Official 2013 Sharp LC-XXLE857 Series Thread

Sharp unveiled their new 2013 flagship lineup at CES today. Looks like there will be a 60, 70 and 80 inch version. Sadly, no local dimming. There was also no mention of the "Moth Eye" anti-glare coating ...

"The 60-inch LC-60LE857 will begin shipping in March, and the 70-inch LC-70LE857 and 80-inch LC-80LE857 will follow in April. Pricing is to be announced."

http://reviews.cnet.com/tvs/sharp-lc-60le857/4505-6475_7-35566991.html
Edited by gweempose - 1/7/13 at 3:18pm

I'm almost certain they will be edge lit.

If you want the best 70" Sharp, you should probably grab the 70" Elite while you still can. Due to the fact that it has full array local dimming, it's unlikely that any of the 2013 models will be able to compete with it when it comes to overall picture quality.
Edited by gweempose - 1/8/13 at 6:55am

Sadly, this doesn't appear to be the case. It isn't mentioned in any of the press releases, and it's certainly something they would be touting if it was there. It kind of seems like a step backwards, but it is my understanding that the Elite was a huge failure for Sharp. Your average consumer just wasn't willing to shell out that kind of cash when they could get an 80" set for the same price or even less. Essentially, Sharp killed the market for the Elite by pricing the 80 inchers so reasonably. Since Sharp is hurting financially, I'm guessing they are looking for ways to maximize profits. Edge lit panels are much cheaper to produce, and I think they are hoping to get a bigger piece of the pie by focusing on affordable sets instead of state-of-the-art.

I like the thinner aluminum bezel on the new sets. If they have at least as good of a picture as the 2012 models, that change alone is worth waiting for.

Does anyone have any information yet about pricing or when the 80 incher will be available?
Edited by gweempose - 3/5/13 at 10:56am

I have to admit, the evidence would seem to indicate that the 80 incher is indeed edge lit. If this is the case, I would expect the new set too have much poorer uniformity than the 844.

I just noticed that Abt now has all three sizes available for pre-order on their site. This leads me to believe that they should be hitting stores pretty soon. Interestingly, they also show instant rebates that are good through 3/30. They are giving $700 off the 60 and 70 inch models, and $1,000 off the 80 incher. I'm not exactly sure what the deal is with these rebates. It seems kind of weird to be offering rebates on sets that aren't even out yet. I'm guessing the rebates simply bring the cost down to the normal suggested selling (street) prices.