Mary Jo Carlone
Frank Governale
MJC Communications CBS News
(414) 425-6164
(212) 975-8681
Mjccom@aol.com
For Immediate Release --
CBS Evening News Marks First Commercial Use
of Fujitsu's 42-inch Flat-Screen Plasma Display.
Can the Boardroom and Living Room be Far Behind?
San Jose, CA, June 26, 1996 -- CBS News is now using Fujitsu's 42-inch color plasma display panel in its evening news broadcast. It is the largest color, flat panel display available commercially.
The panel made its debut Tuesday, June 11, 1996, on the set of CBS Evening News. News anchor Dan Rather used the display at his desk to conduct a one-on-one remote interview with Bob Dole on his last day as a U.S. Senator. CBS News plans to use the panel on some Evening News broadcasts when Dan Rather interviews a guest from a remote location.
According to Eric Shapiro, Director/Producer, CBS Evening News and Special Events, "Advanced technology such as the Fujitsu display will help keep CBS News on the leading edge of broadcast journalism during this multimedia era."
Plasma technology has three major advantages that make it especially appropriate for broadcast purposes, according to Al Davis, director of Fujitsu Microelectronics, Inc.'s flat panel display business unit. Specifically, the technology can accept digital media (including high-definition TV signals); produce clear, bright, full-color images on a large screen; and permit viewing angles up to 160 degrees. "These key benefits are what make the panel destined for video telecommunications purposes in the business boardroom," said Davis. "They also are compelling reasons why many consumers will replace their current TVs or rear-projection systems with flat-screen, plasma display televisions in the near future," he continued.
Measuring 36.22-inches wide x 20.39-inches high x 2.95-inches thick and weighing about 40 pounds, Fujitsu's 42-inch plasma display is thin and lightweight enough to hang on a wall. A traditional cathode-ray tube television with the same dimensions would measure nearly three-feet deep and weigh close to 400 pounds.
The 42-inch display is scheduled to enter volume production in October 1996 at Fujitsu Limited's Miyazaki Plant in Japan. Key applications include wide-TV, public information displays, retail advertising and video telecommunications.
The Flat Panel Display business unit of Fujitsu Microelectronics, Inc. markets color AC-memory plasma displays, liquid crystal display (LCD) modules, and LCD front projection systems to original equipment manufacturers and value-added resellers in the Americas. The products are primarily used in the personal computer, medical, instrumentation, industrial equipment, multimedia presentation, and financial transaction markets. The company is headquartered at 3545 North First Street, San Jose, California, 95134.
For product information, telephone:
1-800-866-8608.