It seems like just a few weeks ago Sharp said it wasn’t going to bring its 42-inch Aquos LCD to the U.S. market, opting instead to push its 46- and 52-inch models instead. But at this year’s CEDIA show in Denver, consumer electronics giant Sharp changed its mind, announcing the Aquos LC-42D62U HD television, which offers dual HDMI inputs, full 1080p resolution, and a 42-inch LCD screen to the television market for just $2,499.
“With its graceful design and full HD 1080p resolution, the LC-42D62U gives consumers a perfect balance of style and performance,” said Bruce Tripido, senior director and group leader for Sharp’s Entertainment Products Division. “With the addition of the LC-42D62U to the AQUOS line, Sharp offers more full HD 1080p screen sizes than any other flat panel manufacturer, and we are looking to increase our flat panel marketshare in what has traditionally been a plasma display size.”
The LC-42D62U sports a nice and fast 6ms response time, a 178° viewing angle, brightness of 450 cd/m2, a 1,200:1 native contrast ratio—which Sharp claims is effectively 6,000:1 to with Sharp’s Dynamic Contrast Ratio with Enhanced Picture Contrast Technology. In addition to 1080p resolution (1,920 by 1,080 pixels), the unit can automatically adjust its brightness to match room conditions, and features a piano black cabinet with bottom-mounted recessed speakers. The unit comes with table stand which can be removed for wall mounting. The LC-42D62U offers built-in NTSC, ATSC, and QAM tuners to receive terrestrial HD and standard TV signals, and offers dual HDMI inputs and two HD component video inputs.
But the best part might be the price: just $2,499.99 when it hits retailers in October.