Of all the AV brands at CES this year, Sharp is perhaps the one that has most closely aligned itself with the large screen size message. This time last year, the brand began a campaign in Australia to sell its "spectacularge" 90-inch flat panel, and the US branch of the business claims to have put more 60-inch-plus TVs into American homes than any other supplier.
But while the focus has been on size, that same brand messaging hasn't necessarily been as strong on the resolution front, until now.
Taking to the stage at the company's press conference in Las Vegas today, John Harrington, president of Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America, conceded that the brand had a strong reputation for screen size.
"Our success is built on the notion that large screens are important to customers, and bigger is better," he said "We've rarely heard the quote from a consumer, 'My television is too big'."
"But large in and of itself is not enough to be successful. Picture quality has to be stunning and jaw-dropping."
With that in mind, the brand announced a new "game-changing" addition to its line-up of LED TVs, designed to bridge the gap between Full HD and Ultra HD - both in terms of viewer experience and price point.
Sharp will expand its LED TV line-up in 2014 to include four ranges, offering different levels of picture clarity and resolution. At the entry level Sharp Aquos HD will continue to offer Full HD 1080p viewing in 60-, 70-, 80- and 90-inch screen sizes, while the brand has lifted the bar with the more premium Aquos Quattron Q range, offering Full HD with Quattron technology that adds an extra sub-pixel for a better picture.
At the top of the range, Sharp will offer the Aquos 4K Ultra HD Series (in 60-inch and 70-inch screen sizes) for "the customer that simply wants the finest high resolution large screen television possible".
Rounding out the line-up is the game-changer - the Aquos Q+ with Quattron and Revelation technology. In this range, Sharp boasts 10 million more sub-pixels than Full HD and a billion more shades of colour, resulting in a panel that the brand claims is the highest resolution Full HD TV on the market, and the only model on the market capable of playing Ultra HD content at "about half the cost of today's premium 4K TVs".
Recognising that there is "a sizeable group of consumers looking for additional resolution technologies" in their TVs, Sharp created the Q+ panels for those customers who want "premium high resolution television without jumping to 4K - the customer who wants to enjoy 4K content without paying the 4K price".
The Q+ is available in the SQ series (60-inch and 70-inch screen sizes) with silver brushed plastic bezel for US $2,299 and $3,099 (AU $2,565 and $3,460) and the THX certified UQ series (60-, 70- and 80-inches) with black plastic bezel for between US $2,999 and $5,999 (AU $3,350 and $6,700).
