Sharp Electronics' most proudly displayed offering at CEDIA was their recently-arrived AQUOS LED line (as shown previously in Sharp's New York HDTV line show and reported on by Chris Boylan). The AQUOS LED models are already generating buzz with their claim of offering the lowest power consumption of any available LCD TV, exceeding Energy Star 3.0 guidelines by as much as 68 percent. (Thank the cooler, more durable solid-state LEDs, which generate more luminance per watt than CCFL backlighting. Somewhere, Mother Nature breathes a sigh of relief and changes the channel.)
AQUOS LED seems a logical evolution for Sharp's acclaimed AQUOS LCDs, adding a full-array LED backlight system to create the new LE700 AQUOS LED series. Also new to this roster is Sharp's "X-Gen" panel with advanced pixel control for deeper black levels. It's not as effective as local dimming (which these sets lack), but it is an improvement over previous generation panels.
The "UltraBrilliant" LED backlight brings both high brightness and high contrast via a full array of light-emitting diodes evenly dispersed behind the diffuser, for more uniform, purer colors and improved brightness across the entire screen. The full-HD 1080p X-Gen LCD panel offers 10-bit processing, with a wider aperture to allow more light to pass through the panel, for higher peak brightness. Dynamic Contrast Ratio is rated as "greater than 2,000,000:1" (unmeasurable), and a De-Judder feature on the two largest models assures smooth reproduction of film content. It also delivers 120Hz frame rate conversion and a panel response time of only four milliseconds.
These new models perpetuate the AQUOS Net internet-enabled suite of features, providing weather, stock quotes, casual gaming and more on screen simply via the remote, although real-time full motion video streaming is not yet available in Sharp's HDTV line. Next-generation customer support is supplied with AQUOS Advantage Live, whereby a Sharp technician can access the TV directly and adjust the settings to optimize performance. And AQUOS Link allows users to seamlessly control compatible, HDMI-connected products using just the one remote.
All four screen sizes are available now at the following suggested list prices: the 52-inch LC-52LE700UN at $2,799.99, the 46-inch LC-46LE700UN at $2,199.99, the 40-inch LC-40LE700UN at $1,699.99 and the wee 32-inch LC-32LE700UN at a mere $1,099.99.
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