Sharp chose IFA 2010 to anounce its contribution to a burgeoning 3D TV market, the Sharp Aquaos Quattron 3D.
Sharp has taken its time with its 3D offering. Instead of jumping feet first into the third dimension, it pushed out its Quattron technology while everyone else was showing of their 3D wares.
This was a good thing, as Quattron may well hold the key to brighter, better three-dimensional images.
TechRadar was given a demo of the TV, which showed how four colours 3D compares to three colours. And the results were noticeable. Colours sparkled that little bit more and this seemed to enhance the effect of the 3D.
Essentially the fourth colour in Quattron pimps out the yellow in an image and we have to admit most of the demo we saw was based around the colour yellow, which does mean that what we were shown favoured Sharp's TV technology.
Saying that, we have seen a mountain of 3D and this is definitely near the top of the pile when it comes to quality stakes.
To stop judder, Sharp has managed to squeeze in 400hz into the TV which should bring a smoother picture. Unfortunately, there was a few niggles with the demo and judder was apparent. This was to do with the 3D signal rather than the TV itself, however.
At 60-inches the Quattron is optimum size for 3D. While the likes of Panasonic seem to be bigging up smaller sets for 3D – it announced a 42-inch plasma – 60 inches gives you enough screen to immerse yourself in the image.
When it comes to glasses, you get one pair in the setup which we can't help thinking is a touch stingy, considering that it will cost you £100 for another pair.
But the glasses do hold a nice bit of tech that seems lacking on any other TV. If your friends are watching a 3D movie and you don't want to see it in 3D, then what you can do is press a button and view the content in 2D through the glasses. It is a simple but great idea.
While an extra pair of glasses will cost extra, at least the 3D is in-built in the TV, so you don't have to mess around getting external sensors to enjoy 3D content.
At £3,500 the Sharp Quattron 3D is an expensive buy – but with 3D this good, it would definitely be a worthy investment.
The 60-inch Sharp Quattron 3D TV has a UK release date of October 2010.
