Skip to main content

Sharp Pushes Slim LCD Contrast to 100,000:1

Sharp Pushes Slim LCD Contrast to 100,000:1

Electronics manufacturers always have to keep an eye on their product lines, but also on what their product lines are going to be in a year from now, two years from now, and even five years from now. With that in mind, Japan’s Sharp has developed new 52-inch prototype LCD displays that aim to define the future of television, combining high resolution, high contrast, and super-thin designs in ways which consume as little power as possible.

The prototype display offer contrast ratios of an astonishing 100,000:1, while boasting super-thin profiles that measure just 1.1 inches at their thickest, and barely over three-quarters of an inch in the main display section. Further, the units are more environmentally friendly than current LCD displays, with a 50-inch set consuming around 140 kWH/year, based on an average of 4.5 hours of viewing time a day.

Unfortunately, there’s no word when Sharp’s technological advances might reach the consumer marketplace, but if the technology scales to manufacturing, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see some elements drift into units in 2008 or 2009, with maybe the super-thin displays finally reaching users in 2010. To save power until then, just watch less than 4.5 hours of television a day.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Toss LG’s StanbyMe Go 27-inch suitcase TV in your car for $1,000
LG StanbyMe Go 27-inch touchscreen suitcase TV set up in the tailgate of a car.

Tired of streaming shows and movies on your 13-inch laptop when you're away from home? LG's StanbyMe Go might just be the answer you're looking for. It puts a 27-inch full HD LED touchscreen inside of a durable travel suitcase, along with a 20-watt speaker system and a three-hour rechargeable battery, so you can take your TV pretty much anywhere you travel. The StanbyMe Go is available for preorder only on LG.com later this month for $1,000, and units are expected to ship before the end of the month. If you're among the preorder customers, LG will also throw in a free LG Xboom 360 Bluetooth speaker, which it claims is a $300 value.

"Content viewing is no longer confined to the living room or even the home, but until now, consumers have had to sacrifice screen size in favor of portability," said David Park, LG's head of HE product marketing in a press release. "LG StanbyME Go makes the full-scale viewing experience travel-friendly and offers a versatile option for streaming, listening, remote working, and more."

Read more
Celebrate our 1,000,000 YouTube subscriber milestone with us and win!
YouTube Subscriber Giveaway

Digital Trends 1,000,000 YouTube Subscriber Giveaway!

We did it! On November 27, 2022, the Digital Trends YouTube channel reached a major milestone: 1 million subscribers! We’ve been counting down for weeks, and now that the moment has finally arrived, we’re ready to celebrate with those who helped us get here (you!) by giving away more than $4,500 in prizes!

Read more
Get this 75-inch QLED TV for under $1,000 for Cyber Monday
TCL's 5-Series 4K QLED Google TV.

It is now officially Cyber Monday and the time to take advantage of all the excellent Cyber Monday deals on TVs. Luckily, if you're in the market for a massive 75-incher, Best Buy has got your back with this excellent TCL 5-series with a great discount from $1,100 down to $800. That's a great $300 discount, and probably the best one you're going to see for a while, given that not only is Cyber Monday the last big sale of the year, there isn't another great sales event for a few months after the new year. So, if you've been waiting to grab a deal, don't wait any longer, or you'll miss out.

Why you should buy the TCL 5-Series 4K QLED Roku TV
The TCL S555 is the new 5-Series model for 2022 which the brand just recently released. For its new 5-Series TVs, TCL went back to the Roku streaming platform, which should be a welcome change for many who were not fans of the Google TV OS found on the 2021 TCL S546 models. Although most of the bugs and kinks seem to have been fixed now with Google TV, the Roku software interface is still favored by many streamers thanks to its simplicity and user-friendliness. The Roku home screen puts all of your most-used streaming apps and input devices right there, letting you easily switch between your cable box, gaming console, media player, or streaming platforms without having to navigate input menus.

Read more