Sharp’s first QD-OLED Aquos is born. Bright colors with quantum dots-AV Watch

Sharp will release the Aquos “FS1” series that uses a quantum dot organic EL “QD-OLED” panel from September 16th. The lineup includes the 65-inch “4T-C65FS1” and the 55-inch “4T-C55FS1.” The price is an open price, and the expected retail price is around 605,000 yen for the 65-inch model and around 440,000 yen for the 55-inch model.

Equipped with a QD-OLED panel that uses a blue organic EL layer and quantum dot technology to extract three highly pure primary colors. In addition, it is equipped with original heat dissipation and drive technology to maximize panel performance. It is said that it will “express visual beauty that combines vividness and reality.”

The QD-OLED panel developed by Samsung Display is adopted for the first time by Sharp, and is the second example of a domestic brand following Sony’s flagship 4K organic EL Bravia “A95K” (’22 model) (editorial department survey). In the future, Sharp will develop it as the top line of the company’s organic EL TVs under the brand name “AQUOS QD-OLED”.

Quantum dot organic EL panel first adopted by Sharp

The biggest feature of the FS1 series is the adoption of a QD-OLED panel (4K/3,840 x 2,160 dots, 120Hz) that achieves high brightness, wide color gamut, and wide viewing angle. Instead of conventional RGB generation by white OLED + color filter, by combining blue OLED and quantum dot layer, high-purity RGB is generated by wavelength conversion. Realized to project a variety of colors with high reproducibility and vividness. It also has excellent viewing angle characteristics, so you can enjoy vivid images even from an oblique angle.

Newly equipped with a unique heat dissipation structure “Cooldown Shield II” that enhances the luminous performance of the panel. The gap between the inner plate and the cell is covered with a carbon heat dissipation sheet that is good at dispersing heat, improving heat dissipation performance. By effectively suppressing panel temperature rise and temperature unevenness that hinder light emission, high-contrast images can be enjoyed even in a bright living room.

The drive circuit has also been changed to match the new panel. The new Climax Drive maximizes the brightness and color performance of the QD-OLED by analyzing the amount of light emitted by the organic EL element and the temperature distribution of the panel surface in real time and controlling the amount of light emitted on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

For example, in scenes where the entire screen is dark, the gradation is precisely rendered from jet black to glitter. In scenes where the entire screen is bright, the expressive power of rich colors reproduces beautiful images that combine vividness and reality.

The image engine is “Medalist S4X” equipped with an AI processor tuned for QD-OLED.

In this engine, AI that has learned over 1 million types of video detects object information such as people’s faces and the sky contained in the video. In addition, by combining broadcast genre information such as movies, dramas, sports, etc., an “AI Auto” mode that automatically adjusts to the optimal image for the content has become possible.

It also supports voice “AI auto” mode. In the case of news and dramas, the lines are easier to hear, and in sports, Aquos automatically adjusts the sound to enhance the presence.

Equipped with an “environment sensing” function that adjusts the image in consideration of the brightness of the room and the visual characteristics of the person. In a bright room, the gradation level of dark areas that are difficult to see is increased to expand the dynamic range of brightness. Conversely, in a dark room, it smoothly adjusts the gradation of the dark areas and optimizes the natural image with an emphasis on texture.

In addition, “4K super-resolution up-conversion” that makes high-definition video high-definition, “object profiling” that analyzes the movement, outline, texture, etc. of the subject contained in the video signal in real time and restores the original definition, contrast, and color information of the subject.

The supported HDR standards are HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision.

11 speakers with a maximum output of 85W “AROUND SPEAKER SYSTEM PLUS”

The sound system is a unique “AROUND SPEAKER SYSTEM PLUS” consisting of a total of 11 units.

In addition to the bottom of the screen, a height speaker (tweeter + midrange) is mounted on the upper back to create a sense of unity between video and audio. Furthermore, by tilting the height speakers forward by 20 degrees, clear sound quality and stereophonic sound are realized at the same time. With the synergistic effect with Dolby Atmos, you can enjoy an enveloping sound experience.

Another point is that the FS1 uses a different unit “power voice speaker” from the lower series. This is a compact, lightweight and highly efficient unit, used for the midrange at the bottom of the screen and the subwoofer at the center of the back. By combining speakers with different range characteristics from high to low frequencies, we have devised ways to reproduce a rich sound field clearly and powerfully.

Both 55-inch and 65-inch have tweeter x 2, midrange x 4, subwoofer x 1, height tweeter x 2, height midrange x 2, and the maximum practical output is 85W.

Adopted Google TV where you can enjoy various apps and services. If you say “OK Google” from the Google Assistant button on the remote control, you can start the application, search for movies, play music, and perform basic TV operations by voice.

The remote control has a total of 10 video service direct buttons such as “Netflix”, “Amazon Prime Video”, “U-NEXT”, “Hulu”, “ABEMA”, “FOD”, “Net-Vision”, “TVer”, “YouTube”, and “Disney+”.

If you prepare an external USB camera (sold separately), it supports the “Google Meet” application that allows you to make video calls. Sharp’s original application “Living Camera” can display YouTube video on top of the camera video at the same time.

It also supports the healthcare-related application “AQUOS Health Viewer”, which was newly adopted for the 4K LCD Aquos in 2023.

By linking with “Google Fit” compatible devices such as smart watches, weight scales, and blood pressure monitors, daily changes such as the number of steps, heart rate, weight, and blood pressure measured by each device are graphically displayed on Aquos. By visualizing the condition, it supports daily health management.

The app “AQUOS Screen Time” is also newly installed. Display the viewing time of broadcasts and video distribution applications in a graph. Single-day display and weekly display can be selected for the graph. Changes can be confirmed by comparing with the past viewing time.

In addition, “Matomaru”, which displays folders of recorded programs in the USB HDD connected to Aquos, and “maximum volume limit” to prevent sudden loud volume due to malfunction are added.

Equipped tuners are BS/CS 4K x 2 units and terrestrial/BS/110 degree CS x 3 units. By connecting an external USB HDD (sold separately), you can simultaneously record two programs of another 4K broadcast and terrestrial / BS / CS digital broadcast while watching 4K broadcast. It also supports “Omakase Auto Chapter” that automatically records chapters.

Support 4K program guide. A high-definition display with easy-to-read characters and information on programs and performers with images are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner.

There are 4 HDMI inputs, and it supports 4K x 2K full resolution display (SDR only) at 4K 120Hz input, VRR, ALLM, eARC / ARC. In addition, 3.5mm mini jack AV input, optical digital audio output, headphone / analog audio output are available. There are 3 USB terminals, 1 for recording and 2 for memory. The LAN terminal is 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX. Wireless LAN supports Wi-Fi 6.

Adopts a swivel stand that rotates 30 degrees left and right. It also has a rotation lock mechanism that prevents unintended rotation. Furthermore, it is equipped with a cable management mechanism that can organize the cables on the back. I made it possible to wire the power cable and HDMI cable so that they can not be seen from the front.

The power consumption is about 543W for the 65 type and about 413W for the 55 type. The annual power consumption is 257 kWh/year for the 65 type and 209 kWh/year for the 55 type.

The external dimensions/weight including the stand are 144.4 x 30.4 x 89.4 cm (width x depth x height) / about 40 kg for the 65 type and 122.5 x 30.4 x 77 cm (same) / about 31 kg for the 55 type.