IFA 2008: Sony reveals World's thinnest LCD TV

In a pre-IFA press conference, Sony wowed an unsuspecting crowd with the unveiling of its first super-slim 40-inch Bravia LCD TV.

Thanks to side-mounted LED backlighting, the KDL-40ZX1, as announced by Sony bigwigs including Sir Howard Stringer, is only a staggering 9.9mm thick (at its thinnest point) almost replicating the width of the company's 27inch OLED model. And, unlike other manufacturer's superthin panels, it is genuinely a television (rather than a monitor) - thanks to a separate media box which contains a tuner and four HDMI inputs. There is also no need for wires to clutter the ZX1's svelte aesthetics as the box features Wireless HD, allowing the screen to be fed signals up to 1080p with no cabling.

There's no scrimping on the picture processing either, with Motionflow 100Hz and Image Blur technologies present. Remarkably, the TV is actually due to hit UK stores in December, making it the World's slimmest full-production LCD TV. Unfortunately, there's no pricing details as yet, but we reckon it'll be reassuringly expensive.

Sony also revealed that it will be the first company to launch fully-functional 200Hz LCD TVs, doubling and (in a lot of cases) even quadrupling the normal refresh rate of rival screens, with its Z4500 range. They too will be on the market in time for Christmas 2008.

The final TV announcement from the Japanese company is that its picture frame series of LCD screens, the Bravia EX1s, are also to be fed by Wireless HD. Certainly, there are exciting times ahead for Sony fans.