Sharp shows off 85-inch LCD HDTV with 16 times resolution of 1080p

Remember how 1080p used to be the "next big thing"? Well tomorrow's HDTV is going to make 1080p look like a fuzzy UHF signal. No, I'm not even talking about 4k, which hasn't reached the marketplace and promises double the horizontal resolution of 1080p. Instead, Sharp and Japan's NHK broadcasting company are leaping ahead to Super Hi-Vision, which promises 16 times the resolution of your current high-def set.

This week, Sharp unveiled the first direct-view display that could handle Super Hi-Vision in its 103 pixels-per-inch glory (compare to 36ppi for a 1080p big screen), an 85-inch LCD that boasts a staggering resolution of 7,680x4,320. It also features 10-bit color depth, though only a 60Hz refresh rate. Of course, NHK won't be showing any trial broadcasts in Super Hi-Vision until 2020, so there's more than just a little time to perfect this display technology further.

Those lucky enough to be in Tokyo between May 26 and May 29 will be able to see the Sharp set in action at NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories. The rest of us will have to settle for watching this video clip and imagine what HDTVs will be like in the next decade.