Forget about Ultra Slim. Samsung’s newest 40-inch prototype model measures only roughly 3.99mm thick, becoming the first Needle Slim LCD HDTV and the thinnest one to date.
The model surpasses the pencil-thin LG released earlier this year, which is measured at 5.9mm thick, and the 5-kilogram 7mm JVC model introduced at the 2009 CES.
Just a year ago, Samsung held the same title with a 40-inch model measuring 7.9mm thick and a 52-inch model only 9.9mm thick.
The thinness of the record-breaking Samsung model is made possible by its edge-lit LED-based technology, a technology which uses fewer LEDs that are strategically positioned at the top and bottom of the panel instead of covering it entirely, which then project the light to a light guide plate in the center that reflects it accordingly towards the screen. This technology also allows HDTVs to be lighter and even more energy efficient, putting edge-lit HDTVs at the top of the heap until OLED HDTVs are produced in full swing.
In spite of its Needle Slim frame, though, the new Samsung model still delivers high performance with a 5000:1 contrast ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate like most Samsung LCD HDTVs.
Only five years ago, the thinnest HDTV was measured at 6.85 inches thick, developed by RCA.
