Sharp, With Support From Foxconn, Announces 8K Ecosystem Led by 70-Inch TV

In an announcement Friday in Shanghai, Taiwan, Tokyo and Berlin, Sharp launched what it called an 8K Ecosystem dubbed “Horizon Broadened.” Calling the 8K ecosystem a “core strategy” of the company, with the help of Foxconn, Sharp pushed its “complete” 8K supply chain that includes 8K cameras, content editing, storing, and transferring and broadcasting. The global event followed a Thursday announcement that Sharp will deliver a 70-inch 8K TV (7680 x 4320 resolution) in China in October, Japan in December, Taiwan in February and Europe in March. No date was given for a U.S. release. Foxconn CEO Terry Gou referred to 8K manufacturing when he announced the company’s $10 billion investment in a Kenosha, Wisconsin, plant in July (see 1707270017). Sharp’s first-generation 8K TVs, with 16 times the resolution of Full HD, will be packed with premium TV features and housings, said the company. It described brushed aluminum alloy frames, Dolby Vision high dynamic range, and a sound bar equipped with three sets of speakers for bass that will mount behind the TV. A Yamaha “audio engine” and DTS sound are part of the system, it said. At Friday’s event, Sharp also announced it will participate in construction of a Foxconn global R&D center for future display technology in Shenzhen, China, where it will test 8K + 5G applications.