In response to rapidly expanding demand for slimmer televisions, Samsung Electronics LCD Business announced today that it has begun mass producing the industry?s first ultra-slim LCD panels suited for large size TVs.

Samsung?s edge-lit LED (light emitting diode) backlighting offers lighter weight and thinner designs, which is preferable for wall mounting over bulkier direct-lit LED LCDs. The LED-backlit panels also are mercury-free and consume less energy.

A 55-inch Samsung HDTV with edge-lit LED backlighting uses up to 40 percent less power than conventional LCD TVs.

Just 10.8 millimeters (mm) thick, the new Samsung panels are only a fourth the thickness of conventional LCD panels currently in mass production and come in 40-inch, 46-inch and 55-inch diagonal sizes.

"There is a rising demand for light weight large TVs that can be mounted on the wall like a painting, with LED backlighting as a higher quality alternative to the more common CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) technology," said W. K. Chang, president of Samsung Electronics LCD Division. "Samsung is leading the push for ultra-slim LED LCD TVs in a continued demonstration of its leadership in LCD technology," he added.

While a direct-lit LED backlight will project light forward across the full expanse of the display from the front, edge-lit LEDs emit light from a row of LEDs on the top and bottom of every panel, using less power. The edge-lit technology gathers the light towards the center of the display and bends it, reflecting it forward through a light-guide plate that precisely focuses the light for outstanding picture quality.

Samsung said it has now resolved technical issues affecting development of a marketable edge-lit LED LCD display, including inadequate brightness across the entire screen, and overheating of the outside frames and light-guide plate.