The TV on the wall: has its time come?

For many decades television engineers have dreamt of 'the TV on the wall'. The display engineer has always answered, 'maybe in about ten years time'. However now, for the first time, there is more than one technology offering a real possibility that the large, thin, flat television display will become a reality. There are three flat-panel technologies to consider: active matrix liquid crystal, plasma-addressed liquid crystal and plasma display panels. Television receivers utilising each of these approaches are appearing on the consumer market or are promised in the near future, albeit at a high price and in small quantities. The viability of high-definition TV (HDTV) is considered by some to be crucially dependent on the development of such displays and their promise for this application is considered. This paper reviews the key features of the three approaches and compares and contrasts their particular advantages and disadvantages for television applications. Finally, an attempt is made to answer the question posed by the title of the paper.