Sharp's Aquos Quattron Plus TV plays 4K content without the 4K

Sharp TVs
Sharp unveiled four new series of TVs at CES 2014

Samsung may think it's the leader in big TV tech, but Sharp would disagree.

Sharp showed off a slew of new TVs at a press conference on the day before the official start of CES 2014, pronouncing itself the top TV maker, with "the most comprehensive line" of HD big-screens.

That line includes the newly announced Sharp Aquos Quattron (or Q series) Plus, "the highest resolution [full] HD television available," Sharp Marketing President John Herrington said on stage.

The Q Plus has 10 million more subpixels than a standard full HD TV and a built-in upscaler, said Herrington - and unlike other 1080p TVs it plays 4K content, but at "half the cost" of an actual UHD 4K TV.

Aquos everywhere

The Aquos Q Plus will come in two varieties, both of which come in 60- and 70-inch sizes: the standard SQ, and the premium UQ, which has an aluminum frame, a brighter screen, and a built-in subwoofer.

Sharp also revealed a fully redesigned standard Aquos Quattron of 1080p TVs, which Herrington said deliver one billion more colors than standard Aquos HD TVs thanks to their extra subpixels.

These will be available in 60 and 70-inch versions as well.

Also on stage were Sharp's new non-Quattron Aquos full HD 1080p TVs, which launch this month in 60-inch, 70-inch, 80-inch, and 90-inch sizes.

Actual 4K too

In addition to the Quattron Plus series that plays 4K content at "half the price," Sharp unveiled two new actual 4K Ultra HD Aquos sets, at 60 and 70 inches.

Sharps' 4K TVs will launch this summer, with more sizes coming later in the year.

And Sharp also showed off its new Sharp Universal Player, a wireless receiver that ships in late spring and supposedly transmits audio at higher quality wirelessly than even wired audio receivers do.

Finally Sharp touted its SmartCentral platform, which will be available in every new Aquos TV. SmartCentral lets viewers search for content and has a companion mobile app.

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.