103" $80,000 Plasma Full-HD TV from Panasonic

Panasonic said on Thursday it would start selling the world's largest television set, featuring a 103-inch (262-centimetre) screen, for $80,000. "That's before installation cost," said a Panasonic spokesman at the IFA consumer electronics fair here. Panasonic is the main brand name for products of Japanese electronics giant Matsushita. The set is five inches thick.

From Engadget:

Oh goodie, Panasonic's 103-inch plasma just went up for pre-order in the US of The Fonz (get it, "Aaaaa"). Sure, the TH-103PF9UK's gonna cost ya, but you'll have it just in time to kick it with Bing as he croons his way around in those snappy yuletide sweaters at full, 1080p HD resolution. Well, almost. See, that massive 95.0 × 55.9 × 5.0-inch (2,414 × 1,421 × 127.5-mm) frame sports just one UXGA-capable DVI-D input, one component video in, and a couple of D-sub 15 and D-sub9 RS-232C jacks for your PC. That's right, for $69,999.95, you get 1600 x 1200 resolution out of the box. If you want to see this thing perform at that 1920 x 1080 resolution so often touted, then you'll have to drop even more cash for the optional HD-SDI expansion board. Hell, while you're at it, you'd best take their advice and pony-up for the professional installation -- 'cause at 474-pounds (215Kg) nobody wants to see a flat Santa.

From Gizmodo:

SOLD: First 103-Inch Plasma, to NBC Meatheads

Geeks, we lost. It reminds me of wedgies and having lunchroom meatloaf dumped on my head, but the first two Panasonic 103-inch plasmas were just sold to NBC for use on the set of Football Night in America. No, the first thing to run on these TVs won't be Xbox. The set, with a fully HD, 1920 by 1080 resolution screen, a 5000:1 contrast ratio, will first run the live version of Madden. The TV still has the screen real estate equivalent to four 50-inch plasmas, or a queen-sized bed.

And its full abilities have just surfaced. Everything looks standard (except the size, obviously) But we like the selective backlight control that tweaks contrast on individual parts of the screen. Want? Whateva! If you're so poor that you actually have to read Gizmodo without a Butler pouring wine into your mouth, fuggetabout it. The TV will be available for $69,999.95, come November. Panasonic says keep the extra nickel. They also said F U to Mark Cuban, who begged to be the first to buy it. Looks like between the 100-inch LCD, and this baby (huey) this could be the year that TVs got too big to fit in our livingrooms.– Brian Lam