David
Keene– The gargantuan CES Show in Las Vegas, is ostensibly about
“consumer” products. But the time when the “pro” video and audio world
first saw all new technology breakthroughs and only later did that
technology trickle over to the consumer side– well,
those days are gone– at least for some categories of products. For the
past five or so years, the big electronics giants have been putting
their biggest allocations of R&D money into consumer-side products,
for the obvious reason that consumers now propel the
market, with their insatiable appetites for flat panels, smart phones,
etc., with bigger sell-through than any one pro market could ever
produce.
So CES is no longer just for the retailer looking to see what they’ll be
selling in their stores next Christmas season (or rather, “Black
Friday” which of course is no longer one day, and will start probably
around Halloween this coming season). It’s now also
about seeing what the LG’s, Sharp’s, Samsung’s, etc, of the world are
rolling out for the consumer– often before the pro side gets it. In the
flat panel world, thinner bezels, faster refresh rate, and more, made
their debut first at a CES show, not an InfoComm
or other B2B show. Such is the case this week, as we get news from CES
exhibitors about new products that are becoming increasingly difficult
to categorize as “commercial” or “consumer” side products.
Sharp has been shaking up the AV channel recently, introducing 60, 70,
and 80-inch LED-backlit LCD panels at dealer costs that are very
aggressive. 1080P has been around for a while; Bezels are pretty thin
from all the manufacturers. Refresh rate is yesterday’s
issue. But we may finally see the pricing of large screen sizes– 70
inch, 80 inch, come down and start making more inroads against video
projectors.
News from Sharp, from CES yesterday, below. Note the quote from Doug
Albregts, the newly appointed president of Sharp Imaging and Information
Company of America (SIICA)… that is, president of the company’s B2B
business unit. And note the price– and that’s the
MRSP.
SHARP®
EXPANDS ITS BIG, BROAD LINE-UP OF LARGE-SCREEN INTERACTIVE, TOUCH-PANEL
DISPLAY SYSTEMS – NOW IN AN 80-INCH CLASS (80” DIAGONAL) SCREEN SIZE
CLASS
More Than a Conference Room Display, the Line-Up is Designed for the Way We Work Today
Las Vegas, NV, January 9, 2012 -- Sharp Imaging and Information Company
of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, is
furthering its reputation as a world leader in large-screen interactive
touch-panel display systems with the launch of
an 80-inch class (80” diagonal) interactive display system, AQUOS®
Board, a complete solution to facilitate global collaboration in a way
that’s never been seen before.
The
80-inch class AQUOS Board combines a high-performance interactive
display
with a well-designed, comprehensive system for uniquely collaborative
sessions – and continues to set a new standard in price-performance for
touch-screen displays. This latest addition to Sharp’s evolving family
of state-of-the-art, 60-inch class (60 1/32”
diagonal), 70-inch class (69-1/2" diagonal) and 80-inch class display
tools allows organizations to operate in a visual and truly
collaborative way, creating a dynamic and interactive workplace
experience.
This
incredible display is produced by Sharp’s state of the art, Gen-10 LCD
manufacturing
facility in Sakai City, Japan. The AQUOS Board interactive display
replaces traditional, static projection solutions with spectacular
performance, delivering the high-definition quality we’ve come to expect
in our homes.
“Similar to what our innovative and industry-leading large-screen TVs
are doing for the home, Sharp’s large-screen interactive touch-panel
display systems are revolutionizing the workplace,” said Doug Albregts,
president, SIICA. “The 80-inch class AQUOS Board
provides endless collaboration, information and entertainment options
and is a welcome addition to Sharp’s family of solutions designed to
improve our workplace lives.”
Designed to optimize and integrate a wide range of applications
companies need in order to think big and disseminate information on a
global scale – such as work group collaboration, video conferencing,
interactive signage and video walls – the AQUOS Board
delivers more than double the screen area of a 55-inch class display. It
is ideal for any setting that requires large-scale collaboration,
information and/or entertainment options, including meeting rooms,
office lobbies, schools, airports, malls, exhibit halls
and hotels.
The AQUOS Board PN-L802B will be available in late February through
Sharp’s network of dealers, distributors and VARs for $13,795 MSRP.
Features and Capabilities
Further facilitating global collaboration, the AQUOS Board offers
business users seamless integration with presentation and video
conferencing technologies, including WebEx™, GoToMeeting™ and Skype™.
Additionally, the system will be fully compatible with a
full array of familiar Microsoft®products (Microsoft Office Suite®,
Microsoft Windows 7® and Microsoft touch Pack for Windows 7®).
In addition to the PN-L802B stand-alone display, which comes with a
three-year onsite parts and labor limited warranty, customers also have
the option of purchasing a bundled solution. The bundle – PN-L802B-PKG
–includes the AQUOS Board 80-inch class, full-array,
LED backlit, interactive touch-panel display, the PN-TPC2W7 Compact
Whiteboard PC and rolling cart floor stand. The whiteboard PC connects
easily to the rear of the display; utilizes an Intel® Pentium™ dual-core
2.5 GHz processor and comes pre-loaded with Microsoft
Windows 7, Sharp Pen Software™ and touch-screen drivers, and is sold
with a HDMI® connecting cable for easy system set-up.
The AQUOS Board 80-inch class LED touch-panel, with full HD 1920 x 1080
resolution, is equipped with Sharp’s UV2A photo alignment and Full Array
LED backlight technologies to create an energy-efficient screen that is
easy to read in most environments, regardless
of ambient light.
Users can make meetings more interactive by drawing and taking notes
directly on-screen, and saving new versions to their PC or printing them
to a connected Sharp Multifunction Product (MFP). The intuitive
software also lets users select pen colors and eraser
functions easily, with a click of the touch pen button. Furthermore,
existing images can be easily scanned and displayed by connecting to a
networked Sharp MFP via the pen software.
The AQUOS Board is engineered for commercial 24/7 use, uninterrupted
worry-free operation and comes with a three-year onsite parts and labor
limited warranty. It can also function separately of the bundled
solution, as a versatile LED-LCD information display.