New Sony LCD TV: thinner than ever
The KDL-40ZX1M measures just 9.9mm thick.
(Credit: Sony)At CES last January we told you "thin is in" in reference to flat-panel HDTVs this year, and Sony, despite neglecting to announce its own thin LCD back then, is never one to be left behind an emerging trend. Now the company jumps on board with what appears to be the thinnest flat-panel display yet, excepting the company's own OLED-based XEL-1.
The newly-announced 40-inch KDL-40ZX1M (price TBD, December) will boast a panel that measures just 9.9mm deep, which translates to about 0.39 inches in the good old U-S of A. There's no word on how deep the TV is with the base included.
The press release also mentions an "edge-lit" LCD backlight, which might provide a clue as to how the company was able to trim so much depth off of a standard LCD panel, which measures about 3-inches thick in models like the company's own KDL-46Z4100. We'll just have to wait for the review to find out whether that edge-lit backlight impairs picture quality.
As you can see from the pictures, this TV is pretty dang thin indeed, but it does bring up an interesting question: Why? Are current 3- to 5-inch-thick panels just too fat for some people? Do you have any interest in a thinner-than-average flat TV?
