New York--As if plasma televisions weren’t thin enough, manufacturers are gearing up to launch models that will be miniscule in depth and promise even brighter picture.

In the next couple of years, consumers should expect to see advances in plasma TVs on the market from the leading display-panel manufacturers.

“The plasma market is only about eight years old," said Jim Palumbo, president of the Plasma Display Coalition. “There’s a lot of room for tremendous development.”

While these new plasma displays will come with a premium, they should quickly come down in price given the nature of the consumer electronics market, which sees prices drop precipitously each year. The moves on the part of the industry are in response to the huge demand for flat panel TVs that hang elegantly on your wall.

“Plasmas are going to get even thinner and have extremely better quality," said Palumbo. “Flat panel is where the industry is moving.” According to Palumbo, 30 million plasma televisions are expected to be sold this year, up from around 25 million last year.

While plasma displays are already thin, at least compared with their boob-tube brethren, Palumbo said manufacturers are gearing up to make them even slimmer.

“Many members [of the Plasma Display Coalition] have announced 1.5 inch panels to be available possibly toward the end of 2009," said Palumbo. While aesthetically pleasing, having super-thin displays will also mean they will weigh less and use less energy, he noted.

“There’s an ongoing development process on plasmas to drive greater brightness, higher contrast and less energy," said the executive.

Hitachi, the Tokyo consumer-electronics maker, plans to launch its line of Ultra Thin plasmas that are 1.5 inches in depth. The Ultra Thin plasmas are expected to go on sale in 2009. Panasonic, the Japanese manufacturer, is working on a 50-inch plasma display that will be less than one inch thick. Meanwhile Pioneer, also of Tokyo, has been showing a 50-inch plasma display that is a mere nine millimeters thin.

On the energy-conservation front, Panasonic displayed a 42-inch panel at the Consumer Electronics Show in January that will have double-efficiency technology that will enhance the brightness of the picture with half the power consumption. Panasonic is the first plasma maker to eliminate all lead from its plasma panels. Panasonic says its plasma displays have a life of 42 years, when viewing it 6.5 hours a day.
 
But energy conservation and thinness aren’t the only things the plasma makers are working on. According to Palumbo, the companies are working to improve the viewing angle of the displays and the contrast.

“Their improving the widest viewing angle so there’s no degradation in color from a vertical and horizontal view," said Palumbo. “Not everyone has the sweet spot in the center.’’  

As for the better contrast, he noted that Pioneer, with its Project KURO, showcased a concept display that is the first to have a completely black screen -- which means you will easily be able to tell whether a person on TV is wearing a black or navy blue suit, for example.

“When you turn on a program, you see a black screen but its not always black -- there’s luminance coming through," said Palumbo. With a completely black screen you get the highest range of contrast, he said.

While better pictures, thinner displays and more energy efficient plasmas are important, the ultimate in bragging rights for plasma manufactures comes from the size. Today plasmas come in sizes ranging from 42 inches  to an eye popping 105 inches. But Panasonic didn’t think that was enough. The manufacturer is gearing up to introduce a 150-inch display later in the year.

With a likely price tag of over $50,000, the mega display isn’t for everybody. But if you have the disposable cash or are a corporate customer,  that plasma display may be all it takes to prove that size does matter.