When is big not big enough? Apparently when it’s Sharp’s “spectacularge” 70-inch AQUOS LCD HDTVs that were introduced earlier this year, and have now been surpassed by a new 80-inch model the company showed off today. The LC-80LE632U isn’t an Elite branded model, but it brings all the features of its smaller brethren including full LED backlighting, 120Hz motion processing, built-in WiFi and access to services like Netflix and Vudu. All that is nice, but it’s standout feature is that extra viewing area, which can be yours for $5,499 (MSRP) when it starts shipping in early October. Preorders are already popping up for sub-$5k prices, if you need a big screen and can’t go the projection route (front or rear) this might be a good value — check out the details in the press release after the break. Show full PR textSHARP UNVEILS WORLD’S LARGEST LED lcd tv
80-inch Model Reinforces Sharp as Industry Leader in Large Flat Panel TVs
09/27/2011

MAHWAH, NJ (September 27, 2011) — Continuing to build on its leadership in large screen LCD TVs, Sharp today introduced the largest LED LCD TV to date, the 80-inch AQUOS (80-inch diagonal) LC-80LE632U. This new TV is a full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) Smart TV, equipped with built-in Wi-Fi and access to apps like Netflix®, CinemaNow® and VUDU™ as well as Sharp’s exclusive AQUOS Advantage Live? online support.

“Our 80-inch AQUOS TV delivers more than double the screen area of a 55-inch TV, for an amazing viewing experience,” said John Herrington, president, Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America. “It’s truly like nothing else on the market. Consumers want bigger flat panel TVs for deeper, more immersive viewing experiences and that’s exactly what Sharp’s delivering here,” Herrington continued.

The AQUOS 80-inch LED LCDTV offers stunning picture quality and sleek design. The full array LED backlighting system ensures uniformity in both color and brightness from edge to edge and corner to corner while also enabling an incredible dynamic contrast ratio of 6,000,000:1. Additionally, the LC-80LE632U employs 120Hz Fine Motion Enhanced which virtually eliminates blur and motion artifacts in fast-moving video. At an incredible depth of less than four inches, the new AQUOS 80″ is a stylish replacement for similar screen size rear-projection TVs, with depth of almost two feet.

With AQUOS Advantage LIVE?, Sharp AQUOS Advantage Advisors can remotely connect to the TV through the Internet to assist with TV setup, troubleshoot and optimize the picture quality.

The LC-80LE632U is the latest expression of Sharp’s goal of providing a large screen TV to fit virtually any need or budget. It is the centerpiece to Sharp’s large-screen push of 2011, following the release of five Sharp AQUOS 70-inch class TVs, and 10 AQUOS 60-inch class TVs.

The AQUOS LC-80LE632U Television features:

80-inch Class (80-inch diagonal) – more than double the screen area of a 55-inch Class TV;
Smart TV – delivers Netflix®, CinemaNow® and VUDU™ streaming video, customized Internet content and live customer support via built-in Wi-Fi;
AQUOS Advantage LIVE? – a suite of premium connected services featuring the ability for AQUOS Advantage Advisors to remotely assist customers with setup and settings management directly over the Internet, right in the comfort of their own home;
Full HD 1080p X-Gen LCD Panel – with 10-bit processing is designed with advanced pixel control to minimize light leakage and wider aperture to let more light through;
Vyper Drive – game mode eliminates perceptible lag between video game consoles and the TV display;
Dual USB Inputs – enable viewing high-resolution video, music and digital photos on the TV; 120Hz Fine Motion Enhanced – for improved fast motion picture quality

LC-80LE632U will be available in early October with an MSRP of $5,499.99 (US).

For more information on AQUOS TVs and Sharp’s full line of consumer products, contact Sharp Electronics Corporation, Sharp Plaza, Mahwah, NJ, 07495-1163, or call 800-BE-SHARP.