14 DAY TRIAL // When the International Telecommunication Union came together and dubbed 4K resolution, as well as 8K for that matter, UHDTV, we did not expect the standard to show up on other types of panels, not so soon at any rate.
UHDTV stands for ultra-high definition television and defines a native resolution of 3840 x 2160 (4K) or 7680 x 4320 (4K).
Obviously, the PN-K321 display from Sharp cannot be called a UHDTV because it is not a TV. That makes it a UHD professional monitor.
Workstations belonging to graphics designers will benefit from using this panel. The diagonal of 32 inches may not hold a candle to 60- to 90-inch TVs, but it is in the higher half of the monitor segment.
Sharp chose the IGZO technology here. Indium gallium zinc oxide is a semiconductor material that, when used as a channel for a transparent thin-film transistor (instead of amorphous silicon), forms the active layer of an LCD.
IGZO has electron mobility about 40 times higher than that of amorphous silicon, which is why it supports resolutions beyond HDTV easily, as well as higher reaction speeds.
That said, Sharp promises that PN-K321 is only 35mm thick (1.37 inches), the thinnest frame in the industry, according to it.
All in all, Sharp strove to turn the PN-K321 into the thinnest and best professional monitor ever, even if it meant a high price.
Speaking of which, prospective buyers will need to be willing to part with 450,00 Yen when shipments begin, in February 2013. That means $5,500 or 4,225 Euro, according to exchange rates.
Given the Consumer Electronics Show set for January 2013, the probability is high that Sharp will bring the monitor to the exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada, the US. Other IGZO screens are bound to be there as well.