Sharp stays (mostly) on point at lunchtime CES event
A very big room, journalists on the feedbag, and the tricky task of pitching big pretty TVs in an ugly economy made the noontime Sharp press conference at CES 2009 something of a tangled affair.
They're optimistic at Sharp, even though executives in agreement with Displaysearch stats that have sales of LCD TVs off 16% globally in 2009. There's always 2010 and an expected 10% uptick, and Sharp wants you to know that they're in it for the long haul and feel that tough times can strengthen a company. (And when someone gets up at CES and says anything different, Betanews will be the first to tell you.)
But plans continue for the giant Sakai City plant, which after it opens in March 2010 will provide "10th-generation" glass substrate for LCD screens measuring as much as 112" x 120". The plant will work in concert with Sharp's other plants around the world; it will also produce materials for solar cells. On the green scene, the company announced that recycling firm MRM -- on which Sharp partners with Panasonic and Toshiba -- will as of January 15 accept end-of-life Sharp gear for recycling at no cost. MRM has 280 US locations.
For the most part, the products announced at the event ran the gamut from A to B -- Aquos to Blu-Ray, and variations thereof. The popular limited-edition Aquos TV line will launch its BD Blu-ray-integrated series with five units measuring between 32" (a size, according to Sharp Electronics Marketing president Michael Troetti, that remains rather popular, perhaps in part to economic conditions) and 52". Larger units in the series will include 120Hz Fire Motion Enhanced Technology, which aims to ease the visual jitters of fast onscreen motion. Prices for the line range from $1,099 to $2,599.
New Sharp screens will have a new finish, the Superlucent Advanced Superview Panel (quipped Sharp Marketing SVP Bob Scaglione, "As you can tell we think it's super"). The finish should aid in diminishing onscreen glare from overhead lights and such without resorting to that old-school "frosted" look.
The new E77U and E67U-series units boast a mass of HDMI inputs -- 5 on the 77 series, which includes 65", 52", and 46" screens, and 4 on the 40" and 32" screens in the 67 series (which is positioned as optimized for gaming and includes Sharp's Vyper Drive anti-lag tech). There are two new Blu-Ray players on tap (the $299 BD-HP22U, due in May, and the $279 BD-HP16U slated for March), and two Blu-ray 5.1-audio Aquos home theater choices (the BD-MPC40 and the BD-MPC30, both $799). And for small homes, the clever 2.1-channel Sound Bar makes sound sound bigger for under $300.
What's missing, you ask? For once, the question-and-answer session accomplished something useful, as company leaders affirmed that they have no plans to bring a Blu-ray writer to the American market thanks in part to copyright concerns and other digital rights management (DRM) issues.