Sharp AQUOS LC46LE700UN 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV Review
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. br /br /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. br /br /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:br /br /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.br /br /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.br /br /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.br /br /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. br /br /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. br /br /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.
Sharp AQUOS LC46LE700UN 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV Feature
- 46" Full HD 1080p HDTV LED-TV with 120Hz Fine Motion Enhanced
- 10-Bit processing and Crystalucent coating Technology
- UltraBrilliant LED System
- 4 HDMI terminals, PC input, RS-232C Input, AQUOS Net, USB Photo Viewer
- 4ms response time
Sharp AQUOS LC46LE700UN 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV Overview
With the introduction of the LC46LE700UN, Sharp combines its legendary AQUOS LCD panel technology with a newly developed, proprietary Full Array LED backlight system to create picture quality that is second to none. The LC46LE700UN illustrates Sharp's LCD technology leadership while also demonstrating its LED engineering advantages. Sharp's Ultra Brilliant LED system illuminates the TV to extremely high brightness and contrast levels and enables significant environmental benefits such as longer life expectancy, no heavy metals and lower power consumption. At the same time, the new XGen LCD Panel utilizes an ingeniously devised pixel design that permits more light to pass through even while minimizing light leakage, with the result being the deepest black levels that AQUOS has ever achieved. Overall, the LC46LE700UN shows that with Sharp, it's not just LED… it's AQUOS LED.
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 22, 2010 07:51:21
