LCD TVs are set to become so good that they will force Plasma screens into a very small niche market. That's according to Tommaso Monetto of Sharp who made the comments in an interview with Tech.co.uk.

"I think each technology has its own merits. Plasma traditionally has been better at producing a good contrast ratio. You can find very good qualities in both, starting from colour production, viewing angles, handling of fast motion. Nowadays the two are very comparable," he said.

"If you're planning to output 1080p content onto your new TV, you should definitely go with an LCD panel from Sharp because the likes of Pioneer have not managed to launch a 50-inch TV with 1080p resolution. If you want Sky HD or a Blu-ray player, get an LCD panel."

Monetto said that when it comes down to it, LCD is catching up in areas where Plasma was previously far superior and, in many ways, is now surpassing it.

LCD to kill off plasma?

Indeed, Sharp says that by 2011, LCD will have over 90 per cent of the flatscreen TV market. Sharp's 10th generation LCD factories are set to go online in 2010 and will be producing massive LCD TVs with 100,000:1 contrast ratios and a thickness of only 20mm. Monetto says this is something Plasma cannot match and probably never will.

"I think you will always have loyal Plasma buyers who enjoy the colour temperature of plasma panels, but if you look at the price erosion of our sets, Plasma cannot match that. So you're probably going to get to a situation whereby dealers will not stock Plasma anymore because consumers will just want LCD and not Plasma.

"It's not inconceivable that the likes of Panasonic which makes both LCD and plasma screens will withdraw from the Plasma market because there just isn't as much demand, and the demand that there is at present is only going to go down," he said.

Clearly, an LCD-exclusive manufacturer is always going to say that plasma has no future. But still, it's hard to argue with Sharp in this case. And those new 10th generation 20mm-thick TVs do look absolutely fantastic.

Anyone who's seen the brilliant new 8th generation Plasma screen range from Pioneer on the other hand, might well disagree.