Sharp slashes prices on its new Quattron LED-backlit LCD HDTVs

With much fanfare—including an advertising campaign built around former Star Trek star George Takei—Sharp looked to regain some market share with the introduction of its new Quattron HDTVs at CES in January. The LED-backlit LCDs were the first using the company's "quad-pixel" technology, which adds yellow sub-pixels to the usual RGB primary colors.

As is the case with such innovative models, Sharp priced the new sets at a premium, with the lowest-priced one being a 40-incher for $1,799.99. But in my Sunday paper today, I received an ad touting big price cuts on the just-released Quattrons, including $500 off the two 60-inch sets in the lineup. Sure enough, the Best Buy circular also included in the paper showed the TVs at prices several hundred dollars less than their announced price at CES. For instance, the 60-inch LC-60LE810UN (pictured above), originally announced at $3,499.99, is now available at Best Buy for $2,229.99. Its 40-inch sibling is selling for just $1,099.99, only $100 more than a similarly sized LED-backlit set from Best Buy house brand Insignia.

Sharp's ad says that the instant savings will be valid through next Saturday, though it may be hard to put that genie back in the bottle once people see these prices. It's also unclear how much the Quattron technology improves image quality, as online reviewers such as our sister site CNET and HDGuru haven't had a chance to put one of these sets through some rigorous testing. But if nothing else, Sharp is making it clear that it will be pricing these sets aggressively to battle with the ever-cheaper LED-backlit competition.