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CES 2013: Ultra High Definition the Future of Television?

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January 9, 2013

With an array of 4K televisions taking center stage at this year’s CES, Sharp is showing a prototype 8K (7680 × 4320 pixels) TV in its booth, which the company describe as “The Future of Television.” While the technology is impressive, there are a number of challenges both 4K and 8K (known collectively as UHDTV) will need to overcome — including the cost to consumers, lack of available content, and significant changes to production workflows. Continue reading CES 2013: Ultra High Definition the Future of Television?

CES 2013: Sharp Rolls Out IGZO Ultra HD Pro Monitors

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January 7, 2013

Energy efficiency, sharper HD imagery and increased screen-touch sensitivity. Who wouldn’t want all that? Sharp is betting that everyone does. The company is showcasing tablets, TVs and smartphones that use Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) technology. Early products include two 32-inch professional class LCD monitors – the PN-K321, which debuts in February, and a prototype model with 10-point touchscreen capability. Continue reading CES 2013: Sharp Rolls Out IGZO Ultra HD Pro Monitors

CES 2013: Phones to Tout Quad Cores, 1080p and Flexible Screens

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January 6, 2013

The smartphone continues to grow in popularity and power as the always-on processing unit of choice. Quad-core units, phones with screen displays of 1080p and outsized “phablets” are expected to take center stage at the 2013 International CES. There’ll be a wow-factor, like the 5.5-inch flexible screen Samsung prototype, and a now-factor, like wireless pocket chargers from Energizer and Lilliputian that provide up to 20x life. Continue reading CES 2013: Phones to Tout Quad Cores, 1080p and Flexible Screens

Rumor Update: Apple to Partner with Sharp, not Samsung, on 2012 iTV

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November 28, 2011
  • Add the following news to the growing collection of Apple rumors we’ve heard in the last month…
  • Mashable reports: “Apple’s relationship with Samsung has deteriorated, and the Cupertino giant may be working with Sharp on the next generation displays for upcoming devices such as the iPad 3, iPhone 5 and a little something called iTV, claims Jefferies analyst Peter Misek.”
  • According to Misek, the mythical Apple smart TV, which has been a popular subject of recent speculation, is not just a rumor. “Sharp is working on modified amorphous TFT LCD panels for the device,” indicates the post.
  • Misek places commercial production as early as February with a mid-2012 release date. The new HDTV will reportedly feature some use of Siri, Apple’s voice-activation feature.
  • While Apple has not made an official announcement yet, competitors are scrambling to prepare for another player in the market, suggests a related BGR post.

Sharp Showcases 4K LCD Prototype at Tokyo Electronics Exhibition

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October 4, 2011
  • Sharp is unveiling its new 60-inch LCD TV touting a 3,840×2,160 resolution at CEATEC in Japan this week.
  • The prototype offers four times the definition of full HD and uses ICC (Integrated Cognitive Creation) technology developed by the I3 (I-cubed) Research Center in Kawasaki. ICC attempts to emulate depth and distance experienced when viewing scenes in real life.
  • According to the video demo, the technology involves more than up-conversion of HD content to 4K and noise reduction. Instead, it offers “viewers a sense of perspective, 3D dimensionality and texture that’s much more similar to the natural world” by creating images with “an optical signal instead of an electrical signal.”
  • “It’s not as impressive as that 85-inch TV with Super Hi-Vision resolution (7,680×4,320 pixels) Sharp showed in May this year,” reports TechCrunch, “but in contrast to that model, the 4K TV has a (vague) sales date: sometime in 2012 and in Japan first, according to the company.”

Elite Premium TVs Merge the Best of Pioneer and Sharp

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August 8, 2011
  • The new Elite brand of premium LCD TVs is the result of a collaboration between Pioneer and Sharp.
  • Two LED-based LCD models (60- and 70-inch) are 3D, THX certified, claim a refresh rate of greater than 240Hz and feature full-array backlighting instead of edge lighting. They also feature online services such as CinemaNow, Netflix, VUDU and YouTube.
  • Elite TVs include a yellow sub pixel with the standard red/blue/green, that when added together, creates more than 8 million dots on the screen.
  • “But the feature that the company is most hyping is something called Intelligent Variable Contrast,” reports Electronic House. “Found only on the new Elite TVs, it automatically controls both the brightness and backlight to enhance color depth, brilliance and detail in dark areas.”
  • The 3D Elites will ship with active shutter glasses — MSRP of $5,999 for the 60-inch model and $8,499 for the 70-inch.

Sharp Announces New Smartphone-Linked TVs

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June 16, 2011
  • Sharp announced it will launch new Internet-ready TVs next month in Japan that can interact with its smartphones.
  • The new Aquos L Series will enable Internet access via a new online platform called Aquos City.
  • The platform plans to offer “news, entertainment and weather forecasts, among other content and services.”
  • The TVs will also link with Sharp’s Aquos cellphones and smartphones (but not with non-Sharp handsets).
  • “Users will be able to take videos with their mobile handsets and send them to the TV, for example.”
If successful, will we see this in the US? Or will adoption be contingent upon interaction with other devices?

Sharp Builds Prototype of Super Hi-Vision LCD

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May 20, 2011

Sharp announced it has built the first 85-inch LCD panel with resolution it claims is 16 times that of current HDTV panels. The prototype was developed for Super Hi-Vision, a next-generation television system being developed primarily by Japan Broadcasting Corporation, NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai). Super Hi-Vision expects to provide four times as much detail horizontally and vertically (7,680 by 4,320 pixels) than today’s HDTV images.

According to Network World, the first public trials of Super Hi-Vision are expected to begin around 2020 (although Engadget reports there is a possibility of early demonstrations taking place during the 2012 Olympics). Each frame of a Super Hi-Vision image is equivalent to a 33-megapixel picture; therefore, as Network World points out: “…highly complex cameras, mixing and switching systems, and recorders and transmission equipment need to be made to handle the huge bandwidth of the video image.” Sharp’s prototype is the next step toward the realization of the next-gen system.

Sharp’s 85-inch LCD, which was not formally demonstrated in Los Angeles at SID Display Week 2011, will be unveiled to the public for the first time later this month at NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo.

Related Network World article: “Sharp develops super high-def screen for future TV” (5/18/11)

Related Sharp press release: “Sharp and NHK Successfully Develop 85-Inch Direct-View LCD Compatible with Super Hi-Vision, a World First” (5/19/11)

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