Sharp Corp. on Wednesday unveiled a prototype of what it said was the world's thinnest, lightest and most energy-efficient liquid crystal display TV as it races to take the lead in developing a next-generation lineup.

The 52-inch model shown to the media in Tokyo is only 2-cm thick, weighs 25 kg and consumes 140 kwh per year.

That's twice as thin and light as Sharp's current 52-inch model, which is 8.1 cm thick and weighs roughly 50 kg. The prototype also uses half the conventional model's power and one-fourth of that used by a comparable plasma TV, the company said.