Only 1.5 inches (3.5cm) from front to back, the “world's thinnest LCD TV'' is now available in UAE stores.
LCD, or Liquid Crystal Display, television sets are also called ‘flatscreen', and have been shrinking in thickness to keep up with consumer tastes.
But the new Ultra-Thin (UT) series is a sudden 66 per cent drop in size, claims its maker, Hitachi.
The UT set was unveiled here on Sunday at a media preview, with photographers struggling to get the right angle for shooting a demo flat-screen.
The series ranges between Dh4,300 and Dh9,000, depending on the screen size – 32'', 37'', and 42''. The thickness, of course, remains the same for all sizes.
“It's as easy as hanging a picture on the wall,'' said H. Hirose, general manager of Hitachi Gulf.
Tipping the scales at 11kg, the set is only half the weight of rival units in the same category.
Hitachi shaved off the thickness by squeezing the LCD layers closer together, using chips where components used to be, and downsizing the power and ventilation system.
The UT line comes in white and black color in the Emirates.
Hitachi's UAE dealer, Eros Group, estimates the demand for TVs to touch 300,000 in the country this year. An LCD set costs about Dh2,500 on average.
Meanwhile, the local electronics market – minus IT products like laptops – is worth an estimated Dh7 billion.
