There's big screens and then there are big screens. Such as this set, made real through a collaboration between NHK (also known as the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation) and Panasonic; a TV that ups the ante ten-fold in what we can expect from high-definition TV's of the future. Fitted into its 145-inch display frame are a total of nearly 34 million pixels, capable of displaying a resolution of 4,320 x 7,680.

Ultra High Definition is the real defining characteristic of this TV. Although the format is still inThe resolution comparison chart shows Ultra HD far surpasses even that offered by 1080p, the current high bench mark in HD TV. experimental stages of development, Ultra HD will eventually take over from 'standard' HD (around 2020, one would guess) and pushes a resolution of 16 times the pixels of existing HDTV's. This particular 145-inch Ultra HD television with its some 34 million pixels rivals IMAX in its detail; all the while being 60 frames per second and having an aspect ratio of 16:9. On that note, it'd have been nice to see Panasonic and NHK push the cinematic-standard of 21:9 to truly go toe-to-toe with the IMAX experience but, then, this is only a prototype after all. What's more, the manufacturers also claim the TV to be the world's first self-luminous display (it doesn't require a back-light of any kind, unlike most televisions today) and, with a brand-new drive technology under the skin that stabilises the pixels on-screen, is what Panasonic is claiming to be 'flicker-free'.

One thing's for sure: HD programming and gaming consoles certainly have a lot of catching up to do...

Richard Birkett

Source/Image Credit: Diginfo