Sharp Confirms 108-inch TV

Sharp has confirmed that it will produce a massive 108-inch LCD set, according to the company's European CEO Hans Kleis. The chief said that the TV, which has been shown at trade shows as a prototype in recent months, wasn't meant to be relegated to the sidelines and would be sold as a real product "in the future."

Prices were not mentioned, but will likely vary as the electronics maker intends to let buyers customize the set with diamonds and other exotic materials. The unnamed 108-inch set is one of the sharpest ever produced and quadruples the resolution of today's sets at 2160p (4096x2160).

Sharp has also announced two new mainstream sets for the European market. Joining the AQUOS line will be 46- and 52-inch models with built-in hard drives: either model packs in a 160GB disk for recording TV shows directly without resorting to an external DVR box. Each TV will also have dual sets of analog and digital tuners, allowing them to capture one show while viewing another, regardless of the format.

The new AQUOS sets are both 1080p-native and have improved image quality versus the AQUOS D62U models revealed for the US at January's CES expo. Panel response time has been improved to 4ms and is bolstered by an enhanced, 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (3,000:1 static); the sets also use the double-speed LCD panels to display Europe's PAL format at 100Hz, versus the 50Hz of normal signals.

Release dates and prices for the HD1 line weren't given, though both screens should appear within the next few months. [via TG Daily]

By Electronista Staff