S-LCD Corporation, a joint venture between Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Sony Corporation, today announced the shipment of LCD panels produced from its 8th Generation Line.

S-LCD's 8th Generation Line is capable of processing the world's largest motherglass substrates, measuring 2,200mm by 2,500mm.

"We have remained a step ahead of the competition in terms of production scale and timing," said Won-kie Chang, CEO of S-LCD. "Our sights are now on LCD TVs in the 50-inch class and we aim to lead that segment. Our success with 7G line will continue with the new 8G line operation, and we will grow into the world's largest LCD maker."

LCD panels shipped from this 8G line marks a major turning point in the market for LCD TVs in the 50-inch (diagonally) class. With 7G line which is already in operation, S-LCD has sufficient capacity to meet demand for 40-inch panels. The 8G line is slated to supply 46-inch and 52-inch panels, and that plan was evident by the contents of the first shipment of 52-inch LCD panels for full-HD TVs.

The new line would reach its full monthly output of 50,000 panels by the end of the year.