Sharp has announced that it will start selling a new line of LCD televisions in Japan that are substantially thinner than competing sets currently on the market

 

 At their thinnest point, the sets are just 3.44 centimeters and fatten slightly to 3.85 cm at the thickest point.

 

On the sale in Japan from March 1, Sharp's new X-series models come in 37-, 42- and 46-inch screen sizes.

 

The company also plans to soon put these sets on sale in overseas markets as well.

 

Sharp has also separated the tuner unit into a VCR-sized box thus furthering helping keep the TV thin.

 

Sharp claims a 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (900:1 absolute) for these LCDs, and a 450 cd/m2 brightness with double-speed 120 Hz refresh rate and 176 degree viewing angle. A proprietary 12-bit processor, designed to give smooth tone variations, handles the color processing. The system has 3 HDMI inputs along with analog and digital tuners. It has a thin-profile 8-speaker soundsystem integrated in the chassis, with a 1-bit digital amplifier.

 

After concentrating on making the LCD TVs bigger the LCD TV manufacturers are now concentrating on manufacturing the slimmest possible TVs. They are doing this by designing thinner backlights. Prototype thin TV sets have been already showcased by the likes of JVC, Hitachi (News - Alert) and Panasonic at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Sharp was also among the companies that showcased their slimmest models for the consumers.