Sharp announces thinnest and lightest LCD TVs

Sharp Corp claims to have developed the world’s thinnest and lightest LCD TVs, with enhanced picture quality.

Sharp’s prototype 52-inch liquid-crystal display TV is just 20mm thick, a significant size reduction compared with the company’s conventional 52-inch LCD TV, which measures 81mm in thickness.

The prototype is also much lighter than a conventional model, weighing in at 25 kgs rather than 30.5kgs and it also consumes only half as much electricity.

The set features a 100,000:1 contrast ratio and provides five times more vivid images than conventional models.

Pricing details for the super thin sets haven’t been revealed but the company aims to start output when its new LCD factory in Sakai, western Japan, comes online. This should be around March 2010.

Sharp’s super thin sets will be in competition with Sony’s organic light-emitting diode TVs, which also feature thin displays and crisp images. Sony’s sets are due to be launched by the end of the year.