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aquos posts

Sharp says ITC ban on LCD imports won't affect US consumers

by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 25th 2009 at 4:01PM

We just spent some time talking to Sharp's reps about that ITC ban on its LCD panels, and while they certainly didn't sound happy about the ruling, they made it clear that it shouldn't have too much of an effect on US consumers -- Aquos TVs and Sharp professional LCD displays currently on shelves are fine to be sold, and updated models have been hitting the channel as of last month. As you'd expect, the new displays have been re-engineered to workaround the Samsung patent in question, but here's where it gets confusing: the basic model numbers haven't changed. Instead, the new units have an "N" at the end, so a TV like the Aquos LC52-E77U will now be labeled LC52-E77UN. Sharp says the updated models have exactly the same specs as the outgoing ones, but we're waiting on a detailed list of spec changes -- or better, a side-by-side comparison -- so we can decide whether or not the HDTV equivalents of a pre-CBS Fender are floating around out there.

Update: Sharp hit us back with some revised information, so we've changed the post slightly.

Yahoo Japan fires up video delivery service for Sharp AQUOS TVs

by Darren Murph, posted May 28th 2009 at 10:59AM


With Akihabara, mobile TV that works and games like this, does Japan really need another nicety to remind us of how awesome it is? Starting this week, Yahoo Japan has started to deliver free video services to loads of Sharp AQUOS HDTVs. The so-called Douga Channel currently offers some 3,000 videos gratis, and absolutely no member registration is required to tap in. At least initially, the service will target Sharp's AQUOS DS6 family of products, which are equipped with a revised Sharp GUI and an 'Ex System' for handling the video processing. Better still, the material coming through can be viewed in SD or HD, which has to make local cable companies cringe. At any rate, the company is still trying to hammer out a business model before delving into pay-TV, and it's hoping to service at least one million TV sets in the not-too-distant future. So... any news for North America?

Sharp's 20-inch AQUOS DX LCD HDTV has a built-in Blu-ray player, no 1080p panel

by Darren Murph, posted May 22nd 2009 at 7:39AM


Cute Sharp, real cute. Brag about releasing the world's first 20-inch LCD HDTV with a built-in Blu-ray player, but don't even mention to consumers that they won't have the luxury of seeing their flicks in full resolution. For reasons unknown, the latest set in the AQUOS DX range does indeed pack a remarkably convenient integrated BD player, but the 1,366 x 768 resolution makes the whole thing sort of pointless. As Liz Lemon would say: "That's a deal-breaker, ladies." At any rate, folks who snap one up in Japan will also find a digital TV tuner, DVD support, a 1,500:1 contrast ratio and 450 nits of brightness. It'll be available in black (LC-20DX1-B) and white (LC-20DX1-W) for ¥150,000 ($1,593) at the tail end of next month in the Land of the Rising Sun.

[Via Engadget German]

Gallery: Sharp's 20-inch AQUOS DX LCD HDTV has a built-in Blu-ray player, no 1080p panel

Sharp's AQUOS D series 10 gets hip with the online kick

by Tim Stevens, posted May 11th 2009 at 6:41AM

Sharp's AQUOS D series 10 gets hip with the online kick
Bargain LCDs are selling like hotcakes, but apparently folks are still buying the higher-end models too. Just a few weeks after announcing its new A series, Sharp is now releasing another new selection of sets, the AQUOS D 10 series. Ranging in size from 32- to 52-inches, the new LCDs have similar specs to the A, including a 1080p resolution, 15,000:1 contrast ratio, a judder-hating 120Hz mode, and the ability to automatically adjust contrast, but will sport one potentially major addition: compatibility with online video content services. Right now streaming seems limited to Yahoo! Japan's online offerings, but if and when these come Stateside here's hoping they have a little Hulu up in there. All are said to be shipping in Japan right now for an undisclosed price.

[Via Akihabara News]

Sharp's 10th generation LCD plant opening ahead of schedule this fall

by Richard Lawler, posted Apr 10th 2009 at 8:47AM


Make a little more space on the wall, Sharp announced that its new 10G plant, will open in October. Originally scheduled to open next year, the new process can produce 6 60-inch LCDs in one substrate, 60% larger than the old 8G plant. When it open it will be capable of manufacturing 36,000 substrates per month, and go up to 72,000 later, which should mean nothing but bigger and cheaper HDTVs on store shelves.

New York Mets' Citi Field set to be loaded with AQUOS HDTVs

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 24th 2009 at 5:33PM


It's still up in the air whether the New York Mets will have a solid 2009 season, but one thing is for certain: locals are stoked to see Citi Field open up on April 13th. Sharp has just pushed out a press release that gives baseball loving HD junkies even more reason to go check out a game in person, as we're told that over 800 AQUOS HDTVs will be littered about the new venue. There will also be a gigantic 108-inch Sharp LCD in Citi Field's main lobby, which ought to complement the 12,000 square-feet of Daktronics HD signage quite well. Man, stuff like this really makes us rethink the whole "stay home vs. see it live" debate. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading New York Mets' Citi Field set to be loaded with AQUOS HDTVs

Sharp debuts AQUOS A series LCD HDTVs in Japan

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 9:59AM


Sharp already introduced us to its BD and E series at CES this year, but this here A team is something different. Debuting first in Japan, this threesome is comprised of the 52-inch LC-52AE6, 46-inch LC-46AE6 and 40-inch LC-40AE6, all of which sport 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions and a digital TV tuner. The whole crew also includes 120Hz de-judder technology, a 15,000:1 contrast ratio, 450 nits of brightness and 176-degree viewing angles. Moreover, each one features an integrated ambient light sensor to adjust the backlight automatically depending on surrounding light, and they also pack a pair of stereo speakers in case your surround rig is currently out of order. The larger two are expected to ship on May 15th, while the small fellow heads out on April 10th; as for pricing, we're hearing ¥390,000 ($4,048), ¥260,000 ($2,698) and ¥200,000 ($2,076) from largest to most diminutive.

[Via Impress]

Gallery: Sharp debuts AQUOS A series LCD HDTVs in Japan

Four new Aquos Blu-ray DVRs on the way from Sharp

by Richard Lawler, posted Mar 5th 2009 at 8:04AM


Sharp's back again with four more Blu-ray DVRs unlikely to ever see release here in the U.S., but all the rage in Japan. The main upgrade from last year is improved compression, going up to 7x, squeezing HD down to 3.4Mbps MPEG-4 AVC to fit up to 30 hours of HD on each disc. The top of the line BD-HDW40 features 1TB of hardware storage, dual digital TV tuners, 1080p/60 output, BD-Live, and all the oxygen-free copper cabling and anti-vibration tech one would expect, with the other three spec sheets causing predictably lowered paroxysms of pleasure for slightly lower prices.

Sharp's 32- / 37-inch Blu-ray AQUOS LCD HDTVs up for pre-order

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 12:23PM


Right on cue, Sharp has offered two of its new Blu-ray-equipped AQUOS HDTVs up for pre-order. The 32-inch LC-32BD60U and 37-inch LC-37BD60U both feature 1080p panels, a trio of HDMI inputs, six millisecond response times and a slot-loading Blu-ray player on the side. Best of all, the 32-incher is coming up a dollar under a grand, while the 37-inch sibling will only run you $1,199. Sure, they're a bit pricey compared to optical drive-less alternatives, but if you've been holding off on simultaneously scratching the BD + new TV itch, here's your sign.

[Via GadgetReview]

Sharp's LC-52D85U LCD HDTV reviewed: at least the image quality rocks

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 26th 2009 at 1:24AM


When it comes to HDTVs, there's really only one thing that matters most: picture quality. Evidently Sharp's engineers took this to heart, as the 52-inch LC-52D85U was harshed on in just about every other area. The remote was picked apart for having minuscule buttons and a near-worthless backlight, while the on-screen menus were lambasted for being difficult to navigate. Heck, critics even blasted the omission of an SD card slot, Ethernet jack, USB socket and picture-in-picture functionality. One thing they couldn't slam, however, was the quality of the images coming from the screen, with critics noting that "at $2,300, this model provides the best picture for its price among the 50- and 52-inch sets." So, do you stare at your HDTV, or tinker with it? That, friends, is the question.

The HDTVs of CES 2009

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 20th 2009 at 2:00PM Featured Story


It's easy to see that a whole slew of new HDTVs were introduced to the world at CES, but actually keeping up with 'em is another thing entirely. In an effort to make sure you aren't duped into thinking that set you're about to buy is actually a CES '09-announced set, we've laid out the entire line of newcomers (ones that'll actually see store shelves -- we avoided the concepts to save you some grief) just past the break, complete with scheduled release dates and prices where applicable. Nah, you won't find any big screen OLEDs in there (maybe next year, kids), but there's plenty of Hz, pixels and inches to go around.

Continue reading The HDTVs of CES 2009

Sharp delivers Blu-ray-packing BD-series Aquos LCDs for the US

by Richard Lawler, posted Jan 7th 2009 at 4:53PM


Credit Sharp for still coming through a few surprises, sure you knew 32- and 42-inch Aquos HDTVs with built-in Blu-ray players, but they filled out the line with the 37-, 46- and 52-inch variations previously seen in Japan (no 26-inch love?) Built around the latest Superlucent ASV panel for reduced glare and bright, crisp picture quality, they didn't forget 24p support on the HDMI jacks, just in case you still want to plug another Blu-ray player in. No price, but with ATSC and QAM tuners plus RS-232C inputs, for a TV in a locations where a connected player doesn't make sense, these aren't a bad option when they ship later this month (32-, 37-, 42-inch) or in February (46-, 52-inch.) Press release is after the break.

Continue reading Sharp delivers Blu-ray-packing BD-series Aquos LCDs for the US

Sharp to unveil 32- / 42-inch Blu-ray-equipped LCD HDTVs at CES 2009

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 26th 2008 at 3:17AM


You already knew that Sharp would be gearing up to bring a pair of Blu-ray-infused LCD HDTVs to the United States next month, but did you have any idea that they would be showing their faces first in Las Vegas? Yep, according to Wired, the BD-packin' 32- / 42-inch AQUOS DX HDTVs will be shown off first at CES 2009, after which they'll quickly multiply and separate out to various retail outlets across the land. Also, we fully expect to get pricing details for the couple at the show, but that's obviously not guaranteed.

[Via CDFreaks]

Sharp's 65-inch LC-65RX1M launches in UAE

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 25th 2008 at 12:35AM


The UAE may be short on HDTV content, but there's no shortage of Blu-ray material to watch. To that end, Sharp's giving those with big eyes and bigger egos a chance to indulge with the launch of its RX Series in the region. The 65-inch LC-65RX1M is first on the scene, bringing with it a 1080p panel, 3,000:1 contrast ratio, 450 nits of brightness, 12-millisecond response time and a wide assortment of ports. Oddly, there's no mention of price, but it should be available locally right now.

Sharp giving away free BD-HP21U Blu-ray player with most AQUOS HDTVs

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 22nd 2008 at 2:08AM


With LCD HDTV sales expected to slow dramatically in the new year, it's no wonder that Sharp's playing the tried-and-true "Buy something, get something else free" card in order to shave down its presumably bloated AQUOS HDTV inventory. From now until January 31, 2009, anyone who purchases one of over a dozen AQUOS HDTVs will receive a Profile 1.1 BD-HP21U Blu-ray deck absolutely free; if you're after the next model up, you can opt for $300 off of the purchase of a BD-HP50U Blu-ray player. Curiously, there's no mention of where exactly this promotion is valid, but we get the idea that you'll have to buy from a Sharp authorized retailer and pay way too close to MSRP in order to qualify. Prayerfully we're dead wrong, but you can decide for yourself by checking the full print after the break.

Continue reading Sharp giving away free BD-HP21U Blu-ray player with most AQUOS HDTVs





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