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Samsung first announced this mammoth plasma display back in January. Back then they called it “the world’s biggest plasma”, and I think that still holds true 7 months later. Well, it’s not out yet, but Agilent Technologies today announced that its miniature optocouplers have been incorporated into the 80″ plasma display (FYI, optocouplers isolate sensitive circuitry from high-voltage surges by converting high-voltage electricity into light, preventing costly damage to the plasma panel). Anyways, this means that Samsung is actually going to be releasing the breakthrough 80-inch display soon… which means you’ll be able to watch a true 1080p image (1,920 x 1,080 resolution) on a 80″ plasma soon. The 80-incher is expected to begin shipping in the second half of 2004. Too bad interest rates are going up, ’cause you’ll need to get a second mortgage to pay for this display.