Sharp Aquos LC46D65U 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Sharp Aquos LC46D65U 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great TV with no disappointments
I’ve had this TV for 6 weeks now. I don’t have a lot to compare it to but it has been great so far. Here’s what I can tell you:
Reception on digital over-the-air channels is far superior compared to a Toshiba LCD we were using; living in north-central Illinois I’m picking up most Chicago and some Milwaukee stations. The picture quality is great. The picture size mode can be changed very quickly with the touch of a button (Sidebar, Stretch, Zoom). It connects perfectly to my computer using a standard monitor cable, and gives 1600×1200 resolution. Sound quality is very good and I rarely use my stereo speakers. I measured power consumption at 220 watts which is pretty good for a TV this size. Just be careful with the TV stand, especially when setting up. It scratches easily.
1 Stars Very contrasty; Lots of digital noise
We had purchased a Sharp 42″, which looked great right out of the box. Thinking that bigger would be better, we took it back to the store and upgraded to the 46″. What a mistake.
First off, the factory default settings looked similar to the “solarize” setting you might find on older video cameras. There was far too much contrast, and reducing the contrast from the menu settings left a flat, dull picture on the screen. In other words, there was no way to adjust the contrast to a pleasing image. The skin tones either looked too pink (higher contrast) or gray (lower contrast); there was no happy medium.
In addition, we’d reset the image to factory defaults and for a few minutes, would get a mildly acceptable image (and I use the word “mildly” generously.) Within a few minutes, though, the solarize/contrast problem would show up. The TV didn’t seem to be able to hold its color.
There was a LOT of digital noise, and selecting High noise reduction made no difference. (In fact, it was difficult to determine if the Noise Reduction setting had any effect whatsoever because we couldn’t see a difference between Low, Medium, High and None.)
We put in a phone call to Costco “concierge” technical support (which is where we purchased the TV), and we went through steps to reduce any static buildup which may have been in the TV. It didn’t help. We were advised to call Sharp Tech Support.
We called Sharp Tech Support and received a technician who liked to talk but not to listen, as he insisted that we needed to subscribe to HD service (”This TV was designed for HDef service”)from cable to get an average image. It didn’t matter that one day earlier we had a Sharp 42″ which look great; the technician insisted that even that 4″ difference would great emphasize imperfections of the image (increased noise, increased contrast, etc.). Now, this may or may not be true, but we had a hard time believing that Sharp would put out a product that was so far inferior to the one a “step” below it. We ended up going back to a 42″, because I don’t care to pay lots-o-$$$ for Hdef service; I just want a large TV which displays a decent image.
My final review is this: If you would like a 46″ or larger and subscribe to only digital service, Sharp probably isn’t the brand for you. The 42″ Sharp looks great and appears to be the largest/maximum set for Sharp engineering before degradation sets in.
4 Stars Great TV For The Price But…
Let me start off by saying this is a very great product. There were no surprises concerning the body, screen or features. Sharp makes a very distinguished product. This was my first HD experience, and this TV delivers in terms of watching HD channels, Blu-Ray Movies, and playing PS3 games.
But…
2 Weeks after installation, I noticed 1 tiny blue pixel that only shows on dark images or when completely black in that area. It’s located in the lower left middle of the screen, so if you know where to look, its noticeable. After persistent questioning and confirmation, Sharp drops the ball as a respectable company and claims that this is not under their warranty and refused to fix it. According to them, this is not a “dead” pixel, but an “inactive” one, and in order for them to take action, I would need 16 more of these to pop up on my screen. Unacceptable.
PROS:
+ Lightweight
+ Very uniform bright and dark screen
+ Great viewing night or day
+ Energy efficient features
+ Very PS3 friendly
+ Preset viewing settings per input
+ Remote has favorite channel buttons
+ Remote has a flashback channel feature
+ Great value for the price
CONS:
- No Picture in Picture
- Poor Customer Service
5 Stars Sharp Acquos LCD 46″ 1080p
I checked out several different tv’s and found that I liked the Sharp the best. The picture is bright and the number of ports available for different devices is more than adequate. I would recommend this to anyone looking to find a 46″ class TV over Vizio or Phillips e.g. Bought this with the enhanced delivery option which was a special at no charge and was satisfied with the service. Took an extra day or so to deliver but everything was fine. So far it provides a very enjoyable experience and a considerable step up from non HDTV!
5 Stars Love this tv
We originally purchased a Sanyo 52 LCD at Wal-Mart and took it back. This Sharp is a big improvement over the picture we had with the Sanyo
Filed under: Sharp 1080p HDTV Reviews