sharp

Sharp, Samsung, and a handful of other LCD makers have settled a price-fixing case that has set them back nearly $400 million.

According to Bloomberg, which obtained court papers filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, Sharp and Samsung paid $105 million and $82.7 million, respectively, for their alleged involvement in driving up prices for LCDs sold between 1999 and 2006. Chimei Innolux paid $78 million as part of the class action lawsuit's settlement.

The eight companies cited in the lawsuit paid a total of $388 million, Bloomberg … Read more

Sharp's latest product isn't necessarily one you'd expect from the Osaka-based manufacturer.

Instead of a television set or a smartphone, Sharp's 12.1-megapixel camera sensor module is meant to be used in upcoming handsets. The company claims the module is the thinnest in the industry, at 5.47 millimeters (less than a quarter of an inch) high and less than half an inch deep.

The RJ63YC100 camera sensor will also be able to shoot full-HD (1080p) video and supports lens-shift technology for image stabilization.

Units are expected to sell for 12,000 yen, around $154. There's been no word on whether Sharp has managed to find a buyer, but it's likely we'll see them making their way into smartphones in the near future.

(Source: Crave Asia) … Read more

Although CNET did not review the Sharp LC-60LE6300U, we did review the LC-832U series.

Comparing the two on Sharp's Web site, the main picture-related differences include a better contrast ratio and the presence of a 10-bit panel on the more-expensive LC-823U series. The contrast ratio difference may result in slightly better black-level performance, while the 10-bit panel could slightly reduce some artifacts that might show up on the 6300U. For those reasons, we expect that the 6300U will have the similar or slightly worse picture quality than the 832U, but we can't say more than that.

The 832U … Read more

As I look at my iPad 2 sitting next to me, I wonder how a device with the same basic proportions could actually be thinner. Yet, the latest rumor says that Apple will forgo the IPS (in-plane switching) display for the iPad 3, instead favoring a Sharp-manufactured display that will be thinner and lower-powered than IPS can manage.

Sharp, as it turns out, is also at the top of the rumor list for the heavily expected iTV (Apple's television project hinted at by Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson) as the primary display manufacturer.

Analyst Peter Misek claimed in the … Read more

Production has started on the high-resolution displays destined for the next-generation iPad, while Apple eyes a 7.85-inch iPad further down the road, an analyst told CNET today.

"It's happening--QXGA, 2048x1536. Panel production has started [for the next-generation iPad]. There's three suppliers," Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch, said in an interview today. Shim confirmed other reports that cite three companies, Samsung, Sharp, and LGD.

That Apple is sourcing the display from three suppliers underscores the challenges of manufacturing a 10-inch-class QXGA screen in high volume. "I would imagine there would be concerns about [adequate] supply given the resolution of the display but you've got three different suppliers at this point. They should have enough to launch the product," Shim said. … Read more

HP is now the top-ranked tech company, according to Greenpeace's latest guide to greener electronics.

The guide's criteria has been updated to take into greater account energy use, conflict minerals, green products, and supply chain energy use.

Greenpeace released its latest rankings today, showing HP moving ahead three to the top spot. It's a big leap considering that just six years ago HP was targeted by Greenpeace as one of the worst tech companies for using fire retardant materials suspected of being hazardous. At the time, Greenpeace members stood outside of HP's headquarters and handed out … Read more

The 10-inch-class screen on Apple's upcoming iPad 3 will be one of its most remarkable features. But getting to the higher resolutions is a big step, according to a source who spoke to CNET.

The follow-on to Apple's popular iPad 2 is expected to arrive as early as the first quarter of next year. And Apple is aiming high, as usual. The goal is to have a Retina Display-like resolution on the iPad 3, according to the source who is in contact with Asia-based suppliers who, in turn, are familiar with Apple's plans.

Apple defines a Retina Display as having "pixel density is so high your eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels." For the iPhone 4S that means a 960×640, 3.5-inch display that packs in 326 pixels per inch (PPI). At about 12 inches from the eye, this is the most amount of detail the human retina can see, according to Apple. … Read more

The winner of the 2011 HDTV shootout put on by Value Electronics last weekend was the Sharp Elite, an LED-based LCD TV with a full-array local dimming backlight that sells for around $5500.

According to the event scorecard (PDF, shown below), the Elite handily won two of the four picture quality categories: contrast ratio and black level. It fared the worst of the six contenders in color accuracy and was second-best in a category called "moving resolution (sharpness)."

The annual shootout--which I did not attend and which is not affiliated with CNET in any way--is the brainchild of Value Electronics proprietor Robert Zohn, whose high-end Scarsdale, N.Y., home theater retail store hosts the event.

Scores were derived based on votes from members of the shootout audience, which consisted of executives and senior engineers from CBS, ABC, and THX, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the National Association of TV Broadcasters (NAB), and manufacturers including Sharp LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony, as well as "serious a/vphiles and leading members of their respected user forums," according to Value Electronics. The shootout and voting took place over a period of two days, and attendees with obvious vested interests (like TV makers) were not allowed to vote.

All six of the participating TVs were calibrated by well-regarded HDTV experts, namely Ed Johnson, Dewayne Davis (known on AVS Forum and HighDefJunkies as D-Nice), and Kevin Miller, former TV reviewer for CNET and founder of TweakTV.… Read more

Sharp has taken the wraps off the largest consumer LCD, the 80-inch LC-80LE632U, which will be available in early October for $5,499.

The non-Quattron LC-80LE632U features a full-array LED backlight, but according to Sharp isn't a "premium" television and so is missing features like local dimming and even 3D. It does feature a 1080p resolution and 120Hz mode, though.

The TV also features "smart," wireless functionality with "hundreds of apps" including Netflix and Vudu and a remote setup service called Aquos Advantage Live.

These specifications and features are in line with the 70-inch LC-70LE732U, a product we lauded for its "very good picture quality, especially in bright rooms."

Sharp recently brought the Elite brand back from the dead, and also used its event in New York to show off its aluminum-framed PRO-70X5FD.

Sharp's 70-inch and 80-inch TVs are now the largest LCD TVs on the market, with their only competitors being rear projection in the form of Mitsubishi's 3D Home Cinema range.… Read more