Why is SHARP the LCD Technology Leader for Large TVs and Information Displays?

Did you know that Sony is looking to buy the LCD panels for its large TVs and information displays from the Osaka LCD plant two-thirds owned by Sharp? (Read: Business Week article: “Sony and Sharp’s LCD Linkup”, 27 February 2008).

It Starts with the Most Advanced LCD Manufacturing Plant: Since developing the world’s first 14-inch color TFT LCD TV in 1988, Sharp has consistently led the industry leading edge LCD technology. Today Sharp’s Kameyama, Japan manufacturing facility is the most advanced LCD panel manufacturing facility in the world. The plant uses 8th –generation technology to produce glass substrates for LCD panels. The new Osaka plant, to be operational by 2010, will use 10th –generation technology to produce the world’s largest LCD panel sheets, measuring 2.8 meters by 3 meters in size where each sheet can produce six 60-inch sets or three 108-inch sets. The LCD panel produced with this technology will be the thinnest and lightest than any LCD panel produced to date.

The Highest Resolution and Industry Leading Picture Quality: The Sharp’s LCD Information Display, with full high definition 1920 x 1080 native resolutions and with flicker-free, full color (16.7 million) TFT active matrix LCDs, delivers dynamic visual impact to audiences with true life color reproduction and crisp text image on a large screen format. Sharp’s monitors offer extensive color adjustment capabilities including black level (brightness), contrast tint, white balance (RGB manual setting) and gamma value. The LCD technology achieves high brightness, high contrast ratio and wide 176 degree viewing angle for large format displays with response times of 6ms or less. And these monitors come with anti-glare and low-reflection properties enabling Sharp monitors to be placed in bright areas where other screens might appear washed out. These full high definition displays are a must for a variety of applications like Conference Room LCD White Boards, Digital Signage, Exhibitions, Education, CAD/CAM Designing, Medical Imaging, Simulation, Process Control, and Stock Exchanges applications. It is also finding increasing use in Video-conferencing to deliver true to life images along with the Dolby 5.1 channel sound.

New Features and Sizes that will WOW! You: Sharp’s monitors can be operated in landscape or portrait modes. Very few competitors provide this feature for large monitors. A Black TFT/Bright Pixel Elimination feature ensures that if a pixel in the LCD monitor fails, it is effectively invisible to the viewer. And Sharp’s 108” LCD monitors are the world’s largest commercially available LCD monitors. In addition to leading the movement toward larger screen sizes, Sharp has met the demand for superior image quality by achieving such “firsts” as a resolution that is four times higher than that of current HD (4096x2160), the world’s highest contrast ratio (1,000,000:1) and the ultimate in fast-motion image processing with 120Hz frame rate conversion and an incredible pixel response time of 4ms.

Operational Efficiency and Reliability that Saves Money: Large screen display customers are experiencing lower operational costs, increased efficiencies and high reliability with Sharp LCD monitors. Sharp closed-box fan-less design protects the screens from dust to maintain the life of the screen

For more information on Sharp’s LCD monitors, check out Sharp’s official LCD monitor site!

What to Consider When Buying an LCD Monitor

An LCD monitor, or Liquid Crystal Display monitor, is a screen actively sought after as a large format TV screen or an advertising screen as a result of the highest quality images produced on these screens.Top 10 items to consider when buying and LCD Monitor:

1. Resolution Quality: Some of the key features to consider when buying an LCD monitor are resolution quality and aspect ratio. In the era of Blue-ray and high definition, it is important to buy a Full HD monitor and not go with HD ready.


2. Number of USB Hubs: These hubs usually come with the display. They prove to be very useful for plugging various media devices directly to the display vs. going through a central medial player.


3. Pixel Defects: Sometimes, when the same image is left on the screen for long, the pixels get worn out or are dead. This develops a black or white dot on the screen, thus not producing any image in that area. Pixel defects may be as a result of manufacturing defects. Make sure the warranty covers Pixel defects or spotting defects.


4. Attached Speaker Evaluation: Some monitors come with attached speaker systems. This is usually expensive when compared to the separate speaker system and usually poor quality than a stand alone system. If such an attached speaker system is available in the monitor, then it should be noted that a quick-mute button and readily accessible volume controls should be available in the monitor itself.


5. Viewing Angle:Most new LCD monitors have wide viewing angles. It is important to consider viewing-angle performance if you plan to use the monitor to view images or movies. The best way to judge is to see the unit in person.


6. Digital interfaces: Data interfaces are very important for businesses. For example, as a business you would like to remotely manage and control the various LCD monitors. Businesses should strongly consider LCD information display (also called Professional Displays) vs. an LCD TV. The Professional Displays come with the right variety of interfaces. If entertainment and TV show watching are the only concerns then interfaces are less important as most LCD monitors come with adequate interfaces.


7. Bright Pixel Elimination Feature: New LCD monitors have bright pixel elimination feature that ensures if a failed pixel occurs on the monitor, it is effectively invisible to the viewer. Not a must-have but a good feature to have.


8. Configuration Programming Software: Included programs that let you configure display settings using your computer keyboard or mouse are a big improvement over struggling with tiny front-panel buttons.


9. Portrait Capability: Increasingly portrait format is being used for exhibitions and store displays. Be sure to check that the LCD monitor you are buying supports the portrait format. Using landscape format in portrait can result in reducing the life of the LCD monitor. Portrait-capable LCDs, however, often have superior viewing-angle performance. Not all LCD monitors.


10. Included Cables: Last but not the least item is to check to see what cables are included. Manufacturers often don't provide the digital cable on dual-input models.

As a wrap-up, with technologies such as LCD monitors, it pays to buy the new generation solution as it will extend the time you will use the monitor.