Large-format touch display: Sharp presents interactive whiteboard 80-inch diagonal screen size

Illegible handwriting on the board, frequently out-of-focus beamers and hectic copying of discussion notes are all now things of the past thanks to the new PN-L802B touch monitor from Sharp. “With its imposing 80-inch display (203 cm), the monitor has the dimensions of a school whiteboard, and with the added benefits of full HD resolution and a sensitive optical touchscreen, it is ideal for teaching in schools and universities, giving presentations in the boardroom and conference centres and also for digital signage applications,” says Peter Heins, Product and R&D Manager at Sharp Electronics Europe. “The displays of the PN-L series are even immediately ready for use as part of a videoconferencing system, where people in different locations can confer on-screen in real time, as if they were actually sitting together round a table.” Beside the 80-inch model the PN-L series includes also monitors available with diagonal screen sizes of 152 and 178 centimetres and can therefore be used in any space and all lighting conditions.

Getting things moving with just two fingers

The touch-technology works with two optical cameras, which are installed in the corners of the screen. Touching is perceived by the cameras through infrared back light as a shadow and can be displayed on the screen. The PN-L802B has a dual touch technology that allows using two fingers to scroll and zoom contents in any order. Due to these diverse applications and its excellent scalability optical imaging technology is more frequently used especially for large monitors.

The Infrared Detection System developed by Sharp improves touchscreen response and enhances its capability to integrate handwritten notes. This system comprises various infrared sensors that rapidly and precisely detect the position of the finger or touch pen. The PN-L802B also has a “Dual Touch Function”*, i.e. users can scroll through the contents by brushing two fingers up and down the screen and can also zoom in and out by spreading or pinching the fingers.

With the UV2A technology developed by Sharp, the new touch displays also deliver impressively bright whites, brilliant colours and deep blacks. The PN-L802B model also has a high-efficiency LED backlight system (full array). As a result, the contents always retain optimal legibility, whilst power consumption remains extremely low.

Easy to use and instantly networked

Sharp's development engineers attached particular importance to the user friendliness of the PN-L monitors. The Sharp Pen Software was specially developed for Sharp touchscreen monitors, making the displays extremely simple to manipulate. Users can write and draw directly on the screen with the aid of the touch pen or with their own fingers. The displayed pictures can be enlarged or rotated, and handwritten notes can be selected and moved around the screen. After making these adjustments, the finished screen display can be saved and printed. For example, the latest status of discussions or brainstorming sessions can be easily saved and then made accessible to a particular group of people. The touch monitors can be connected without problem to Sharp MFPs, printers, scanners and to the network. Even displaying scanned images on the touch monitor and then saving and printing them complete with handwritten comments is now child’s play.

* This functionality requires the use of computers running the Windows® 7 operating system