Sharp’s presence this year was extremely disappointing. Although the stand was quite large, and in a central location in Hall 6, most of it was private. There was no-one around to answer questions, and we had a hard time even finding out which TVs were new. As for release dates and prices…forget it!
Five new sets were showcased on the stand – all large models, of course, which is a speciality of Sharp. The smallest was the 55″ LC-55SFE7332. This unit had 1920 x 1080 resolution, with Miracast and WiDi support, as well as MHL-HDMI ports. A DVB-T/T2/C/S/S2 tuner was built in, as well as a CI+ slot.
Two 65″ models were on show, both with UltraHD resolution. They were the LC-65XUE8772 Titanium and LCD-65UR30A. The latter of these is more full-featured, with an RGBW panel, two 10W speakers and Miracast, WiDi and MHL-HDMI. A triple tuner (DVB-T/T2/C/S/S2) is also built in, and the TV comes in a 55″ size, as well. The UR30A supports HEVC and VP9, but no other information was shared.
The LC-70CUF8682 is very similar to the XUE8772; it features the same speakers, triple tuner and connectivity options, as well as a USB PVR. As well as the 70″ set, 60″ and 80″ models will be available.
Finally, Sharp had the 80″ LC-80XU30, which was marked as ‘Japan model’. It is an UltraHD unit with Sharp’s Quattron technology (adds an extra, yellow, sub-pixel) and ‘4k Next’ – an ‘8k equivalent’ technology. This is a continuation of Sharp pixel-splitting Quattron+ system (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 3), which was applied to 1920 x 1080 sets to bring them closer to UltraHD resolution. It was first seen at CES this year (Sharp Bridges High-Res Gap). In fact, this set appeared to be very similar to the 80″ prototype that was shown off at CES.
