In the mid-2000s, Sharp held a leading position in the production of large-panel displays for televisions, controlling over half of the LCD panel market. This segment became a strategic priority for the company, and Sharp invested heavily in its development. In the early 2010s, the company’s R&D department introduced a groundbreaking concept: adding a fourth pixel to the standard three-color display matrix. This technology was known as YRGB or RGBY.
YRGB Technology (4 Colors)
The essence of this innovation was the addition of a yellow pixel to the standard red, blue, and green pixels. Displays utilizing this technology offered several advantages, particularly improved brightness for skin tones, which often incorporate shades of yellow. As a result, the overall brightness of the panels was enhanced. However, Sharp’s televisions from that era had a notable drawback: a relatively low overall brightness. This was a deliberate compromise, as lower brightness allowed for an impressive contrast ratio. Despite this benefit, the viewing experience in brightly lit environments was less than ideal.
The Decline of Sharp’s Four-Color Technology
Despite its advantages, the YRGB technology faced significant challenges. The primary issue was the high production cost. Adding a fourth pixel and developing a specialized T-CON board to manage the display substantially increased manufacturing expenses. After Samsung and LG launched new LCD panel factories, the demand for Sharp’s panels began to decline. In 2014, Sharp exited the television manufacturing business, losing its primary market for these panels. Although production continued for some time, it met with little success, as the panels were mainly used in televisions that were outsourced to third-party manufacturers under the Sharp brand.
In 2024, Sharp officially ceased production of large LCD panels, closing its Sakai plant on August 21. The company announced plans to sell all remaining stock by March 2025, indicating that a significant number of panels had been produced in advance. Thus, the era of Sharp’s four-color LCD panels—one of the company’s most ambitious and distinctive technological ventures—came to an end
