In response to demand for slimmer televisions, Samsung Electronics LCD Business, located in San Jose, Calif., has begun mass producing ultraslim LCD panels suited for large size TVs. The company’s edge-lit LED backlighting offers lighter weight and thinner designs, which is preferable for wall mounting over bulkier direct-lit LED LCDs. The LED-backlit panels also are mercury-free and consume less energy. A 55-inch Samsung HDTV with edge-lit LED backlighting uses up to 40 percent less power than conventional LCD TVs. 10.8 mm thick, the new Samsung panels are a fourth the thickness of conventional LCD panels and come in 40-inch, 46-inch and 55-inch diagonal sizes. While a direct-lit LED backlight will project light forward across the full expanse of the display from the front, edge-lit LEDs emit light from a row of LEDs on the top and bottom of every panel, using less power. The edge-lit technology gathers the light toward the center of the display and bends it, reflecting it forward through a light-guide plate that precisely focuses the light for good picture quality. Samsung said it has now resolved technical issues affecting development of a marketable edge-lit LED LCD display, including inadequate brightness across the entire screen, and overheating of the outside frames and light-guide plate.