Audio Video News

Looking for the ultimate computer monitor or a very thin home-theater display? Sharp Corporation has just announced the launch of the world's first television with a liquid-crystal screen and onboard decoder of direct satellite broadcasts. The 30"-diagonal screen is only 2.4" thick, making it the world's largest LCD television, according to Sharp executives.

The new device can be used as a computer monitor or as a display for home-theater systems in small rooms. Its internal speaker system is said to be competitive with much larger separate systems. The new monitor goes on sale in Japan on February 23 at a suggested retail price of ¥1.1 million, or about $10,380.

Sharp hopes the display will sell at the rate of 500 units per month, and plans to introduce it to the Asian, European, and North American markets later this year. More than half of the company's ¥140 billion capital investment this year will go into liquid-crystal display operations, according to Sharp's president, Katsuhiko Machida.