Cheap Buy HDTV

UPDATE 10/25: After Sharp told me that one dead pixel was normal, the tv stopped working and just had a continuous flashing green power light. (I know, how convenient). Sharp wanted me to schedule the TV for service via a local service center, and after not hearing from the service center I decided not to mess around any more and called 6Ave and advised the TV stopped working 20 days after delivery. 6Ave has a 30day replacement guarantee if your tv up to 32 inches proves defective. Instead of waiting for the service center to repair my tv and since it did have one bad pixel, I opted for 6Ave to send me a DHL shipping label to return my tv for a new replacement. It took 6 days to get the label and four days after returning the TV to get the replacement (a brand new set). The new set works fine and I do not see any bad pixels on this one. We'll see how it lasts during the next 30 days, but based upon this experience I am somewhat concerned about the SHarp quality control and willingness to stand by what is deemed acceptable from the LCD pixel standpoint. The picture does look great and the features are nice, so as long as you get a set with no bad pixels you should be satisfied. I would strongly encourage you to understand your return options if you order via mail-order. You'll pay more buying directly from a store, but atleast you can conveniently return for replacement in shorter period of time.

ORIGINAL POST:

THis is my second Sharp HD LCD that I purchased. I had no problem with Amazon or 6Ave in the order/delivery process with prompt delivery from 6Ave. I did have one bad pixel on the screen which is almost impossible to see unless you are directly in front of the tv and looking for it. I called Sharp technical support and they advised that this is within their normal tolerances for an LCD. I was very pleased with the picture quality and features of this Aquos unit, however, after 4 weeks of using it the tv screen went blank this morning and now won't even power up. Sharp was supportive in creating a support request with the nearest service center and I am awaiting their callback to schedule the service visit. My parents had a Sony LCD that had an LCD go bad within the first month, so I know from talking with the service tech then that if your display is going to malfunction it will usually occur within the first 30-60 days of use. If it wasn't for the bad pixel and now having to deal with a service call, I would have given this five stars.

My husband got the 42" version of this set mainly to watch his never ending sports. I liked it so bought the 32" for my movies. It's great for both HD and standard programs which we receive via cable. I have the cable company's DVR box and that's working well with this set. I rent movies from Netflix and all of those have looked fine though I still have a standard DVD/VCR combo. The sound is fine and this TV looks very nice as well. Thanks to all of you who reviewed Sharp in the past as I chose the brand in part due to your recommendations. One thing, the picture on the 32" seems slightly better than the picture on the 42" but that may be the way I adjusted the picture. My husband likes his brighter, wants to be blinded by ice when he watches hockey, or so I surmise. Maybe it's just the size of the screen that makes a difference, but both are basically great.

When I was shopping for a new HDTV this spring, I did a search of everything I wanted in one. The 62U popped up right away because it has everything. And it all works fantastic too. The built in ATSC tuner is stunning! I had a digitalstream external tuner for my last TV and it was very touchy. I had to readjust the antennae all the time. Not so with the 62U. There's still the occassional adjustment, but for the most part everything comes in beautifully all the time.

Let me get to the problems with this set. Aquos are notorious for banding, both horizontal and vertical. Mine has it too, but it is pretty subtle. You only notice it vaguely on occassion and if you turn down the brightness a tad and maybe turn up the contrast a skoshe it's gone. It's not a big deal on my set, but it may be worse on others so you should be aware of it.

Also the contrast could be better. The 62U comes with a feature you can turn on that automatically adjusts the picture to suit the ambiant light. That's nice, but it darknes the picture down. You may decide to keep this feature on all the time anyway because the darknening gets rid of the gray black areas. This is only in large dark areas so if you're watching Batman Begins for example it may become more obvious.

Overall this set has an extraordinary picture, the built-in speakers are good and the features are very helpful. The digital noise feature is amazing by the way. Again it's a compromise sometimes because it can give a weird strobe effect at times, but it does what it says and eliminates all but the heaviest grain/noise.

This set makes everything look as good as it possibly can, very highly recommended.