TechLuver.com

Osaka and Tokyo — Dec 21, `07 — Sharp and Toshiba announced today that the two companies have agreed to collaborate closely in LCDs, a move that is expected to enhance the companies’ corporate value, profitability and global competitiveness.

The alliance will allow each company to make full and effective use of its respective strengths and resources, particularly Sharp’s capabilities in LCDs and Toshiba’s expertise in advanced semiconductors.

Sharp and Toshiba will initiate the collaborative partnership in fiscal year 2008, starting with an expansion of reciprocal procurement – Sharp’s procurement of system LSIs for LCDs from Toshiba, and Toshiba’s procurement of Sharp’s LCD modules for TVs of 32 inches and larger. Through the program, Sharp aims to satisfy about 50 percent of its total demand for system LSIs for TVs in fiscal year 2010, while Toshiba targets meeting 40 percent of its demand for LCD modules in the same year. More at Toshiba.

MILPITAS, Calif –BUSINESS WIRE– Sigma Designs, a leading provider of highly integrated  solutions, today announced that its highly integrated SMP8634 media processor was selected by Sharp Corporation to power its new line of AQUOS Blu-ray disc players and recorders.

Sharp’s new products include the BD-AV1 and AV10 Series for the Japanese market and the recently introduced slim-profile AQUOS BD player, model BD-HP20U, the company’s first offering in the US market.

Sharp’s new series of AQUOS Blu-ray disc recorders BD-AV1 and AV10 enable recording and playback of digital broadcasts of HDTV programs that capture the same high-resolution image quality of broadcast TV that VCR users are accustomed to experiencing.

AQUOS also offers full compatibility with 24 movie frames per second playback, matching the native filming format for most movies as well as HDMI output support of 1080/24p video and Dolby TrueHD, and an i.LINK (IEEE1394) input for connecting to a Sharp AQUOS High-Vision recorder. More here.

On Wednesday, Dec 12, Sharp Corporation filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics in the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea.

The complaint alleges that (1) liquid crystal display (LCD) modules manufactured and/or sold by Samsung in South Korea and (2) LCD TVs manufactured and/or sold by Samsung in South Korea that incorporate these LCD modules infringe upon three LCD-related Korean patents that are owned by Sharp.

In the complaint, Sharp requests that the Court award it compensatory damages and prohibit the manufacturing and sale of the infringing products in South Korea.

The three patents named in the lawsuit are Korean Patent Numbers 371,939, 740,570 and 776,988. These patents relate to LCD technologies that achieve high brightness and high-speed response, as well as a wide viewing angle by regulating and stabilizing the alignment of the LCD molecules.

On August 6, 2007, Sharp filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung and its US subsidiaries Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA) and Samsung Telecommunications America (STA) in the US. That lawsuit is now pending. More at Sharp.

Single Package Is Less than 1/100th the Size of Previous Tuner.

Dec 05, ‘07 — Sharp Corporation has developed the VA3C5CZ920, the industry’s first tuner module compatible with GB20600-2006, the China Digital Television Terrestrial Broadcasting System Standard. Sample shipments will start in late January 2008. This tuner module is less than 1/100th the size of conventional “can” tuners for receiving China’s terrestrial digital broadcasts. The small package size of just 10.7 x 10.7 x 1.4 mm means that this tuner module can go into mobile equipment such as portable TVs and allow them to receive terrestrial digital broadcasts.

Established in August 2006, China’s terrestrial digital broadcast standard has begun test service and plans are for a gradual conversion to full-fledged service. This is fueling expectations for a growing market in mobile equipment capable of receiving high-quality HD broadcasts as the country heads for major events like the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

Unlike conventional can tuners, key component tuners like this one mainly go into mobile equipment and must therefore be extremely small. The VA3C5CZ920 answers this call with a compact, single package achieved through proprietary high-frequency and high-density-mounting technologies that came out of Sharp’s experience in developing tuner modules for One-Seg, Japan’s terrestrial digital broadcast format.

Major Features
1. Industry’s first tuner compatible with GB20600-2006, the China Digital Television Terrestrial Broadcasting System Standard
2. The single package measures just 10.7 x 10.7 x 1.4 mm, less than 1/100th the size of Sharp’s previous tuner
3. Achieves low power consumption of 530 mW (during continuous operation)

More at Sharp.

Nov 09, ‘07 — Samsung said Friday it had stopped selling flat panel televisions and other consumer products in Japan, citing poor profitability.

Samsung has emerged in the past decade and a half as a global force in consumer electronics, taking on and even beating Japanese rivals in places such as the United States and Europe. But penetrating the competitive Japanese consumer market, home to rivals such as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp., appears to have been a considerable challenge.

“We judged direct sales to individual consumers are less profitable than business-to-business sales,” Lee Eun-hee, a Samsung spokeswoman, said of the reasoning behind the decision. Samsung sold LCD TVs, DVD players, MP3 music players and other items in Japan via the Internet, but stopped at the end of October, Lee said. It had ceased sales in retail outlets in August last year, she said.

Samsung will sell flat screen computer monitors directly to businesses and will continue to sell components such as memory chips and liquid crystal displays, she said. The company will also keep supplying mobile phone handsets to Japanese telecommunications company Softbank Corp., she said.

Since 2004, Samsung has produced LCD panels at a joint venture with Sony to meet strong demand for flat screen TVs, which has soared in recent years as consumers have switched to the sleeker versions.

Oct 29, ‘07 — Sharp is introduciong two world-first 26″ LC-26P1-W, 22″ LC-22P1-W and 32″ LC-32P1-W LCD TVs in Japan to be available from Nov 22, ‘07.

Specs:

-Resolution: 1920×1080
-Brightness: 400cd/m2
-Contrast: 2000:1 (32″), 1500:1 (26″), 1200:1 (22″)
-Viewing Angle: 176
-Connectivity: DVI-D, 2x HDMI, S-Video,
-Availability: Nov 22, ‘07 in Japan

More at (Google translated) Sharp

October 23, 2007 — Sharp Corporation has successfully developed a 2.2-inch super-thin LCD for mobile devices with a thickness of only 0.68 mm, the industry’s thinnest*¹. Mobile devices such as mobile phones and digital cameras are rapidly becoming thinner as manufacturers strive to improve portability and offer consumers more stylish designs. As a result, thinner embedded components such as LCDs are also increasing in demand. In addition, the increase in demand for One-Seg (terrestrial digital broadcast) compatible handsets is leading to demands for greater visibility and higher image quality in displays intended for mobile devices. In this light, Sharp has successfully developed a new 2.2-inch Mobile Advanced Super View LCD with a thickness of only 0.68 mm, the industry’s thinnest*¹, based on proprietary Sharp fabrication techniques for thin LCDs, in particular, glass substrate and backlight technologies. This new Mobile Advanced Super View LCD delivers superior image quality approaching that of an LCD TV thanks to a high contrast ratio of 2000:1, wide viewing angle of 176°, and fast response speed of 8 ms, which are among the highest levels in the industry*². As the leading manufacturer of LCDs, Sharp will continue to develop new proprietary technologies for LCDs, ranging from large-size LCDs for TVs to small- and medium-size displays, and will contribute to the further evolution of mobile devices in the future. Note also that this display will be exhibited at FPD International 2007 to be held at Pacifico Yokohama on October 24 to 26.
Specifications

*As of October 23, 2007.

More at Sharp

Sharp Australia introduces this awsome looking TV stand Sound system combination in form of ANPR1000H  AQUOS Rack System.

Features:
300W Total Output Power ( 2×75W Speaker and 2×75W Subwoofer)
Featuring new sound reproduction Technology “Audistry” by Dolby
Integrated Remote Control for Sharp LCD TV, DVD players and other selected brands
2.1ch Front Surround System
High Power Sound Playback with amplifier
Piano Finish cabinet with black glass top and shelf
DTS, Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II Decoder, Dolby Virtual Speaker
Magnetically Shielded Front Speakers
FM Tuner with up to 40 Random Present Station, RDS ( Radio Data System) Tuner
Timer and Sleep function
AC 220 ~ 240 V, 50/60 Hz
FM: 87.5 – 108 MHz
12030×476x397 mm, Weighs JUST 46.5kg
RRP: $1,099.00

More at Sharp Australia

From CEATEC, Aving News Network reports, “Sharp presented its Blu-ray disc recorder ‘BD-HDW20′ with 1TB capacity during CEATEC 2007, which supports 127 hours of HD video recording. The BD-HDW20 is available in Japan market on December 1, and suggested price is JPY300,000 or $2600 approx. According to the company, eight new Blu-ray players are also expected to be launched in Japan market.”

More pics at Aving…