Trying to get a jump over similarly-sized plasma displays, Sharp Electronics Corp. at InfoComm previewed its largest LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor yet, the 45-inch (100-centimeter) LC-M4500.

The monitor is a size upgrade over Sharp's earlier 37-inch models and can display true 1080 high-definition video signals in a full 1920-pixel by 1080-pixel format without scaling the image, said Bruce Pollack, associate marketing director at Sharp.

It is also the first 45-inch display launched by Sharp targeted at commercial establishments needing information display and digital signage applications, including retail outlets, restaurants, airports and hotels, he said.

The monitor's 60,000-hour backlight life is double that of similarly-sized plasma displays, and once the backlight burns out, it can be replaced, unlike current plasma displays, Sharp claimed. The backlight of the LC-M4500 can run continuously for up to seven years, said Deanna Davis, a Sharp spokeswoman. A replacement backlight itself costs a couple of hundred dollars, keeping the investment affordable, said Pollack.

The LC-M4500 has multiple connectivity options not usually found on displays targeted at homes, he said. Among the options is an RS-232C input-output interface that allows for remote access to the features built into the display from a PC. In addition to securing the display from being tampered with, an RS-232C loop-through module allows multiple monitors to connect to one PC through a single cable.

"Without loop-through you'd have to run a dedicated monitor to each computer," Pollack said. For multiple monitors displaying similar information, this could be a beneficial feature.

The monitor has five levels of tamper-proof capabilities built in, said Pollack. "Changes to the display depend upon how strict you want to be. In a commercial display area, you don't want people to make adjustments to the display," he said.

Sharp is also working with Calgary, Alberta-based Smart Technologies Inc. to add interactive capabilities to the 45-inch display.

The LC-M4500 has a 800:1 contrast ratio, a 15 millisecond refresh rate and a 170-degree viewing angle. It also has analog, S-Video, Digital Video Input (DVI) and RGB 15-pin audio and video input and output options.

The display will become available worldwide in the first quarter of 2005. Though a price was not set for the product, Pollack estimated its list price to be around US$11,000.

InfoComm is being held in Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center from June 5 through June 11.

IDG News Service

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