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Sharp Aquos LC-52D85U Review

The Sharp Aquos LC-52D85U

When it comes to LCD HDTVs, brand names like Samsung, Sony and Panasonic come to mind readily, but Sharp, although relatively not as prominent as the others, has been making LCDs ever since 1988, which gives it an edge over the other companies. This edge is most apparent in the Sharp Aquos LC-52D85U.

Design

The design of the LC-52D85U is relatively simple, with nothing to make it stand out from the rest of the crowd, which is why it is one of its weak points. Its remote control also falls short in its design, with buttons that are rather small but not all cramped together. Its backlight illuminates only a few buttons, the labels of which are located on the body of the remote and cannot be seen in the dark even with the backlight on. On the upside, the remote control is a universal remote control and can handle up to four other devices other than the TV.

The menu system of the Sharp Aquos LC-52D85U also falls a bit short. The menu remains fixed on the screen, preventing you from getting a better view of the picture as you adjust the settings. When trying to switch between inputs, you may be confused at first because the inputs are only labeled as Input1, Input2, etc instead of more descriptive names like A/V input or HDMI. But once you figure out which input is which, you have the option to rename them to more descriptive names.

Screen/Picture Clarity

The picture quality on the Sharp Aquos LC-52D85U is comparable to more expensive LCD HDTVs. It comes with a standard 120Hz refresh rate, which coupled with

Sharp’s Fine Motion Enhanced, gives you scenes that do not get blurry with high motion as with other LCD HDTVs. This LCD HDTV also comes with a 10-bit LCD screen, which you find in higher priced HDTVS, that gives you smoother gradients in colors. The picture quality can also be enhanced due to the menu option which gives the user greater control over the hue and saturation of each color.

The only weakness of the video quality of the LC-52D85U is the black levels. The blacks are not as deep as those found in other LCD HDTVs. Other than the bright blacks, this LCD HDTV provides crisp, clear pictures with high detail and vivid colors.

Features

The Sharp Aquos LC-52D85U comes with the standard connections found on any other HDTV, except that it comes with an extra HDMI connection which gives you the

option to connect five HDMI devices to the TV. Though it was nice of Sharp to include another HDMI connection, it does not come with a USB, ethernet or card reader that would allow you to show off your pictures. This TV also comes with a backlight that can dynamically change according to the ambient lighting of the room, which means no more manual adjusting of brightness whenever the light changes in the room during the day just to see the picture on the screen. Along with the Optical Picture Control, this TV not only gives you good quality pictures, but also helps you save the environment and money by cutting down its power consumption.

Another added feature on the LC-52D85U is the Aquos Link. Much like Panasonic’s Vierra Link, the Aquos Link gives you the option of controlling your HD devices with just a touch of a button. So after watching your favorite Blu-Ray movie, just turn off your HDTV or your Blu-Ray player, and all other HD devices will shut down, saving you the trouble of turning off each device one at a time.

The LC-52D85U does have some design issues especially with the remote control and the system menus. Even with such shortcomings, though, the relatively lower price and very high picture quality of the Sharp Aquos LC-52D85U more than make up for its weak points.

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Overall Rating
Picture Quality
Value For Money

Panasonic TC-P50S1 Review

The new Panasonic TC-P50S1 Plasma TV

One main reason why people go for LCD HDTVs today is because they use less electricity compared to their plasma counterparts. But with the Panasonic TC-P50S1 from the Viera S1 Series, Panasonic aims to reduce the electricity consumed by plasma HDTVs to about the same as LCD HDTVs.

Design

The design of the Panasonic TC-P50S1 is similar to past models of Panasonic except that the corners and edges are more rounded. Its screen is surrounded by a black glossy frame that is only interrupted by the Vierra and Panasonic logos, an indicator light and the power button. But these hardly distract you from appreciating its simple and elegant design. The speakers are cleverly hidden, adding to the TC-P50S1’s appeal.

The remote control that comes with the TC-P50S1 is not illuminated like other brands, but its buttons have unique shapes that allow you to easily tell the difference between each button without having to glance at them. The system menu is pretty much the same as the previous models with some minor adjustments, but still retains its simplicity, making it very easy to find and toggle between various options.

Screen/Picture Clarity

The Panasonic TC-P50S1 produces some of the deepest blacks you’ll find among plasma HDTVs. One downside, though, is the not too accurate colors which, unfortunately, cannot be adjusted too well with the system menu. Despite this drawback, the picture quality of the TC-P50S1 is still very good compared to other models.

Another feature which boosts the picture quality of the TC-P50S1 is the Full-Time 1080 TV Lines Moving Picture Resolution. When dealing with fast moving pictures, some HDTVs reduce the number of lines it displays to help cope with the pace. The downside to this is that the picture becomes blurry during fast moving scenes, but with the Full-Time 1080 TV Lines Moving Picture Resolution, the Panasonic TC-P50S1 is able to display the full 1080 lines during fast moving scenes, giving you crisper pictures throughout the whole show.

Features

The main feature of the Panasonic TC-P50S1 is the reduced power consumption. Compared to other plasma TVs, the TC-P50S1 uses much less electricity, which means more savings on your electric bill. It also comes with three HDMI connections and several other popular connections like s-video, standard AV inputs and even an SD card slot which you can use to showcase your photos straight from you digital camera. It does not come with a VGA or PC input connection, though, so you may need a converter or a computer with HDMI output to connect your computer.

The Vierra Link is another feature of the TC-P50S1, which is Panasonic’s way of integrating all your HDMI capable devices so that you do not have to go through the trouble of turning on each device and setting up each one. With the Vierra Link, all you need to do is push one button and your HDTV, Blu-Ray player and high definition speakers all turn on and are ready for use. All you have to do is pop in your favorite movie and get some popcorn.

Despite the less than accurate colors and lack of PC input, the TC-P50S1 is still a very good choice for a plasma HDTV. Its low power consumption, great picture quality and full 1080 lines during fast moving scenes are enough to make this plasma HDTV worth considering. These features, combined with the option to control your high definition home theater with just a touch of a button, definitely make the Panasonic TC-P50S1 a worthy competitor in HDTVs.

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The Sony KDL-40Z5800 is one of the very latest Sony models to be announced from late ‘09. It is the 40-inch model from the Sony Bravia Z5800 series of Full HD 1080p LCD HDTVs, which are also the first on the market to features a tripple tuner and Motionflow 200Hz technology.

The triple tuner is essentially three tuners (DVB-S2, DVB-T and DVB-C), including a Freesat HD tuner, allowing you to watch Freesat HD broadcasts without the need of a separate decoder box.

The Sony KDL-40Z5800 is very similar to the Sony Z5500 Series with a few tweaks and the Freesat tuner. It is a great addition, enabling you to view OTA HD content without subscribing to a service such as Sky HD. With an LNB connection you can connect up your old Sky dish or a new Freesat dish, both will work.

The Z5800 is the latest version of the highend Bravia Z range so you can expect it to loaded with the latest features and specifications. It features a Full HD 1080p LCD with 200Hz Motionflow technology to keep the images sharp and judder free, Bravia Engine 3 technology, along with a 100,000:1 high dynamic contrast ratio.

Connectivity is very good with 4x HDMI inputs, a media capable USB 2.0 port for music, videos, and photos. There is also a PC VGA port along with an Ethernet connection for DLNA connectivity allowing media streaming from other computers on your network, and AppliCast online services.

TrustedReviews gave the Sony KDL-40Z5800 a very impressive nine out of ten rating, and said, the Sony 40Z5800 packs all of Sony’s customary knack with sharpness and detail when showing HD content. Thanks to the quality of Sony’s latest 200Hz engine, the KDL-40Z5800 actually looks even sharper than most Sony HDTVs, as there’s precious little motion blur to worry about. The neatness of its Freesat integration and, outstanding picture quality make it a comfortable 9 out of 10 all the way.

The Sharp LC-40LE600E is a new model which has recently arrived in the UK. It’s the 40-inch middle sized model of three from the Sharp Aquos LE600E series.

The 40-inch Sharp LC-40LE600E stands out from the vast array of LCD HDTVs currently on the market because of it’s true LED back lights and price. The LC-40LE600E uses direct LED backlighting, using an array of LEDs rather than LED side lighting, which can provides even better image contrasts. But unlike other HDTVS with direct LED backlighting, the Sharp LC-40LE600E is very well priced.

Direct LED backlighting it reserved for the very top of the line / flagship models from other manufacturers, which often cost much more than this model. Along with the direct white LED backlighting, the Sharp LC40LE600E features a Full HD / 1080p LCD resolution”X-Gen Panel” along with Mega Contrast and brilliant color processor. The HDTV also uses 40% less electricity than a standard HDTV.

In TrustedReviews Sharp LC-40LE600E review, they gave it a very good eight out of ten review rating, and said the “black colours are reproduced very convincingly, with practically no evidence of the grey undertone we’ve so often witnessed with Sharp’s non-LED LCD HDTVs” Tones across the colour spectrum enjoy a really startling intensity that makes many ordinary LCD screens look muted by comparison – especially when it comes to colourful elements in otherwise dark scenes.

LED backlit LCD HDTVs have become more and more common over the last year, especially with Samsung’s vast LED HDTV range.

But until now this LED backlit technology have remained exclusively in large HDTVs and portable devices such as laptops and netbooks. They are favored over standard CCFL backlights as they use less power and provide better colors.

Vizio have now taken the LED technology to their new Razor LED range of smaller LED LCD HDTVs.

The 23-inch Vizio VM230XVT and 19-inch Vizio VM190XVT both feature LED backlights for improved contrast and colors, along with very thin profiles. Both have a 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and the larger 23-inch VM230XVT has a full HD / 1080p resolution.

Both models can also be used as a digital picture frame via the USB port. Both of the Vizio Razor LED HDTV range are very energy efficient, and beat the new Energy Star 3.0 ratings by over 50%.

The Vizio VM190XVT will cost $349 and the larger VM230XVT will be $399.

Sharp have just opened the world’s most advanced LCD plant in the world today.

Sharp’s new LCD plant in Sakai City, Japan is the first and only factory to use 10th generation glass substrates. This 10th generation plant means than Sharp can now more efficiently produce large LCD HDTVs, which results in larger HDTV at more lower prices for customers like you and I.

The 10th generation glass substrate measures 2,880 x 3,130 mm, which can product six 60-inch panels or fifteen 40-inch panels.

Sharp say that larger HDTVs from 40-inches up to 60-inches are becoming more popular and this new plant will mean than producing them is easier and cheaper, leading to better prices.

The Sharp Sakai City plant can produce 72,000 substrates per month.

Larger and cheaper LCD HDTVs sound great to me. I hope customers start to see the benefit of the Sakai City plant soon!

“Sharp Green Front Sakai”*1 Manufacturing Complex Brings the World. Cutting-Edge Large LCD Panels.

On October 1, 2009, Sharp Corporation started operations at its new LCD panel plant (SDP) in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Construction began in November 2007 on Sharp’s state-of-the-art manufacturing complex—Sharp Green Front Sakai—which includes this LCD panel plant as well as another plant for thin-film solar cells.

The LCD panel plant is the first facility in the world to adopt 10th-generation glass

substrates. Using Sharp’s proprietary UV2A photo-alignment technology, the plant is capable of producing high-contrast, energy-efficient panels of 40 inches and larger, marking a new era in large displays.

Sharp Green Front Sakai will bring the world two environmentally friendly products: energy-saving LCD panels and energy-creating solar panels. Sharp aims to make this complex an environmentally advanced production base through such environmental measures as adopting LEDs for all indoor and outdoor lighting (approximately 100,000 LED lights) throughout the complex. In addition, Sharp will install solar panels on all factory roofs to provide some of the needed electricity.

Sharp Green Front Sakai is the new driving force behind Sharp’s efforts to make environmentally friendly products at an environmentally conscious plant, thus helping to realize a greener society.