It's not exactly the Sharp you may remember as the maker of some of the best TVs of the late '90s and early Aughts. But Sharp Home Electronics Company of America (SHCA) says that it's rolling out two new TVs for the tail end of 2023, one of which is the first-ever Roku OLED TV.
The Sharp AQUOS OLED 4K UHD is available starting today (November 15) for $1,500 in a 55-inch screen size or in a 65-inch screen size that costs $1,999 from retailers like Value Electronics.
According to the specs from Sharp, the AQUOS OLED will use a 30W audio system to deliver Dolby Atmos audio; it also uses Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) across all 4 HDMI inputs. In terms of HDR support, the OLED has Dolby Vision IQ and standard HDR10 and HLG support, but not HDR10+.
Unfortunately, these specs alone aren't going to blow anyone away who already owns one of the best OLED TVs from Samsung, Sony or LG, so it'll all come down to how these TVs look in person.
The other TV series being announced today is the Sharp Mainstream 4K UHD that only uses a 60Hz LED-LCD panel and a lower wattage sound system (16W), though it comes in sizes ranging from 50 to 75 inches. It's cheaper than the OLED, obviously, but comes with lower specs.
Sharp's confusing backstory
The Sharp you most likely think of when you hear the name is actually the Japanese electronics maker that helped pioneer LCD TV technology. That company dipped out of the US TV market more than a decade ago due to increased competition.
From 2015 onward, Sharp's US operation was owned by Hisense until Sharp regained its brand and started releasing new products of its own in 2019.
“We are pleased to be working with Roku to support our return to a US market as competitive as televisions,” said Jim Sanduski, President of Sharp Home Electronics Company of America.
“The immersive experience of our AQUOS OLED panel means our consumers will truly enjoy their Sharp Roku TV set to its fullest potential with the rich library of entertainment options and original content that Roku brings to our customers.”
How this new-and-improved Sharp will fare against new QD-OLED models like the Samsung S95C OLED and Sony A95L OLED remains to be seen, but for TV lovers like myself, it's nice to see an old face pop up again after all these years.
