Sharp has opened CE Week in New York by unveiling a new flagship for its AQUOS line of televisions – the 70-inch AQUOS Ultra HD LED TV.
Boasting four times the pixel resolution of high definition displays, the new model makes use of its dual core processor to optimize the original picture quality which is then interpolated and upscaled to a "4k-like" 3840×2160 image.
Looking forward to a time when Ultra HD content is more widely available, the TV's four HDMI inputs accept native 4K signals and there's also an SD-card reader and two USB ports built-in. Active 3D is on board and two Bluetooth 3D glasses are included in the purchase.
The design is marked by a thin, metallic black frame and a 35-W, "in-front" six-speaker configuration that reduces the TVs footprint to that of a 65-inch screen.
The new LED also gets the latest version of Sharp's internet-connected SmartCentral platform, which enables a split-screen web browsing / TV watching experience. Android and iOS devices can be used to control the TV using the company's Remote Control app and content from these devices can be shared on the big screen via built-in Wi-Fi. When you are not watching TV, Wallpaper mode can be used to turn the TV into a 70-inch picture frame.
The other key selling point highlighted at Sharp's press conference today is world first THX 4K certification, which is discussed in detail in the following video.
The AQUOS Ultra HD LED TV is due to ship in the US in mid-August at a price of US$8,000.
Our first impression: it looks pretty sharp.