IFA 2008: Sharp Unveils Ultra-Thin Aquos XS1 HDTV, New Blu-ray Player

As some of you probably know, for quite a long time, the IFA show in Berlin has been all about the latest developments in the TV industry, but, over the years, it has expanded quite a lot, now housing just about every type of consumer electronic product one might think of. Nevertheless, the most important names in the industry use this event in order to promote their latest and most attractive TV sets, and that's also the case with Sharp, which has just unveiled the Aquos XS1 super-thin HDTV LCD, as well as several other interesting A/V products.

The first thing that draws anyone's attention to the XS1 is, without a doubt, the very thin profile, namely 23 mm at the thinnest side, but, unfortunately, 46 mm at the thickest (otherwise, it might have snatched away the title of world's thinnest LCD TV from Sony). Moreover, the TV set also boasts an absolutely extraordinary dynamic contrast ratio (1,000,000:1), which is also comparable to that of the most advanced models announced today by Sony.

The XS1 is available in two different variants, one measuring 52 inches in diagonal, while the other is significantly larger, at 65 inches. Both versions deliver full HD, 1920 x 1080 pixel resolutions, as well as 100Hz motion processing and a detachable speaker system, developed together with Pioneer.

Beside this ultra-thin HDTV, the company has also announced several other products, including a few "normal" and some eco-friendly LCD units, as well as a Blu-ray player, the BD-HP21H, which supports Bonus View Profile 1.1 and also sports a quick-start mode.

Unfortunately, none of the products mentioned above has received a price tag, but we sure hope that we'll see them in stores as soon as possible, perhaps even before the year's end.

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