Source: Reuters, Tokyo
Sharp To Launch World's First 30-Inch Digital TV
Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp said on Wednesday it will launch the world's first television with a liquid crystal screen that provides digital satellite broadcasting services. The 30-inch screen is 2.4 inches thick, making it also the world's largest liquid crystal display (LCD) TV, Sharp said in a news conference. It can also be used as a monitor for personal computers. Sharp said the TV's speaker system is as strong as conventional 10-inch speakers. It will go on sale on February 23 in Japan at a retail price of 1.1 million yen ($10,380) with a rollout planned for the United States, Europe and Asia later in the year. Sharp initially aims at monthly sales of 500 units, the company said. Later in the news conference, a Sharp executive said that the company expected domestic monthly shipments of liquid crystal television sets to reach around 100,000 units, but added that it hopes to double the shipments by the end of this year. Sharp President Katsuhiko Machida said earlier this month that his company plans a parent capital investment of 140 billion yen in the year starting April 1. Of the total capital investment in 2000/01, 80 billion yen will be spent on liquid crystal display operations, he said.