sharp

You know how big a TV you want, but you just can't decide which one. Here are a few suggestions.

The list below collects the highest-rated TVs we've reviewed so far this year, starting at 32 inches and going up to 70. CNET's TV ratings incorporate Value, so these aren't necessarily the hands-down best in picture quality--click here if you want those. I intentionally kept Sharp's 80-inch behemoth off the list since we didn't really like it much. The smallest TV we've rated this year, the 26-inch Samsung UN26EH4000, doesn't deserve a spot either since our hands-on review was of its 32-inch series mate, and we never compared other 26-inchers.

The rest of these sets fall between that range, and appear in ascending order of screen size. We also threw in a runner-up--the second-highest rated TV available for sale in each size range--for people who don't like door number one. Speaking of door number one, it's the Panasonic ST50 for anyone who wants a TV from 50 to 65 inches.

We also updated this list since initial publication, subbing in the still-available HX850 for the discontinued Vizio M3D470KD.

… Read more

Sharp's new 1,080x1,920 LCD panels will feature a pixel density of 443 ppi that the technology giant claims is 1.3 times the industry standard and "among the highest in the world."

Production began at the end of September at Mie Plant No. 3 in Kameyama, Japan. The plant currently produces LCD television sets starting with the panels all the way through final assembly.

Full-scale production of the new smartphone screens is due to begin this month.

The new LCD panel integrates the latest in silicon tech, a new pixel design, and a revamped manufacturing … Read more

Sharp is eyeing steep workforce cuts to become more agile and adapt to its hard times, a new report claims.

The company is currently considering cutting more than 10,000 jobs, representing approximately 18 percent of its workforce, Bloomberg is reporting today, citing sources. The company is also in talks with Foxconn to sell three manufacturing plants, the news outlet's sources say.

At the end of the second quarter, Sharp owed nearly $16 billion in debt and didn't have enough cash on hand to cover its short-term obligations. The company has previously announced that it would lay off … Read more

A see-through solar energy panel announced today by Sharp -- primarily designed for balcony railings and skyscraper windows -- offers an uncommon alternative energy solution and sense of privacy in a single package.

The semi-transparent black solar panel launches in Japan on October 1, and delivers a solar power conversion efficiency of about 6.8-percent with a maximum output of 95 watts. While the low conversion rate seems lackluster comparative to the 10- to 20-percent efficiency standard these days, few see-through solar panel options exist commercially. Overall panel size stands at 4.5-feet wide by 3.2-feet tall and sports … Read more

Apple reportedly now has a third company supplying displays for its new iPhone.

Sharp kicked off mass production of iPhone 5 display panels earlier this week, according to The Wall Street Journal. Citing "a person with knowledge of the situation," the Journal said that the electronics company just started shipping the panels to Apple after a delay of several weeks.

Sharp was struggling to ramp up production of the screens for the new iPhone but fell behind in August, according to Reuters. The company is in the midst of severe financial problems and reportedly had to mortgage several … Read more

Electronics maker Sharp has mortgaged almost all of its domestic offices and factories in order to stay in business.

The properties were offered as collateral for up to 150 billion yen ($1.92 billion) of credit from Mizuho Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, according to Reuters.

Company spokeswoman Miyuki Nakayama told Reuters the offering includes "almost all the business sites owned by Sharp in Japan."

Sharp operates 11 factories in Japan that make products including display screens, TVs and solar panels. The Kameyama plant in western Japan manufactures screens for Apple and is thought to have … Read more

Electronics manufacturer Sharp has fallen behind schedule on production of its allotment of screens for Apple, according to Reuters, just weeks before the expected high-profile launch of a new iPhone.

According to Reuters, quoting an unnamed source, Sharp is battling high costs and manufacturing difficulties that have cut into the profit the display maker will make on screen production, and as a result Apple may provide further "financial incentives" to speed up production.

According to a story in the Wall Street Journal it remains "unclear" when the Sharp can start shipping the panels, and whether or … Read more

Hon Hai Precision Industry, the Apple supplier better known as Foxconn, couldn't reach a final agreement to acquire a stake in Sharp, according to a new report.

Hon Hai Chairman Terry Gou met with Sharp in Japan recently to try to hammer out a deal that would see his manufacturing company take a minority stake in Sharp. However, according to Reuters, which cited reports out of Japan, the companies could not reach an agreement.

Under terms of the so-far failed deal, Hon Hai would have become Sharp's largest shareholder.

The companies revealed in March that Hon Hai would … Read more