Electronic House: TVs are continuing to shrink around the middle. Last year, 4-inch-deep flat panels were all the rage. Now 1 inch or less is the new benchmark. All the big names are in the game, including Hitachi, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp and Sony.
“Thin televisions offer consumers the combined benefits of choice, flexibility, elegance, aesthetics and performance,” says Daniel Lee, vice president of marketing for Hitachi Home Electronics America. “Consumers are now demanding thin and sleek sets to improve their homes’ aesthetics and create a space-saving design. They also want all the technology and rich features of a state-of-the-art display.”
The manufacture of increasingly trimmer TVs has led to other changes in the home electronics marketplace. TV mounts, in particular, have been redesigned. Just like the TVs they’re meant to hold, new flat-panel display mounts are thinner and engineered to sit closer to the wall.
With little space between the wall and display, it can be difficult to reach the back of the set when hooking up cabling. To make wiring a wall-hugging flat-panel TV easier, manufacturers have added new features to their products, such as “kickstands” that prop the bottom of the TV a few inches from the wall so you or your installer can access the cabling and connections.
top