Sony’s KDL-40ZX1 Bravia, the world’s thinnest LCD TV

Osaka-based electronic component manufacturer Tabuchi Electric recently announced [JP, PDF] it has developed a switching power supply aimed at making flat-panel displays thinner. The new component is just 10 mm thick. Tabuchi says their existing power supplies are about 25mm thick.

Usually, TV makers need to incorporate three to four of these components into flat-panel displays. The extra-thin power supplies feature transformers without bobbins. They are just 8mm tall, 14mm shorter than the transformers Tabuchi used to produce.

Tabuchi plans to use the new power supplies in large displays sized 52 inches and up. The components are ready for mass production within this month (sales target: 200,000 units per year). They will be twice as expensive as conventional products.