Stage Set For 3-D TV Melee As Sharp, M'bishi Elec Enter Fray

OSAKA (Nikkei)--Sharp Corp. (6753) and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (6503) announced Monday their plans to release 3-D televisions this summer, ushering in a four-way brawl including front-runners Panasonic Corp. (6752) and Sony Corp. (6758) in the fast-growing market.

Sharp plans to debut 3-D LCD TVs in four sizes ranging from 40-60 inches July 30. The sets will use the firm's Quattron technology, which adds yellow to the conventional primary colors of red, blue and green. The 46-inch model is expected to sell for about 370,000 yen, about 20,000 yen more than Sony's 3-D TV of the same size.

"These products are more competitive than rivals' in terms of ability to faithfully reproduce colors, for example," Executive Vice President Masafumi Matsumoto said.

Sharp and Warner Bros. Inc. have entered into a promotional partnership that will include a sales campaign using the major Hollywood studio's "Clash of the Titans" 3-D movie. The Japanese firm hopes to have 3-D TVs account for 5-10% of its domestic TV sales target of 7.8 million units this fiscal year, with an aim of boosting the figure to 50% next fiscal year.

Mitsubishi Electric plans to release a 75-inch 3-D laser TV this summer at a price to be decided. Employing lasers as its light source, this rear-projection TV is said to have fast response times and vivid color representation. This would mark the domestic debut of a product the firm has been selling in the U.S. since fiscal 2008. Mitsubishi Electric plans to launch 3-D LCD TVs during or after autumn.

Panasonic was the first Japanese firm to foray into the 3-D TV market, introducing plasma models this April. It added large-screen 65- and 58-inch models to its lineup last week with an eye toward grabbing a majority share of the domestic market. The TVs alternately display images for each eye, and the company promotes plasma sets' high refresh rates.

Sony will sell 3-D LCD TVs starting June 10. It will offer content produced by the group, including titles for the PlayStation 3 game console and movies.

(The Nikkei June 1 morning edition)