Sharp has been a busy manufacturer at New York's CE Week, having unveiled what it calls the "first wave" of its 2015 home entertainment products that cover two emerging areas of the market.
The company has announced a new line of Aquos-branded Ultra HD 4K LED TVs and a "world first" with the SD-WH1000U high-resolution audio player, in addition to its new Full HD LED TVs.
So, where shall we start?
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The Sharp Aquos Ultra HD 4K Series is expected to become available from September – at least for US consumers – in 60in ($3000) and 70in ($4500, below) screen sizes. That's £1760 and £2645 in UK money.
Features will include Spectros Rich Color Display; AquoDimming Technology for enhanced contrast; Revelation Upscaler for HD content; and HEVC (H.265) for 4K streaming, including Netflix.
The screens will also come with four HDMI inputs; 3 USD ports; and the new SmartCentral 3.0 Smart TV Platform, in addition to 35W audio with subwoofer and an ultra-thin aluminium bezel.
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With regards to the Sharp Wireless High-Resolution Audio Player, it'll be able to transmit high quality uncompressed audio wirelessly using the Wireless Speakers and Audio (WISA) standard.
The unit will simultaneously stream 7.1 channels of digital audio without the need for cables or wires, supporting a variety of media types and formats – from FLAC to WAV, MP3 to DSD.
Any WISA-compliant speaker system will be able to receive signals up to 24-bit/96kHz from the high-res audio player, transmitting at the 5.2-5.8GHz band to remove potential interferecne.
If you have a traditional passive speaker, however, the Sharp Wireless Bridge (VR-WR100U) will be launched at the same time to open up high-res audio to any hi-fi system with the new player.
The SD-WH1000U is expected to go on sale this September for $5000 – £2940 at current exchange rates, with the Sharp Wireless Bridge costing $1000 (£590). We'll keep our eye out for UK info.
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And we haven't forgotten about the new Full HD LED TVs coming this September from Sharp. Its new Aquos HD 660 line, like the 4K series, will come in 60in and 70in screen sizes.
The sets will offer Full HD 1080p screens with three HDMI inputs and a USB port, as well as a dual-core processor. The 60in set will cost $1200 (£705) and the 70in will cost $2000 (£1175).
Sharp Electronics Marketing Corporation of America president John Herrington said: "Over the last three years Sharp has led the transformation of the home viewing experience with the introductions of 60”, 70”, 80” and 90” class screen sizes.
"Our new Sharp AQUOS 4K Ultra HD LED TV couples the most popular large screen sizes with the finest high resolution picture technology. We’re also excited to extend high resolution to audio with the world’s first Wireless High Resolution Audio Player for an immersive audio experience."
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by Pete Hayman
