Sharp breathes new life into Pioneer’s Elite TV brand

Sharp has revived Pioneer’s Elite TV brand in the United States with the introduction of two Elite Pro LCD TVs. The high-end TV series comes in a 60″ and 70″ version and uses local dimming.

Start this year became announced that Sharp had entered into an agreement with Pioneer for the use of its Elite brand name for LCD TVs. Sharp owns 14 percent of Pioneer. In April of this year, it was leaked that Sharp was working on an X5 series, a high-end TV line. These TVs now appear to carry the Elite brand.

The by Sharp announced Elite Pro-60X5FD and Elite Pro-70X5FD have a screen diagonal of 60″ and 70″, respectively, and use a Sharp Quattron panel. Pixels of this 240Hz LCD consist of four sub-pixels instead of the usual three. Like the LE935 presented at this year’s CES, the two Elite ProSharp TVs have a full-LED scanning backlight with local dimming.

Sharp’s new Intelligent Variable Contrast technology should provide more contrast and good black levels. The Elite Pro devices are also equipped with FluidMotion, a new frame interpolation technique – the difference with Sharp’s own AquoMotion is unknown. Unlike the Aquos TVs, the Elite Pro models feature a THX picture mode and ISF calibration capabilities. The two models also receive the THX 3D designation, which means that the colors and white balance in 3D display match those in 2D display.

Wifi is built in and the TV offers access to online services such as Netflix, Twitter, Vudu, YouTube, Facebook and Napster. A Skype webcam can also be connected to the devices. Both Elite Pros are also equipped with five HDMI ports, two 15W speakers and a 15W subwoofer. The housing is made of metal; the front is finished with brushed aluminum.

The Elite Pro TV series will be sold only at authorized Pioneer Elite dealers in the United States. Pioneer provides sales support and the sale of matching Elite audio equipment. The 60″ version will cost $6000, while the 70″ version will fetch $8500.