Matsushita Electric Industrial will offer four new HD plasma models--including a 103-inch 1080p panel--with hopes of challenging the HD market share of LCD units. Under its Panasonic brand, Matsushita plans to release the plasma models in Japan by September, according to Reuters.

The mammoth 103-inch Panasonic brand monitor (TH-103PF9UK), which will come with a three-year warranty, will start out with a suggested list price of about $70,000 and could be available in North America by early 2007 (HD Notebook, July 13, 2006).

Matsushita said the 103-inch unit has a contrast ratio of 4,000:1 and an effective display area approximately 89 inches wide and 50 inches high. Initially, the TH-103PF9UK will be marketed to corporations, trade show exhibitors, advertisers and to other professional applications, rather than consumers.

The monitor has three interchangeable slots and comes with a TY-FB9DD DVI board (compatible with UXGA input). Its power requirement is 240 VAC 60/50 Hz. The monster set features an image-enlarging function for use in creating multiscreen displays, allowing users to enlarge images up to four times, vertically and horizontally.