News

Sharp Launches World's First PAL Resolution LCD TV (15/7/2005)

Targeting the large swathe of the UK public who are looking to buy a flat panel television for the first time, Sharp is launching the world's first LCD TV specifically designed for the standard UK broadcast PAL signal - the Aquos P50 series.

Whilst High Definition is the hot topic in the vision sector at the moment, the majority of the British television-viewing and buying public don't subscribe to pay TV and therefore won't look to receive HDTV until it's available free-to-air, which is likely to be 2010 at the earliest. Add to these consumers who may have Sky, but are happy with its current standard definition service and you have at least two thirds of the nation who currently have a traditional CRT and may be looking to enter the world of flat panel TV.

These people simply want a flat panel TV with great picture quality from the existing PAL signal. Until now the only choice has been between the awkward compromises of a VGA (640 x 480) resolution set which strips out some of the signal's lines, or a WXGA (1366 x 768) screen which uses processing circuitry to interpolate the extra lines required.

Neither is fully satisfactory, but no flat panel manufacturer has ever solved the problem by manufacturing a screen which reproduces a PAL signal perfectly - until now. Sharp's P50 series of Aquos LCD TVs is the only flat panel television range designed solely for the European market, with its 960 x 540 resolution reproducing a PAL broadcast exactly, line for line*.

This gives picture quality at least as good as CRT, with a natural, ultra-low noise image outperforming many LCD and plasma televisions costing significantly more. Whether it's fed a standard analogue terrestrial, Freeview, digital satellite or cable broadcast signal or a DVD source, the results are consistently outstanding.

In addition to its suitability for the PAL signal, the P50 is future-proofed for upcoming HDTV broadcasts, featuring an HDMI input with HDCP. High definition performance is impressive, with a straightforward half or three-quarter downscale conversion from 1080i or 720p signals to 540 lines. It also has two Scart, Component, S-Video and Video inputs for connection to a wide variety of sources.

The LCD panel also incorporates Sharp's unique Advanced Super View (ASV) technology to enhance picture quality still further, with brightness at 450cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of 800:1. A response time of 12ms ensures there's no smearing when watching fast-moving images such as sport, whilst the viewing angle is 170¡, both horizontally and vertically, so everyone has a great view, wherever they may be sitting. In addition, Advanced Optical Picture Control (OPC) automatically adjusts the brightness of the picture to take account of the ambient light in the room.

The three-strong Aquos P50 series comprises 26 inch LC-26P50E, 32 inch LC-32P50E and 37 inch LC-37P50E widescreen models, each stunningly designed with a brushed silver finish above and below the screen and a contrasting black frame to either side. They make a stylish, space-saving replacement for a CRT, and can also be wall-hung using standard VESA specification bracketry+.

The LC-32P50E will be available from leading multiple and independent retailers and department stores in July, with the LC-26P50E and LC-37P50E coming to market in September.

* PAL has 625 lines in total. 576 lines carry the picture (the others holding information such as Teletext), but due to 'overscan', where non-essential picture information is broadcast at the edge of the screen to compensate for varying screen specifications, 540 horizontal lines has been chosen as the ideal display resolution.

+ Optional accessory.

www.sharp.co.uk