Sharp Plunges into 3D with Projector, Blu-ray, TVs

ATLANTA -- Sharp’s debut of a DLP-based 3D-capable front projector at CEDIA this week is the first in a line of products, possibly including a model allowing for native 2.35:1 display without an additional lens, Product Marketing Manager Sean McBride said.

The high-end model isn’t likely to ship until Q3 2011, but would expand a line that’s scheduled to launch in Q1 with the mid-priced VX-Z17000, McBride said. The XV-Z17000 contains a single 0.65-inch DLP with 1,920x1,080 resolution, 1,600 lumens with 250-watt UHP lamp and 30,000:1 contrast ratio. The projector has an IR emitter for 3D. The projector will be packaged with two pairs of video glasses, capable of 3D/2D switching. The glasses will sell separately for $199.

In adding a projector capable of 2.35:1, Sharp would dispense with the need for a lens that typically lowers picture brightness by 10 percent. It also would likely use a new 0.9-inch DLP with 2,538x1,080 resolution that’s initially being deployed in projectiondesign’s Avielo Optix SuperWide 235 projector that ships this fall. Blu-ray discs are based on a 1.78:1 image format and in order to fit a 2.35:1 image on a device 1,920 pixels wide, vertical resolution must be dropped to 800 pixels from 1,080. The use of a 0.9-inch with 2,538x1,080 adds pixels to raise the full height of the picture to 1,080 pixels.

The arrival of a 3D projector will signal Sharp’s gradual departure from the 2D home theater projector market, McBride said. “We still have 2D in the channel, but we'll stick with 3D and see what happens."

The XV-Z17000 projector is part of a new Sharp 3D line that also includes ZE925 52-inch ($4,199) and 60-inch ($5,299) LCD TVs that are shipping this fall and contain built-in 2D/3D conversion chips, company executives said. The Acquos Net Internet-capable 1080p TVs feature Vudu with more than 100 applications including Netflix and Pandora. The LED edge-lit Quattron TVs add yellow as a fourth color to increase brightness, which is about 400-500 lumens. In 3D, the Sharp TVs’ brightness declines to 100 lumens, about double that of competitive models, Sharp executives said. About 60 percent of Sharp’s TV line will migrate to Quattron technology in 2011, said Robert Scaglione, Sharp Electronics Corp. senior vice president and general manager.

The 1.6-inch thick ZE925 sets contain 120 Hz panels and four HDMI 1.4 connectors, and Sharp also uses a backlight scanning technology to help eliminate cross-talk and boost the native 120 Hz frame rate to 240 Hz, Scaglione said. The TVs also have “Spacious Sound 3D” with separate audio modes for concerts, movies and 3D programming. The sets will be sold with a USB Wi-Fi adapter and have two USB 2.0 ports.

Sharp dropped plans for a 68-inch set, Scaglione said. The 68-inch TV was originally a non-3D set featuring LED edge-lit technology and was later considered for 3D before being scrapped altogether, Scaglione said. “We'll make other larger sets next year.” Sharp is producing 60-inch and some 40-inch panels at its 10th-generation LCD plant in Saki, Japan. The factory is operating with monthly capacity for 36,000 substrates that could increase to 73,000, said Robert Player, senior product marketing manager for display entertainment. Quattron panels are produced along a separate manufacturing line at the Saki factory, he said. Sharp makes 46-, 52- and 60-inch panels at a separate 8G plant in Japan, company executives said.

Sharp also will field two new 3D Blu-ray players this fall that were developed as part of a joint R&D pact with Pioneer. Pioneer Drive Development is supplying the drives for the BD-HP90U ($499) and BD-HP80U ($399), while Sharp provides the LSI, wafer board and assembles it in China, Player said. Both players are based on Broadcom video processors, he said. The players also contain Aquos Link for connecting to a TV via HDMI. The wireless players also are compatible with Dolby TrueHD and can deliver lossless 7.1-channel audio. The load times of the new models for standard Blu-ray discs improved to 26 seconds from one minute 31 seconds two years ago, Player said. The load time will be slightly slower for 3D content, he said. The models also are Internet-capable with links to Netflix, Pandora, Vudu and others.

While some of the video download services are capable of delivering 3D movies, content is expected to be scarce until next year, Player said. “There is not enough 3D content available yet to light the candle” on delivering 3D video downloads, he said. “It’s a question of do I want devote all those development resources to 10 or 6 movies? It’s a lot of work for the very few movies” that are currently available.