Matsushita to sell record 103-inch plasma TVs

TOKYO, July 10 (Reuters) Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. said on Monday it planned to unveil plasma TVs using the world's largest 103-inch panels by the end of the year, followed closely by a commercial launch.

The company, known for Panasonic brand electronics, said the retail price has yet to be set. Matsushita's 65-inch plasma TVs, its largest available now, sell for about ,500 in Japan.

Matsushita is the world's largest plasma TV maker competing with smaller rivals such as South Korea's LG Electronics Inc.

Samsung SDI Co. Ltd., also in South Korea, has developed 102-inch plasma panels, but has not launched them commercially.

As liquid crystal display TVs encroach on the market for 40-inch TVs and above -- which had previously seen as plasma TV's turf -- developing even larger-sized panels is important for plasma TV makers to remain competitive.

Matsushita also said it had started taking orders for the 103-inch panels in the United States for business use, such as studio monitors at broadcasting companies and electronic billboards, and planned to deliver them from this autumn.

Matsushita aims to sell 5,000 units of 103-inch panels a year, with TV demand accounting for little less than 20 percent, which can be calculated into annual sales of some 1,000 103-inch TVs.

The new panels will meet full high-definition specifications, meaning they can produce images at the highest standard of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels of resolution.

Shares of Matsushita were up 0.6 percent at 2,370 yen in late afternoon, roughly in line with the Tokyo stock market's electrical machinery index.

REUTERS CS PM1117