The LC-52LE700UN is one of Sharp's new LED-backlit Aquos TVs.
(Credit: Sharp)Sharp's first line of LED-based LCD displays is called the LC-LE700UN series, and it's available in four screen sizes. Here's a quick look:
Models (availability, suggested retail price)
- LC-32LE700UN (July, $1,100)
- LC-40LE700UN (July, $1,700)
- LC-46LE700UN (July, $2,200)
- LC-52LE700UN (July, $2,800)
Key features of the Sharp LC-LE700 series
- 1080p native resolution
- LED backlight
- 120Hz refresh rate and dejudder processing
- EnergyStar compliant
- Four HDMI inputs
The company intends for the new Aquos LED series to be a wallet-friendly way to get LED-backlight technology. It looks like Sharp could live up to its low-price intention, as the LE700 series should be competitively priced against other LED-backlit models, like the Samsung UNB6000, the Toshiba SV670U, and the LG LH90 series.
The LE700 series features a "full array of LEDs" behind the screen, but doesn't have local dimming, a technology that allows different areas of the screen to brighten and dim separately. Past TVs we've reviewed with local dimming exhibited superb black levels, but we haven't tested any LED-equipped sets without local dimming aside from Samsung's edge-lit models, which didn't perform as well as the local dimming displays. Also, while Sharp is touting the LE700's native 120Hz refresh rate, a number of its LED competitors are already pushing 240Hz sets. Other than its energy-saving capabilities, it's not entirely clear how this kind of LED backlight offers much of an improvement over standard LCDs, so we'll have to look into it when we get our hands on the LE700 series.
On Sale Now: $727.47 - $999.99
View the latest prices for Sharp LC 32LE700UN
On Sale Now: $992.00 - $1,499.98
View the latest prices for Sharp LC-40LE700UN
On Sale Now: $1,219.46 - $1,999.98
View the latest prices for Sharp LC-46LE700UN
On Sale Now: $1,595.00 - $2,499.98
View the latest prices for Sharp LC-52LE700UN
Sharp's Aquos TV will come with a Blu-ray recorder built in.
(Credit: Sharp)Sharp will make the first LCD TV with a Blu-ray Disc recorder built in.
The high-definition disc recorder will be wedged into the side of Aquos DX-series TVs. It will have dual digital tuners, allowing users to watch and record simultaneously on different channels. It will record using the encoding format MPEG4 H.264/AVC.
The TVs will be available in sizes ranging between 26 inches and 52 inches for the equivalent of $4,923 to $1,674.
The catch? They're only available in Japan for now, but Sharp is planning to sell it in the U.S. by the end of the year, according to PC World.. Whether it would find success stateside is a little murkier. While competitor Panasonic has already said it's bringing Blu-ray recorders to the U.S. by the first half of 2009, some other CE manufacturers aren't so sure.
Sony, the most high-profile backer of the Blu-ray format, has no immediate plans to bring Blu-ray recorders here. The general lack of interest in DVD recorders (compared with interest in DVD players) thus far, doesn't bode well for widespread interest in recording devices for a format that still hasn't totally caught on with average consumers.
Plus, it's unclear what you'd actually be able to do with a Blu-ray recorder here, as studios tend to be sensitive about how consumers manipulate and use their content.
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
If all-in-one PCs and TVs are the way of the future, their stands may be following suit. Cabinet racks with integrated speakers have become almost standard fare from the likes of Sony, Yamaha, and Evesham. And now Sharp is throwing its hat into the ring too.
The Aquos Audio AN-ACD2 touts itself as a home theater built into a multimedia stand. The system features a 2.1-channel receiver and supposedly produces 150 watts of sound, according to Akihabara News.
Its $892 cost may seem a bit on the high side, but it could be a lot worse. Flatlift's "diamond dust" stand goes for $142,000, and it doesn't even have speakers.
(Credit:
Shiny SHiny)
Talk about opposite extremes. Plasma TV makers seem to think that's the direction--or directions--of the future, as they've unveiled a 142-inch screen and a 32-inch display in just the last few days alone. And LCD manufacturers are right behind them.
On the small front, Sharp has released LCD TVs in 22, 26 and 32 inches as part of its successful Aquos line. All in full 1080p high definition and equipped for game consoles, the sets are designed to serve as the hub of a home media system, according to Shiny Shiny. The modest-sized models could also be going after the "second TV" consumers who apparently make up a large growth market, though they're certainly not priced for bargain hunters.
But as far as small is concerned, we're holding out for an OLED version that can be wrapped around the wrist.
Many companies at CES are working on products that combine TV programming with related content from the Internet and distribute it throughout the home (Microsoft demonstrated some of these capabilities with Vista and Media Center Extenders during its keynote on Sunday). But Sharp is the first company to demonstrate a prototype product that can stream two simultaneous HD feeds and Internet content over the existing power lines in your home.
(Credit:
Sharp Electronics)
The technology, called Network AQUOS, uses PowerLine Communication modems to connect the TV and PC, and transmit high-quality audio, video and online content over Homeplug AV, a high-speed networking standard. At its booth, Sharp is demonstrating how you can watch a NASCAR race, for example, on an AQUOS high-definition LCD TV, and simultaneously download ticket information and directions (via Yahoo! Maps) through the computer and view it in the living room, without getting up off the couch--all through power lines.
Sharp hasn't said when Network AQUOS might find its way into the company's LCD TV line, but this working prototype is promising enough to pique our curiosity.
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