Sharp and I-cubed Research Center Inc. have developed a prototype and will pursue joint research aimed at commercialization of a next-generation ICC 4K LCD TV with quad high-definition resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels), four times the resolution of current full HD 1080p TV signals.

Sharp has on display the TV prototype at the CEATEC showm which opened its gates today at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba Prefecture.

The ICC 4K LCD TV 60" prototype integrates the ICC visual creation technology developed by I-cubed, with large-screen, high-resolution LCD technology nurtured in the development of Sharp AQUOS TVs. This involves not merely enhancing the image quality in video signal processing. Rather than that, a new signal processing technology combined with panel control technology reproduce the "cognitive" process by which the human brain interprets light stimuli as natural scenery or an object using a TV video display to re-create the equivalent light stimuli. Landscapes in perspective, the realistic appearance of human figures, textures, etc., are displayed on the screen with a true-to-life quality approaching that of the real world.



Sharp claims that the technology used in its approach isn't just a conventional super-high-definition technology involving up-conversion and noise reduction. The idea is that it giveas the viewer a sense of perspective, three-dimensionality, and texture that's much more similar to the natural world.

"For example, nowadays, we have HD broadcasting and 4K monitors. What super-high resolution technology does is up-convert from HD signals to 4K signals, with the goal of reproducing electrical signals captured using a 4K camera if there isn't any 4K content. Even if that is achieved 100%, the electrical signal is only 4K. We'd like you to see that we're creating pictures with an optical signal instead of an electrical signal," Sharp said.

Sharp and I-cubed will continue to co-develop this technology, with the aim of achieving a practical version next year.

At the same show, Sharp exhibited an 85-inch Super Hi-Vision (SHV) LCD display that supports a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels. Super Hi-Vision features approximately 33 megapixels, or 16 times the resolution of HDTV.

Developed jointly by Sharp and NHK, the LED backlight LCD features a brightness of 300cd / m2, a pixel pitch of 0.245mm, and a gradation of 10bits 10 bits for each RGB color.