Sharp last week began shipping its first 3D TVs...

Sharp last week began shipping its first 3D TVs in a limited-distribution rollout, industry sources said. The LED LCD TVs are part of the Quattron series of quad-pixel TVs, which add yellow to the traditional red, green and blue filter used in LCD TVs. The company plans to differentiate its 3D flat-panel TVs -- which follow models from Panasonic, Samsung and Sony to market -- with two features, sources said, including increased brightness from the Quattron technology and a proprietary switch on the active-shutter glasses. The switch is said to enable consumers to flip between a 2D and a 3D picture, in cases in which some viewers might find 3D uncomfortable. By activating 2D through the glasses, some viewers in a room will see a 2D picture on the TV while others see 3D, Sharp said. The first wave of Sharp 3D TVs are 52- and 60-inch screen sizes, sources said, and come with two pairs of active-shutter glasses. David Young, president of The Sound Room in St. Louis, received 60-inch LC60LE925UN models ($4,799) in his AV specialty store last week. Asked whether the 2D switching capability would be a compelling feature, Young said, “Possibly. No one else has it.” He thinks the increased brightness will be a strong selling point, given the darker picture other 3D models have exhibited, and he said he'll showcase the TV in the 3D section if the brightness claims prove true. Sharp’s 3D Blu-ray players haven’t hit stores, but Young said the Sharp 3D TV is compatible with players from Panasonic and Samsung, allowing retailers to do movie demos on the sales floor. Young said Sharp was pushing the brightness and 3D/2D switch on the glasses, but no mention was made of TVs including 2D-3D chips to convert existing content to 3D, he said. Earlier this summer (CED June 4 p1), Sharp said it would sell 3D TVs with 2D-3D conversion chips in Japan, but the feature has been controversial in the U.S. since ESPN warned CE makers not to build them into their sets (CED March 3 p1) citing a resulting “pseudo-3D image.” Calls to Sharp for additional details weren’t returned by our deadline.