[IFA09] Sharp presents new LED TV's

During its IFA press conference, Sharp presented two new series of LCD TV's with LED-backlighting. Contrary to the popular LED TV's by other manufacturers, Sharp doesn't use LED's that are incorporated into the screen's border, but rather a matrix of LED's, directly placed behind the LCD-panel. Sharp claims that this allows them to provide a better image quality and contrast, at a lower power consumption. The Japanese manufacturer claims that a 52 inch model from the new line-up consumes less than 100 Watt. Our first impression of the televisions is remarkably positive.

Sharp will introduce two series: The LC-LE600E will be available in 32, 40 and 46 inch. The LC-LE700E will be released in those same sizes, with an added 52 inch model. All televisions will feature a Full HD panel. The most important difference can be found in the tuners: the 600-series is compatible with DVB-T and analog TV, the 700-series also features a DVB-C tuner.

The new LED TV's will become available with prices starting at 899 euro for a 32" model. The 40 inch version of the 600 and 700 series will set you back respectively 1299 and 1499 euro. The largest 52" model costs 2299 euro.

The flagship of Sharp's televisions remains the X1-series, which was introduced during last years IFA. This TV uses RGB LED backlights and local dimming, allowing it to achieve an immense color range and contrast.

To increase the production of LCD TV's, Sharp will be among the first to utilize a 10th generation LCD-panel factory, in the Japanese Sakai. This factory creates panels with a dimension of 2,8 x 3,1 meters, 60% larger than Sharps current 8th generation factory. As soon as the factory is fully operational, Sharp wishes to produce up to 72.000 substrates a month.

The Aquos LC-LE700E uses LED backlights and has an integrated digital cable tuner.

The 600-series is slightly cheaper, only featuring a DVB-T tuner.

Tags: dvb-c dvb-t ifa

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