Sharp Electronics will begin releasing three new series of LED edge-lit LCD TVs featuring a proprietary technology called QuadPixel – an RGBY four-primary-color filter that enables the display of a widened color gamut of more than a trillion colors.
According to Sharp senior vice president Bob Scaglione, the sets, to be available in three AQUOS series beginning in the spring, will “change the paradigm of how people view TV on the retail floor. Consumers will notice the difference immediately.”
All the new sets range from a 19-inch 720p set (LS410; May) upward. The flagship LE920 series (May availability) will have a screen depth of just 1.6 inches. It includes 52- and 60-inch screen sizes and an industry-first 68-inch screen. It features 240Hz motion-smoothing technology, a new version of the company’s AQUOSNet Internet access technology, and Netflix access capability. The 920 series and two other sub series all also feature X-Gen LCD panels that incorporate UV2A technology, for energy consumption reduction benefits.
Sharp is also introducing the D78 and D68 series of CCFL LCD TVs that range in size from 32 to 52 inches and in price from $699 to $1,799.
A new Blu-ray flagship, the BDHP70U ($499; Q1 availability), carries a new, anti-vibration chassis, is Energy Star4.0-compliant, offers BD-Live and Netflix capability, and is custom installation-ready, with an RS-232 port.
The debut of QuadPixel technology is one of a series of worldwide company innovations that Sharp Japan president and COO Mikio Katayama said would impact display, energy consumption and room environment technologies now and in the future. One such innovation, Sharp LED lighting technology that permits adjustment of both lighting color and brightness, will make its North American debut in March in commercial and industrial forms, and then migrate to the consumer level soon thereafter. It is said to be 80 percent more efficient than incandescent lighting, generates less heat and is more durable. Yet, unlike fluorescent lightbulbs, there is no mercury used in their production.
The company is also demonstrating a prototype of 3D technology at its CES booth.
