Sharp unveils 108-inch LCD television
Sharp's secret weapon
Sharp's secret weapon is its eighth-generation plant in Kameyama, Japan. The factory processes eighth-generation glass sheets, which measure just more than 7 x 8ft. Six 52-inch LCDs can be popped out of a single sheet. The smaller glass sheets processed in sixth- and seventh-generation plants can produce only two and three 52-inch panels, respectively, out of a single piece of glass. (Samsung, though, has announced plans for eighth-generation plants.) Larger glass means the company can produce more and larger sheets of LCD glass at the same time, thereby driving down costs.
The Kameyama plant opened in August 2006 and was producing 15,000 sheets of glass a month. Monthly production will go up to 30,000 sheets of glass this month, the company said. By March 2008, the Kameyama plant will be putting out 90,000 sheets of glass a month.
The output at Kameyama, along with allowing Sharp to make more televisions, is also allowing the company to come out with a wide variety of them. The company now has four separate lines of LCD televisions, ranging in technical sophistication. Some of the televisions coming out this year will feature a refresh rate of 120Hz, double the current 60Hz standard. This is expected to increase picture quality. Samsung earlier announced similar plans.
In the second quarter, Sharp is expect to come out with a line of LCD televisions for gamers that will cut down any latency between the game console and action on the television.
At CES, Sharp is also showing off networking technology to connect its TVs to PCs via powerline networking. The system will be capable of sending two separate high-definition video streams between PCs and televisions through a home's electrical system.
Sharp said it chose to go with the powerline networking standard crafted by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance rather than try to figure out a wireless system or adopt a powerline system developed by Panasonic.
Although Sharp mostly positions itself against other multinational giants like Sharp and Panasonic, company execs also said they keep an eye on smaller, emerging companies like Vizio.
"The lower prices of the tertiary brands is a concern for Sharp," Scaglione said.
Sharp also released a Blu-ray player at the show for North America. It will cost US$1,199.
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