CES 2008

JVC puts LCD on a diet: These superslims are less than 3 inches deep.

(Credit: JVC)

It may be hard to believe for those of us who still actually own a big, old-fashioned tube TV, but a depth of just 6 or 7 inches can actually be considered too bulky for the flat-panel crowd--especially those looking to mount their TV on the wall. While those fashionistas wait for the millimeters-thin OLED TVs to become affordable, they might want to check out JVC's new superslim LCD TVs. At their maximum, the LT-42SL89 (42-inch) and LT-46SL89 (46-inch) flat panels are just 2.9 inches deep, which JVC claims is "the world's thinnest LCD TVs with built-in tuners." (Hitachi's 1.5-incher utilizes the rival plasma technology.) The space saving was largely accomplished with a smaller backlight and fan-less power supply, both of which--according to JVC--also cut down on the TV's weight and power consumption versus similarly sized competing models. In addition to working with standard wall mounts, JVC will offer a similarly slim bracket that promises to get the TV as close to the wall as possible. The company was otherwise mum on details, except to confirm that both models with offer full 1080p resolution. Look for the LT-42SL89 and LT-46SL89 in the summer of 2008.

JVC showed off its slim LCD last October at Ceatec, Japan's CES. At that show, Sharp and Hitachi also showed off thin LCDs, which will also be exhibited at CES.