Sharp has used CES 2017 to announce the P9500, a 75-inch quantum dot LED TV aimed at home theater enthusiasts after precise cinematic images.
It's the first we've seen from Sharp since the brand was bought by Hisense for the North America market, and it's part of a strong 4K flavored line-up of LED-backlit LCD TVs for 2017.
Showing in a private room away from the CES show floor, the P9500 is actually called a DLED TV – so-called by Sharp because it's built around a direct LED panel – with 4K resolution and HDR Premium certification.
DLED TV
"The P9500 also has quantum dot wide color gamut panel, so brings 90% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum and direct LED local dimming, as well as motion 480 upscaling, and smart TV with a web browser," said Amy Lessig, National Training and Execution Manager at Hisense, which owns the Sharp brand. "But it won't be displayed with the Hisense TVs at the CES."
Sharp is clearly going for home theater luvvies with this 75-incher. "We will be sending the P9500 to the UHD Alliance for certification as well as to THX," said Lessig. "We have designed the P9500 to meet those specifications."
Next in line comes the P9000, which also comes in just one size – 75-inches – but doesn't include quantum dot technology. However, it does have wide color gamut and can reach 85-90% of the DCI-P3 standard.
"It's also got HDR 10 compatibility with great luminance and color space as well as full array direct local dimming," said Lessig.
Lessig also confirmed that all of Sharp's 4K TVs in 2017 will have a smart TV web browser, 4K media player and receiver for the US market, and built-in dbx-tv audio. They all also include four HDMI 2.0b inputs with HDCP 2.2 at up to 60 frames per second, three USB slots, and two dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi modules.
A step down
The step-down P8000 line-up comes in 50-inch ($749.99), 55-inch ($849.99), 65-inch ($1,999.99) and 75-inch ($2,699.99) sizes. Further down comes the P7000, another HDR 10-compatible 4K line-up that includes 43-inch ($999.99), 50-inch ($649.99), 55-inch ($549.99) and 65-inch ($449.99) models. All are full array direct LED panels, but they lack local dimming.
It may be scraping the barrel for some, but Sharp did also announce a limited range of Full HD TV ranges in 2017, including the P5000 and P3000 direct LED panels. Soundbars were also detailed, including the high-end HT-SB603 for 60-inch+ screens. Supporting 4K pass-through via HDMI, the HT-SB603 includes 2x 80W channels and a 150W wireless subwoofer.
While UMC own the Sharp brand in Europe, Hisense has had a five-year licensing deal in place since last year for the North America market. It's since invested $25 million in updating a factory in Mexico to double its output.
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