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Live from Sharp's CES 2012 press event!

Ben Drawbaugh
Updated ·5 min read

The CES press conferences are in full swing now and we're waiting patiently for the Sharp one to start. We expect some new additions to the Sharp lineup, but with the 80-inch released late last year, we'd be shocked if anything announced today would live up to that.


1:46PM That's it for Sharp, which is inviting us to its booth see more. See ya later!



1:45PM Oh sorry, we hadn't left, we were just watching a quick reel about all the stuff Sharp makes -- many of those things are boring.



1:42PM That's it for this exec, who invites us to the booth -- with an 85-inch Super Hi-Viaion LCD you can bet we'll be there.





1:40PM Anyone that has lifted their HDTV more than once can appreciate how easily they're toting those things, apparently there's an integrated handle to make shifting one around a snap.



1:39PM You've probably seen the press release we posted, but there's also a new XV-Z30000 projector with 3D.
Now, models have hit the stage doing their best walks to show off the Sharp Freestyles "moving" experience.


1:38PM Connected Blu-ray players, slim soundbars, and new shelf systems are also all on the way.


1:37PM This year we'll be able to check out Sharp's 85-inch 8K Super Hi-Vision LCD screen at its boot -- couldn't fit it on the Smart Car, I guess



1:36PM Sharp BeamzIt lets users share media directly from their iOS or Android device, so prepare for the AirPlay comparisons.


1:36PM A couple more smaller screens have dropped in, can't say we noticed 'em tho, next to that 80-incher
also new: Sharp BeamzIt



1:35PM This time around the 80-incher is going to feature 3D, among all the other advanced tech, with 240hz processing and local dimming LEDs.




1:34PM More than 20 large screen TVs with built-in WiFi and Smart Central are coming home this year.



1:33PM AQUOS Advantage and AQUOS Advantage live are also built into the TVs, so support personnel can remotely connect to the TV while troubleshooting over the phone.



1:32PM Promises the "most popular apps and content (yup, Netflix,) as well as others that you can run while also watching TV




1:31PM New feature for the TVs: Smart Central


1:31PM That's it for Herrington, now Marketing VP Mark Viken has stepped out of the car, joking he had to drive the 80-incher all the way to Vegas.


1:30PM "We probably wouldn't recommend you transport your TV this way"



1:30PM ....revealing an 80-inch tied to the roof of a Smart car



1:29PM the wall is pulling back....



1:29PM Useless fact time: 266 smartphones could fit in one 80-inch Sharp screen.



1:28PM Also on the way? 4K ICC-4K screen for pros




1:28PM Quattron pixel technology has been upgraded, with Quad Pixel II for more accurate colors.


1:27PM Now it's back to Herrington, promising Sharp will remain the driving force in LCDs, introducing 17 newer, better models in the next 90 days.








1:25PM Now it's highlight reel time, with a Q&A video of customers saying what size TV they have before inevitably learning the truth about how big they can go from Sharp.




1:24PM Who was the fastest growing television brand in 2011? Sharp, that's who.


1:23PM If 70-inch is good, then 80-inches was better right? Sharp thought so, and that's why they brought one out last summer, before reintroducing the Pioneer Elite TV brand.




1:22PM In case you forgot, Sharp kicked the size wars up early last year with a 70-inch LCD that had 62 percent more screen area than your puny 55-inch, and by November the model was rated among the top ten most popular in the US.



1:21PM Now we're celebrating the 10g LCD facility Sharp opened back in '09, optimized to produce supersized LCDs like no one else can.




1:20PM That's enough whiteboard fiddling, US Pres John Herrington has hit the stage to talk about the changes Sharp is bringing to the TV business.


1:19PM Now it's on to the big televisions, and hey, they just happen to have a whiteboard around to run the presentation on. Now we'll find out how customers are to decide which big, bigger, biggest screen works for them.







1:16PM Want to doodle, run MS Office, or do generally anything whiteboard fanboys (there have to be some, somewhere) dream about? Go ahead, the AQUOS Board supports it.

Yeah, just in case you weren't sure this is just for the PowerPoint fiends, a Microsoft exec is on stage to talk about their deep integration in the product.


1:15PM The AQUOS board works equally well with stylus or finger, and has a PC integrated in it,





1:14PM 60-, 70- and 80-inch versions available, and with its 1080p screen, you might actually pay attention to a PowerPoint presentation on it.



1:13PM The 80-inch AQUOS Board just rolled out




1:12PM Doug's new, only joined the squad a few months ago from the information and document technology part of the business, so be nice.


1:12PM What's got everyone's favorite CEO excited about the future? "Thinking Big".

Next up is US President Doug Albregts


1:10PM Correction: not just LCDs - TVs period. Spectacularge indeed.



1:10PM You're looking at the leading maker of 60-inch+ LCDs, so give respect.



1:09PM We're going back over the long and illustrious technological history of Sharp -- in case you didn't know, they've made a lot of stuff.






1:07PM Sharp is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year "staying at the forefront of innovation"


1:07PM The CEO is on stage and we're live from Sharp's CES press conference!