CES 2010: Sharp looks to redefine colour with quad-pixels

Sharp had added yellow pixels to the traditional red, green and blue

LAS VEGAS: Sharp has announced plans to redefine displays with a new technique that can increase the range of colours that can be generated by a factor of 1,000.

Speaking at CES 2010, Sharp president Mikio Katayama said that the company had perfected a new technique for colour generation that increases the number of colours it can generate from a billion to a trillion.

"For 140 years the three primary lights used to generate colour were red, green and blue [RGB], but this has its limitations. It can't render all colours, " he said. "Now to RGB we have added yellow pixels, in a technology unique to Sharp."

The LCD system will produce sharper yellows, deeper blues and better gold colours, according to Katayama.

The first products to use the technology will be the company's range of AQUOS television displays, but Katayama told V3.co.uk that the company is interested in bringing the display technology to computing and commercial platforms.

"For designers and medical monitors it is very suitable for these technologies," he said. "It's an application we are considering."

In addition to producing more varied colours the displays also use LED backlighting to reduce power consumption.

Sharp also plans a major push into the LED lighting field, with a new range of lights that can be adjusted for colour and intensity.

The company will begin selling LED lights in March, focusing initially on the industrial and commercial markets. The lights can be retrofitted to existing fittings and will offer a much longer lifespan and an 80 per cent power saving over conventional lighting sources, Sharp said.

In a dig at the current fluorescent light fittings mandated by the EU and others, Sharp pointed out that the lights contain no mercury and are made from environmentally friendly products.