly the business-use segment – has grown rapidly, hitting 100,000 units in FY1999, and is expected to reach 250,000 units in FY2000. Moreover, the upcoming initiation of digital broadcasts (slated to begin in Japan this December) and the wider availability of DVDs is expected to result in explosive growth in the market for PDPs for household television receivers according to FHP, which anticipates that by FY2003 PDP demand will total 2.3 million units, 1.4 million for use in television sets and 900,000 for business environments.
Today, most large-screen consumer television sets range in size from 25 to 36 inches, but as CRTs their larger screen surfaces require significant depth and weight. This constrains freedom of placement, particularly when household space is limited.
On the other hand, thin, lightweight PDPs can be placed easily within even the most compact living quarters. FHP hopes to spur the market for PDPs in home environments by providing these 32- and 37-inch models, sizes that easily fit into most homes.
Once digital broadcasting gets underway in Japan, FHP expects that there will be increased demand for high definition, high-quality devices to clearly display not only moving video but also still images, including captioned text. With previous generation PDPs, reducing the screen size also reduced the area of cell illumination, and it was difficult to ensure brightness.
However, high-definition PDPs using FHP's ALIS method drive circuit technology makes possible both high definition and high luminosity. When digital broadcasting starts bringing high-definition images to peoples' homes, FHP's new PDPs will be able to display them with a vertical resolution of 1024 lines, making the devices leading contenders to capture the market for home-use wide-screen television sets.
At the end of July this year FHP completed construction of a new production facility on the premises of Kyushu FHP, its wholly owned subsidiary in Miyazaki Prefecture. The company is currently installing production equipment, with initial pilot runs planned for January 2001 and commercial shipments to begin by April 2001.
The new facility will have the capacity to produce 30,000 PDPs per month, mostly high-definition units, and FHP plans to raise production to 60,000 units per month in 2002 in order to meet the demands of the growing market. This, together with output from Kyushu FHP's original production line, will bring FHP's total PDP production capacity to 70,000 units per month in 2002.
Specifications:
| Size | 32-inch (82cm) diagonally | 37-inch (95cm) diagonally |
| Depth | 65mm | 65mm |
| Weight | 12.5kg | 16kg |
| Effective screen area | W716mm x H399mm | W829mm x H461mm |
| # of pixels | Horiz. 852 x Vert. 1024 | Horiz. 1024 x Vert. 1024 |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Pixel pitch | W 0.84mm x H 0.39mm | W 0.81mm x H 0.45mm |
| Colors displayed | 16.77 million | 16.77 million |
| Luminosity | 650cd/m2 | 650cd/m2 |
| Viewing angle | 160 degrees or more | 160 degrees or more |
Edited by Tom Butts