Sharp adds new AQUOS HDTVs for North America

Sharp on Wednesday unveiled several new AQUOS LCD high-definition televisions to the North American market, including two limited-edition models. Sharp's D65U lineup offers a native 1080p resolution, and spans between 42- and 52-inches, featuring a 6ms response time. Sharp touts the energy-saving features of the line, saying it is Energy Star-compliant, with active backlight and contrast controls to reduce energy consumption while the set is in use.

The D65U-series LCDs also feature Sharp's Advanced Super View and Black TFT Panel technologies, with a viewable range of 176-degrees horizontally. Five HDMI ports allow connections to 1080p devices, while also offering two composite inputs, one S-video, PC-in, and RS-232C. The 42-inch D65U sells for $1600, while the 46- and 52-inch versions will be available in October for $1900 and $2400, respectively.

In addition, two new limited edition models featuring 10-bit ASV LCD panels were unveiled: the LC-52XS1U-S and the LC-65XS1U-S. Sharp claims that the RGB-LED backlighting system offers 150-percent of the standard NTSC gamut, with a staggering 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Both TVs offer five HDMI connectors, a 1080p native resolution, RS-232C ports, PC inputs, and an assortment of other inputs.

Sharp offers an integrated 1-bit digital amplifier, to provide a more refined audio quality.

AQUOS XS1