42" Flat Panels: Gap Uses Fujitsu's 42-inch Flat Plasma Displays for Unique Retailing Application - Company Business and Marketing

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Nov 23, 1998

Gap is using Fujitsu's 42-inch flat panel displays in a unique retailing application that requires identical image quality simultaneously on 18 displays, Fujitsu Microelectronics, Inc. (FMI) announced Monday.

A "Video Totem," comprised of the display panels, hangs at the center of the three-story interior atrium in Gap's new flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The 18 displays feature Gap TV spots.

The application is unique because of the need for identical color and quality on all 18 panels, which are clustered close together. "The biggest challenge comes from the human eye, which can detect extremely subtle color variances," explained Joe Virginia, FMI's director of display marketing for display products. Fujitsu and the other team members together devised a way to control the color on all 18 displays through a single remote control, assuring uniformity.

For FMI, this is the first installation of color plasma display monitors in such a unique and highly visible application. According to Virginia: "Gap wanted a multimedia display that would provide a compelling visual experience for shoppers. So we offered them our largest, most visually appealing and most technologically advanced color plasma display."

"Fujitsu's 42-inch color plasma monitor places a new perspective on in-store displays," said John McElroy, FMI's vice president of marketing and strategic relations. "FMI not only had the most technically advanced flat panel display, we also provided the needed technical support so we could meet the Gap's unique requirements for this high-visibility in-store display."

Fujitsu's 42-inch flat panel display is a large-screen color plasma display monitor (PDP) featuring a 42-inch diagonal screen. The slim display produces clear, high-contrast (400:1) images at viewing angles up to 160 degrees. This space-saving monitor can be mounted on the wall or ceiling, making the product ideal for public displays. A predecessor to High Definition Television (HDTV) screens, Fujitsu's PDP is the largest direct-view color flat panel display in mass production today.

The leader in the flat panel display market, Fujitsu Limited has applied for more than 300 patents relating to PDP technology. Fujitsu pioneered the development and mass production of color plasma technologies and is the only company mass producing full-color flat panel displays for consumer and commercial applications.

Fujitsu has the largest installed base of color plasma products and the greatest amount of PDP manufacturing capacity. The company is currently mass producing 21-inch and 42-inch products, and will soon start shipping a 25-inch product. More than 1,000 of Fujitsu's 21-inch color plasma displays are presently in operation on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Applications for large-screen, flat panel displays are increasing across a number of vertical markets including multimedia presentations, public information displays, video teleconferencing, financial transactions and home entertainment.

Fujitsu Microelectronics, Inc. designs, markets and manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of advanced semiconductors and electronic devices. FMI: http://www.fujitsumicro.com.