It's been a busy evening, with news ed Joe Cox over at Stamford Bridge where Samsung is unveiling its 2010 UK model range, while I've been up at the top of Centre Point in London admiring the view of the capital and getting the lowdown on Sharp's new Aquos 'Quattron' range.
Compared to the mammoth ranges recently unveiled by Sony, Panasonic, Samsung et al, Sharp has kept things fairly simple with three series and a single flagship model. You'll find no 3D TVs here, as Sharp remains more cautious about the 3D TV revolution than most of its rivals.
New Aquos Quattron sets are just 39mm deep
That's not to say the company won't make 3D tellies. It will, with a launch planned for IFA in Berlin in late August. But it's happy to watch and wait to see how the market develops between now and then. Sounds eminently sensible to me.
It's backing Freeview HD too, with the introduction of two Freeview HD set-top boxes in April, one a simple receiver, the other a 320GB PVR (personal video recorder). They'll cost £179 and £299 respectively.
Perhaps more surprising was the complete lack of any new Blu-ray players or Blu-ray home cinema in a box systems, both of which we saw at CES back in January.
Sharp UK managing director Paul Molyneux says a 3D Blu-ray player is "under consideration", but not until the second half of this year.
For now, the focus is entirely on Sharp's new Aquos Quattron TVs, with a £5m ad campaign kicking off in May. So here's the line-up in full:
Sharp LC-40LE811E
Sharp LC-LE811E Series
• Freeview HD built-in
• X-Gen panel with 'Quattron' technology
• Edge LED backlight
• Mega contrast
• Slim design
• HD-ready 1080p
• 100Hz
• Available in 40in and 46in
• USB application for video, music and pictures
• 4 HDMI terminals
• PC input
• Automatic picture control
• Eco picture control
• Dolby Digital Plus
Sharp LC-46LE821E
Sharp LC-LE821E Series
• Freeview HD built-in
• X-Gen panel with 'Quattron' technology
• Edge LED backlight
• Mega contrast
• Slim and full flat seamless design
• Time shift function
• HD-ready 1080p
• 100 Hz
• DLNA for photos and music
• Available in 40in and 46in
• USB application for video, music and pictures
• 4 HDMI terminals
• PC input
• Automatic picture control
• Eco picture control
• Dolby Digital Plus
Sharp LC-40LE921E
Sharp LC-LE921E Series
• Freeview HD built-in
• X-Gen panel with 'Quattron' technology
• Edge LED backlight
• Mega contrast
• Slim and full flat seamless design
• Time shift function
• HD-ready 1080p
• 200 Hz
• DLNA for photos and music
• Available in 40in and 46in
• USB application for video, music and pictures
• 4 HDMI terminals
• PC input
• Automatic picture control
• Eco picture control
• Dolby Digital Plus
Sharp LC-60LE920
Sharp LC-LE920 Series
Tech specs as LE921E, 60in screen only
Freeview HD boxes
Sharp TU-T2 receiver £179 (above left)
Sharp TU-T2HR32 320GB PVR £299 (above right)
Both on sale from April 2010
