Sharp's thin LCD in a race with time
(Credit: Newlaunches)It's taken awhile, but that whole thin-vs.-thick thing between LCD and plasma TVs will soon be a thing of the past at this rate. The most extreme example of the LCD crash diet is a prototype that Sharp is reportedly calling the "future of television."
The reason for the boast is in the numbers: A 52-inch screen with a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 that weighs 55 pounds and measures only 20 millimeters thick (about 0.78 inches), about 80 percent thinner than most LCDs of that size on the market today. And just for good measure, it supposedly uses a lot less power too.
But the biggest obstacle may be time: Sharp says it's not scheduled to produce these until 2010. In the meantime, other manufacturers are working on competing technologies that could make this TV look like a Jenny Craig "before" ad. A few months ago, for example, Sony showed off a 9-millimeter OLED screen, and Toshiba says it's working on its own version as well. By that time, we may all be watching TVs wrapped around our wrists.
The first prototype OLED screens from 2007's CES show have been small (27 inches and under), whereas Sharp's LCD technology is quite advanced [along with that of Sony, Samsung, JVC, and Toshiba]. 2010 is not that long off, and I really doubt that a possible "52-inch OLED" set could be produced before then, nor at a resonable cost to consumers.
Unless OLED technology rapidly improves [at a faster clip than LCD has the past 5 years], Sharp's super-thin 52" LCD set will be here first, and for a lot less than any comparable large-size OLED set on the horizon then.
Also, most LCDs by 2010 will probably feature LED-colored backlighting, providing a stronger and more accurate color [also lower-noise images], and much improved black levels compared to traditional white-bulb backlighting.