As a reminder, the current (and quite excellent) crop of HDTVs are 1,920 pixels wide by 1,080 high, which roughly comes out to about 2 million pixels, commonly referred to as "2K" for the roughly 2,000 horizontal resolution. More than one manufacturer out at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show was showing a prototype next-generation 4K display (four times the resolution of 1080p), but Sharp Electronics certainly upped the ante by bringing an 8K display, and an 85-incher to boot.
They are calling this next-next-generation piece of eye candy nothing short of a "technological breakthrough," demonstrating a working television with 8K resolution at an even more impressive 85-inch-class screen size, in truth 85-and-one-25th inches measured diagonally.
Sharp says that this is the world's first 8K ultra-high-definition-capable display, with an unheard-of 7,680 x 4,320 resolution, four times the resolution across and four times the up-and-down, for a total of 16 times the equivalent resolution of today's 1080p HDTVs. It sports a unique light-emitting-diode panel and high-vision video technologies, making possible bright, crisp, highly detailed images like we've never seen before.
Consumers looking for convenience but not wanting to sacrifice performance would do well to check out Sharp's new AQUOS Freestyle fully portable HDTVs. The flashy, dramatic application was undeniably sexy, as the lightweight, battery powered monitors--the smaller screen sizes come with integrated handles!--were paraded around the press conference by fresh-faced young folks on their way to... well, we weren't really sure, but they were carrying working HDTVs, without wires! The high-definition video signal is delivered via Wi-Fi.
But there are more traditional applications as well, as the slimmer form factor and lighter weight versus the vast majority of LED TVs and the wireless connection afford exceptionally flexible TV placement within the home. Ultimately they require nothing more than a power outlet and a wad of chewed up gum to help stick one to the wall. (Second thought, maybe spend a bit more time properly mounting it.)
The four screen size classes are 20-inch class (20-and-one-twenty-fifth inches measure diagonally), 32- (31-and-a-half diagonal), 40-inch and 60-inch-class (60-and-one-thirty-second). -- AQUOS Freestyle models feature a significantly slimmer and lighter design than most LED TVs.
Both of these two reveals at the show represent a fairly bold new direction for HDTV, and should be considered "concept" products for the time being, although, the array of sizes, colors and accessories for the AQUOS Freestyle suggest that these will hit retail before that singular mondo 8K bad boy. Stay tuned for details as 2012 unfolds.
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