September launch for 103-inch TV

The largest plasma screen TV in the world is on its way in September

Matsushita will start taking orders in Japan on 1 September for the world's largest plasma TV screen.

Matsushita, which owns the Panasonic brand, says shipments of the 103-inch screens could start in late September.

Only 20% of the customers for the monster screen, selling at 6m yen ($50,000; £28,000), will be TV viewers.

Businesses that need electronic billboards will account for many of the 5,000 units Matsushita hopes to sell every year.

Korean rivals

The 103-inch panel is bigger than a double-sized mattress and weighs about as much as an upright piano.

The company is the world's largest plasma TV maker and competes with South Korean electronics giants Samsung and LG.

Samsung has already developed a 102-inch plasma screen TV but has not launched this onto the market.

The arrival of the huge TV screen has been prompted by the growing size of LCD TVs, which are encroaching on the traditional territory of plasma screens and forcing firms like Matsushita to scale up their plasma displays.