The industry’s first flat-panel 70-inch 3D LED LCD TV – Sharp’s Model LC-70E735U – is now reaching dealer shelves. It completes the company’s 70-inch AQUOS 2011 lineup, which started shipping in the spring with the 70-inch LC-70LE732U, and was followed by two models that began moving last month to consumers through power regional retailers and warehouse clubs. It precedes to the market by two weeks the ultra-high-end 70-inch Elite-branded 3D TV that Sharp touted earlier this month and will be marketing through select distribution.
The TV, with built-in Wi-Fi, carries an SRP of $4,799, uses full-array LED backlighting and Sharp’s 10th-generation panels, and also features Quattron RGBY technology. The proprietary Vyper Drive technology that is also a feature provides five-times-faster image transmission when the set’s gaming mode is activated.
It, along with all of the company’s 70-inch-class sets, also benefits from Sharp’s AQUOS Advantage Live service – a feature whereby owners can call a customer support number, get a real person on the other end of the line, and then guide the call center representative verbally, who adjusts the TV to the owner’s preferences for settings like brightness. Sharp operates two call centers in Illinois and employs about 100 representatives who offer support on all manner of Sharp products.
Christopher Loncto, director of marketing communications, said Sharp expects its full suite of 70-inch sets to help the company broaden the NPD-cited 50 percent market share it holds in 60-inch-and-larger TVs.
