Sharp boasts of tiny display with four times better display

As more and more people watch TV from their cell phones, Sharp Corp. showed off a tiny liquid crystal display with four times better contrast than any of the best products can offer.

The Japanese electronics maker will begin shipping the 2.2-inch displays this fall, targeting 100 billion yen (US$837 million; EUR618 million) in sales next year, company spokeswoman Miyuki Nakayama said Tuesday.

Mobile phones that receive terrestrial digital TV broadcasts, which began in April last year in Japan, are increasingly popular, and such handsets are expected to reach a shipment of 10 million here.

Global demand is also expected to grow as such broadcasts have started up in Europe and are rolling out in the U.S., Nakayama said.

"The culture for watching TV on cell phones is catching on," she said.

Osaka-based Sharp's new display for cell phones, digital cameras and other mobile gadgets has a contrast of 2,000 to one, far better than the 500 to one ratio today, allowing for more colorful and clearer images, according to Sharp.

In a demonstration to reporters Tuesday, Sharp, which also makes the Aquos line of flat TVs, showed images of chili peppers and a panda bear to demonstrate the difference between the older and new displays.