 Perfect Value Point |
| Review Date: September 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D. Held, New York, NY |
Currently this is one of the cheapest LED LCD tvs on the market.
Why is it so cheap? Sharp skipped out on a few features that that add a lot to the price without adding a lot to the quality.
1) No sub-dimming.
Many LED tvs support dimming some of the LEDs to get blacker blacks. While this sounds great in theory, the problem is currently the resolution of the LED array is much lower than of the LCD array. This means that the dimming can't perfectly match the image so you'll sometimes see edges glowing. I'm happier without this feature as the lighting is consistent.
2) Not 240hz.
The input is 60hz (at best) which can then be extrapolated into 120hz (which this tv does). Going up to 240hz makes it more likely that the interpolations will guess wrong and offers little benefit in terms of noticeable difference.
3) Not super thin.
Some LED tvs are ridiculously thin. While uber-thin tvs look nice hanging on a wall, it adds a lot to the price tag. It also means less space for inputs. This TV has a great form-factor and looks amazing. I doubt you'll ever notice how thin your TV is after buying it.
On the other hand, Sharp didn't skimp on the LED panel, using full-array backlighting. This gives more consistent brightness than perimeter LEDs.
My one small complaint is that it takes a bit longer to switch inputs and turn on than I'd like.
Overall, I highly recommend this tv. The picture quality is superb. When I went to a retail store to compare it to non-LED tvs I could see a world of difference. The contrast is amazing with deep blacks and the colour is very vivid. It even works great as a 1920x1080 monitor for my mac mini using a DVI to HDMI adapter.
* Update: I'm not sure how I never realized it before, but it actually takes about 10 seconds to turn on the TV from fully off. I don't mind too much, but if you will this is not the TV for you. |
AMAZING !!!!!......
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| Review Date: September 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Sparty, MI |
.... is the best word to describe this TV. After months of research, questions, comparing, and price shopping, I truly feel like I got the best bang for my buck with this TV. The picture is amazingly crisp and bright, the colors pop off the screen, and the blacks are very good for an LCD-LED. One of the main questions I had was the 120Hz vs. the 240Hz, and if that really made a big difference. After talking with countless reps and reading/watching reviews online it was pretty clear that even these "experts" were having a hard time noticing any major difference. If they did see a difference, it was minimal at best. To each their own though. Each of our brains process images differently, so some people might notice a difference. I could not see any major difference, so it was not worth paying the $400 more for the 240Hz.
For me, it came down to this TV vs. the Samsung UN46B7000. Here is why I decided to go with the Sharp......
* Comparing them side by side the picture/colors were better on the Sharp. Period.
* With the full backlit LEDs vs. the edge lighting on the Samsung, the Sharp's screen was brighter.
* Sure the Samsung is much slimmer coming in at just under an inch and a half, but you don't buy a TV to look at it from the side. I have mine mounted on the wall, and it only sticks out 4 inches. Really what you have to decide is what you prefer.... asthetics of the TV vs. picture quality.
* Read every review on the Samsung and the most common complaint about them is the sound. Because it's so thin, the speakers are crap, and the sound is horrible. If you are seriously looking at a Samsung, go into the store and have the rep turn off the surround sound and turn up the TV's speakers. You'll understand what I'm talking about.
* And the #1 reason??........it's cheaper. After all, it's all about the Benjamins.
I would highly recommend this TV to anyone who is looking to make the jump to an LCD-LED. Not only do you get amazing picture quality, but it's cheaper than most LCD-LED sets out there. 5 stars.
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This the one to buy!
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| Review Date: April 14, 2010 |
| Reviewer: David M. Lindahl, Fairx Station, VA |
| I am a professional analyst and before buying anything major I research it to the nth degree. When I started looking for a 46-inch hdtv for my new sunroom. I assumed I would end up with a Samsung or Sony or maybe a Toshiba. After reading about their shortcomings (the Samsungs have a problem with corner-flashing with the edge-lighting and the Sony, especially the V-series, had a host of issues including reliability and poor color balancing--too red), I started looking at their competitors. When I saw the Sharp in a row of other sets, it immediately caught my attention. The picture just seemed to "pop" out of the set. It just seemed so much more realistic and vivid and "lifelike." The more I looked into it, I understood why. It is an LED set, like the Sony and Samsung, but uses a different lighting approach that does not introduce the errors that are common to the others. The Sharp also had something that none of the others have...the Quattron technology. It is the only one that adds another color (yellow) to the standard red-blue-green mix. It may not sound like much, but it makes all the difference in the world. This set makes me smile every time I watch it. The room in which I placed it has a fair amount of ambient light, but the Sharp does fine there day or night. It may not be as thin as the Sammie but that is more of a gimmick than anything. I have my set mounted on a swing arm and actually prefer the more solid feel of the Sharp. As has been pointed out earlier, the 120hz is all you need for motion control. Any more than that introduces (on other sets) artifacts that are distracting. The sound is not the best (although it is as good as most)...how much performance do you expect from tiny speakers? I run my audio through an Onkyo A/V receiver and it rocks. Sharp did a fabulous job in putting a stunning LED hdtv out there for a price much less than its competition. This is the BEST 46-inch hdtv for the money, without a doubt! If you are on the bubble and can't decide, let me help. Save some money and buy the Sharp, you will be glad you did. |
Sharp hits the mark with their flagship LED-LCD.
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| Review Date: March 13, 2010 |
| Reviewer: da dude, |
The LE700 series of televisions marks, in a sense, a new beginning for Sharp. While once highly regarded, in recent years, quality issues with their sets (manifested in an annoying banding problem) and generally lackluster picture quality have caused the panel manufacturer to fall out of favor with home theater enthusiasts. This set remedies all of Sharp's previous shortcomings. The quality of this set, combined with its comparatively low price, represents an extraordinary value. I'm surprised that this set isn't more popular than it is, to be quite honest.
The picture quality on this TV rivals that of most plasma TVs while offering retina-searing brightness (whether you want tone it down or not is up to you). Now, for those not aware, there are two types of LED-based TVs on the market, and many companies aren't quite forthcoming in their literature about which system their televisions employ: 1) Edge-Lit LEDs, which employ LED bulbs only about the edge of the screen; there's no actual light behind the screen. These are usually marked aesthetically by being ultra-thin. They offer increased picture performance over a standard flourescent-backlit LCD but tend to have irregular uniformity and are usually brighter towards the edges. 2) Full-backlight LED. These sets are completely backlit in the manner of traditional LCDs, but replace the flourescent lamp with a full array of LED bulbs. They offer increased picture performance and much better uniformity than edge-lit models. This Sharp employs the latter method of LED lighting, and the picture trounces that of much more expensive edge-lit models offered by Samsung. The screen is completely uniform and I can't detect any un-evenness at all. Black level rivals that of a good plasma. Out of the box, the picture quality amazingly vivid and extremely unnatural. Luckily, this TV offers probably the most extensive array of available picture adjustments I've ever seen, including a six-color value, hue, and saturation adjustment. Needless to say, the possibilites with set are vast and can even be a bit overhwelming (I still find myself tinkering with them at times). Out of the box, this set also has a feature called "active contrast" engaged - I would suggest turning it off. It does make blacks deeper and color more vibrant, but blacks also tend to "crush" in this mode - in other words, thay are so black that they obscure a lot of detail within shadows. With this feature on, you may also notice an annoying fluctuation/flickering of darker areas of the picture. This set requires some fine tuning, but after that it's a real gem. Picture tends to wash out a bit at extreme angles, but that's just a symptom of being an LCD, so I won't remove any points for it.
This set tends to be priced lower than other backlit offerings from Samsung, LG, and Toshiba for a couple of reasons touched upon in a previous review:
1: The TV features a 120Hz refresh rate, rather than 240Hz available on most other LED-backlit sets. Sharp claims at the time of development of this product, they couldn't implement 240Hz without introducing significant artifacting. The 120Hz/240Hz debate is really at its core very silly - 120Hz is really all you need to remedy motion blur. Most people cannot discern the difference between 120 and 240 Hz anyway. It should also be noted that LG and Toshiba sets don't actually implement a true 240Hz refresh rate, but rather a 120Hz refresh rate combined with a rapidly flashing backlight. The 120Hz mode used here is extrememly efficient and separates anti-blur and de-judder modes, which is especially useful when wanting to watch films in original cadence.
2: The TV lacks a local dimming feature found on other backlit LEDs. On local-dimming enabled sets, the tv can dim the LED diodes in individual zones behind the screen to achieve greater contrast and deeper blacks. The problem is, the blacks tend to get so deep that they crush and obscure shadow detail, and the number of specified LED zones is never high enough to accurately dim without leaving a nasty white "halo" around a dark image.
So, in essence, this set shows Sharp actually conservatively stepping away from bleeding-edge technology and going for what works. And let me tell you, it works very well.
The speakers on this set are sorely lacking - they are weak and tinny. But most flat-panel televisions suffer from this same problem, and most owners of such TVs opt for external sound. No big deal. Design-wise, the set is a masterpiece in understatedness. A rectangular glossy black frame, free from flourishes besides a tasteful silver fade and triangular blue light along the bottom (which can be switched off though the menu). When turned off, the monolithic marvel blends in extremely well with any room and exudes a sophisticated elegance.
The set offers a myriad of connection options, including four HDMI. The LE700 also touts Sharp's Aquos Net feature through an ethernet connection. Aquos Net offers web content directly to your TV; I've never used this feature, so I can't quite comment on how it works, but it's there if you want to use it. The remote included with the set is oblong and hides extra buttons beneath a tiny door to keep extra clutter off the face of the remote, and some of the buttons do light up.
All in all, the LE700UN offers excellent value and abundant features compared to the competition. If this series is indicative of the quality of forthcoming Sharp TVs, then I'd definitely position them back at the top of the LCD game. Highly recommended. |
Excellent LCD, best for the $
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| Review Date: December 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Davidmbradshaw, Seattle WA |
I've waited a month so here it goes:
Overall,
Great tv. The quality of the image is outstanding. While I do note some cons, for me they are non issues. Comparing it to other lcds that I own, and many of my friends lcds, I am continually impressed with the quality of the picture. The only thing I have seen that has been as good and or better was a Sony XBR LED that cost three times the Sharp. Image quality is definetely better and more consistant than other edge lit led lcds, noticed this instantly on a friends 4000$ Samsung led lcd.
Pros,
Top notch picture. Full LED array. Great auto source recognition, no nead to ever maunally change picture modes. Easy picture tuning(not really nescessary). Easy firmware updates.
Cons,(although not for me)
Large highly reflective bezels. Fixed stand, no swivel. Built in speakers are useless. Thick, plain, not very stylish. Glossy screen does reflect lights in dark rooms. Aquos Net is limited and fairley useless.
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