Japanese national TV broadcaster NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) and Sharp have jointly developed an 85-inch LCD compatible with Super Hi-Vision, a next-generation television broadcast format. With approximately 33 megapixels, or 16 times the resolution of HDTV, Super Hi-Vision is touted as being able to offer powerful, life-like image reproduction. NHK began R&D into Super Hi-Vision in 1995 and aims to begin trial broadcasts in 2020.

It's almost like having an IMAX theatre in your home. While most of the information is Japanese, there's a quick video available in English, courtesy of DigInfo TV:

Under the joint development, Sharp's UV2A2 LCD technology was used to create the first direct-view LCD compatible with the unprecedentedly high display performance of Super Hi-Vision. The combination of Sharp's technology and NHK's expertise in Super Hi-Vision results in incredibly detailed images on a giant screen.

Sharp's TV features a Super Hi-Vision-Compatible LCD, a 85-inch screen size (approximately 1.9m x 1.05 m), a resolution of 7,680 (H) x 4,320 (V) pixels, a brightness of 300 cd/m2, a gradation of 10 bits for each RGB color, and a typical refresh rate of 60Hz. The LCD will be shown to the public at NHK's Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo from May 26, 2011 to May 29, 2011.

The picture above, ladies and gentlemen, is the first of many attempts to make a successor to the HDTV. I still don't own an HDTV as I really don't see what all the hype is about. This Super Hi-Vision technology, while it's a terrible name, I'll admit is a little more intriguing. As long as I can hook it up to whatever computer I have at the time when it's released, I'll probably buy one.