Sharp recently introduced a 45-inch LCD TV from its Aquos line, which it will begin marketing next month, according to Felix ST Chen, chairman of Sharp Corporation Taiwan. The company will also introduce a 65-inch LCD-TV model to the Taiwan market in the fourth quarter of next year.
The 45-inch LCD TV has advantages over a 50-inch PDP (plasma display panel) TV, the Sharp Taiwan branch indicated. Priced at NT$339,000 (about US$10,263), the model costs as much as some 50-inch PDP TVs in Taiwan but has a higher resolution and consumes less power, the branch office added.
Chen is very optimistic about the global LCD-TV market next year. Retail prices for 30-inch LCD TVs will drop from US$1,299 now to US$999 in the second half of next year in Europe and the US, he forecasted.
Sharp expects to have 70-80% of the high-end LCD-TV market in Taiwan next year, although it projects it will only have 10% of the total LCD TV market in Taiwan since local makers are very competitive, Sharp Taiwan said.
In related news, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and the Chi Mei Group (with its CMV-branded products) will launch 45- or 46-inch LCD TVs in Taiwan in the fourth quarter of this year.
Sharp 45-inch LCD TV
Photo: Jimmy Hsu, Allen Lin, DigiTimes
Article translated by Carrie Yu and edited by Michael McManus
