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Sometimes, bigger is better, especially when it comes to liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

In mid-November, Samsung Electronics announced that it had developed an "industry leading" 46" direct-view thin film transistor (TFT) LCD panel. The Seoul, Korea–based electronics giant plans to incorporate the panels in new models of large-screen televisions and video monitors. Prototype units shown to the press had a 16:9 aspect ratio and 1280 x 720–pixel resolution. The large panels are capable of "true motion picture quality," according to the announcement.

The launch of truly large-screen LCD TVs is the latest move in Samsung's strategy to become a global leader in high-tech and upscale consumer electronics. The company announced a 40" LCD at the CEDIA Expo in Minneapolis, held in September. The announcement of the world's largest LCD screen leverages Samsung's recent $5 million ad campaign to increase public awareness of flat-panel television, and follows news of a 42" LCD by LG Philips, a joint venture by industry leaders LG Electronics of Korea and Royal Philips Electronics, based in the Netherlands.

Samsung claims some impressive specifications with the new panel: a brightness of 500 ANSI lumens, a contrast ratio of 800:1, and a 170-degree viewing angle in all directions. Color saturation, however, reaches only 72% of the NTSC standard.

Mass production of Samsung's big LCDs will begin in the first half of 2003 at its fabrication plant in Chonan, Korea. The plant specializes in large-format LCDs, and can derive two 46" panels from a single substrate. Samsung is also developing a new production facility in Suzhou, in China's Jiangsu Province, which will produce LCD screens for notebook computers and desktop monitors. "We are now equipped with both technology design and mass production capability to deliver high resolution large-size TFT LCD panels for the flat-panel TV," said Yoon-Woo Lee, president of Samsung's "Device Solution Network" division.