Japan - Sharp UK Visit
31/10/2004
I recently had a fantastic opportunity to visit Japan, courtesy of Sharp UK and Bob Wheeler of Marata Vision, one of our favourite suppliers. “How do you fancy a trip to Tokyo” said Bob. “The only problem is it means going next week”. Well, I thought about the proposition for around 30 milliseconds and said “yes”.
CEATEC is Japan’s annual consumer electronics show and Sharp were launching some new home cinema technology which they were keen to show us. We had a very busy two-day schedule that included a visit to Sharp’s head office demonstration facilities just outside Tokyo, a 
visit to the CEATEC trade show, followed by a day of sight seeing. Some of the next emerging technologies being produced include 3D LCD displays and holographic images, just like those in sci-fi movies. Sharp are also the world leader in solar cell technologies and Plasmacluster Ion Technology air purifiers. Developed exclusively by Sharp, you’ll be seeing these revolutionary air purification systems in the shops over the next few months. We have been selling the Sharp Aquos range of LCD TVs over the past couple of years and it was apparent at the show that LCD and plasma now dominate the market. The new models of Sharp home cinema projector to be launched early next year include and entry-level DLP projector, the Z91 at around £2,500 and a new high-end model to replace the Z9000, which will cost around £10,000.
When I asked the Japanese technical representative what changes they had made over the existing model, I was given the obvious answer “Ah! We make picture better”. Ask a silly question! If you ever get the chance to visit Japan, do so. It’s a cultural experience I thoroughly enjoyed.
