Oh yeah, Sharp still makes TVs. They have some interesting technologies, like the mysterious 4th pel (yellow), and some very energy efficient TVs, but their market share is brutal.
However, they fed us at the press conference, so clearly we have to cover them in an “unbiased” fashion. I only ate about half of it, so… Sharp is releasing some amazingly sufficient TVs!!
More marginally amusing coverage after the jump.
Sharp’s biggest news, pun intended, is the 70-inch LC-70LE732U, which has their Generation 10 glass, Quattron Quad Pixel (yellow), and has full-array LED backlighting. It will be available in May.
The LE835 Series will have 40 (LC-40LE835U), 46 (LC-46LE835U), 52 (LC-52LE835U), and 60-inch (LC-60LE835U) models. All are also Gen10 glass, edge-lit, have AquoMotion 240, Quattron, and are 3D. These TVs will feature Sharp’s expanded streaming offerings with the likes of Netflix, VUDU, and CinemaNow. All will be available in February.
The LE830 series is 2D, but does have the built-in WiFi and Internet streaming. There will be a 40 (LC-40LE830U), 46 (LC-46LE830U), 52 (LC-52LE830U), and 60-inch (LC-60LE830U) models when they’re available in March.
The LC-60LE632U is a 60-inch, edge-lit model that’s 120Hz and has built-in WiFi with Internet streaming. It will be available in April.
The LC-42D69U and LC-32D59U will be available in February but aren’t LED lit and don’t have Internet streaming or Quattron.
Auto-Stereoscopic
Sharp has talked about auto-stereoscopic 3D for years. The demo at the show was meager at best. You can read my writeup on it here.
Well…
To be honest, I can’t quite figure out what the deal is with Sharp. They’re often the first to talk about a new technology, yet are almost always a year behind the competition in implementing them. They sold one of, if not the first “big” LCD TVs for the home. They talked about Internet content on TVs long before I remember anyone else mentioning it. The auto-stereoscopic display I mentioned above.
But instead of concentrating on the things that matter to consumers, they come up with these weird gimmicks like Quattron (with an admittedly decent marketing push).
Even with Internet streaming they’re a step behind. Take a look at what Samsung, Sony, and even Panasonic are doing, and the Sharp offering looks a “oh yeah, we have that too.”
There doesn’t seem to be any standouts in this year’s lineup of Sharp LCDs, but at least they’re offering stuff that’s on par with some of what else is out there. Maybe they’ll surprise us all by being excellent.
â€â€Geoffrey Morrison
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