We went through a startling odyssey in trying to get a new television that we liked after our 2-year-old 52" Sharp LED died. Not counting the fried 52", we went through four, yes count them four, TV's - a Sharp 60" LC60LE631U, two Sharp 60" LC60LE635U's, and a 60" Samsung PN59D8000, all LED's and all plagued with problems right out of the box ... dim areas on light screens, flashlight "bleed-through" on dark scenes, horrendous pixelation. You name it, we went through it.
We were unwilling to go with a Plasma TV because - although plasmas are highly rated in picture quality - they suffer their own series of potential problems, such as screen burn-in, occasional dead pixels, and that they tend to run hotter than LED's, etc., etc. Also, frankly, we simply didn't like the display of even the top-notch plasmas as opposed to the LED's. One came close - the Panasonic TC-P65VT30, but it was out of stock at all retailers within 100 miles, and it was about five inches too big for our entertainment center. On the other hand, we very much liked the fourth pixel (yellow) which Sharp added to their LED TV's. Even so, after going through four of their sets (including the 52" that died) with all sorts of issues, we were not willing to try a fourth. The Samsung UN59D8000, however, looked like rubbish by comparison. All of those TV's went straight back to the retailer.
This whole mess took days to sort out, and numerous phone calls to Sharp Customer Service. Sharp had us send photographs of the issues, and they all agreed that the sets had problems. They apologized profusely for our trouble. However, when push came to shove, they were wholly unhelpful and told us to make another expedition to a retailer - both to return the bad set, and to pick out a new one. They did nothing more than apologize. Hesitantly, we decided to give Sharp technology one *last* shot, and tried what is currently the best-rated TV in the latest Value Electronics HDTV Shootout. (For the first time, an LED beat out a plasma in a direct competition. And the winner was: the 60" Elite - which is built by a joint effort of Sharp Electronics and Pioneer.) This TV blows everything else *out of the water* - and believe me, we've stared at many, many a TV screen and many reviews, and many specs sheets, all during the past month.
The 350-odd local dimming zones of the Elite are an incredible feature which deepens black levels to true black, while pushing more light through super bright areas nearby. This feature works incredibly well, except under one very specific circumstance: when viewing a scene where the room is very dark, and someone's face is brightly illuminated, and they're moving around a lot very quickly. In this situation, you get a small light-shaded halo directly around the face. It's easily remedied by turning the local dimming off in the settings. But under every other type of viewing, the local dimming is spot-on fantastic.
The addition of the yellow sub-pixel is an incredible concept brought in from the Sharp end of things (some people don't like it, but once you see yellows on Sharp screens, I couldn't go back to the dull yellows on other sets). Although their customer service was terrible, Sharp's fourth-pixel concept blows all other LED TV's out of the water. The 120hz and "FluidMotion" 240hz settings really look marvelous; on previous TV's, I defeated the higher hz. rates because I thought they looked terrible. Now I'm enjoying them ... tremendously. The processing power of this TV is amazing.
One of the most incredible displays of this TV's quality is what it does to the light-colored eyes of actors and actresses. Whereas the Samsung P59D8000 made Daniel Craig or Olivia Wilde's eyes look very dark in "Cowboys & Aliens," (we were laughing, saying the TV made everyone look like moles) pop the same movie into the same system, but substitute the Elite TV, and suddenly their eyes look incredible - nearly electric. Every pore of every face is shown in all its, er, glory - you can also see just how much stubble is on the chin. This TV is a makeup artist's worst nightmare come true.
Also important is the back-lighting on this TV as opposed to edge-lighting technology of the 835 or 831 Sharps, or "that Samsung" we had for 24 hours. Edge-lighting can leave shadowing effects that are distracting when viewing fast-moving content; the back-lighting on this set leaves no shadowing.
3-D viewing is a very interesting experience; two pairs of glasses are included. I would say that, for the sticker price of the TV, four or six should be included. However, we got the TV at an incredible sale price, not much over the sticker price of the 835U, so I'm not personally going to grouse; the 835 Sharps don't come with any - even though they should, too. I was never convinced of the "coolness" of 3-D televisions, even poking occasional fun at the 'weirdos sitting around with the stupid glasses in their living rooms.' So I did not get this TV for the 3-D experience. However, I've picked up a couple of 3-D Blu-rays, and a nice Pioneer 3-D player, and I was actually enjoying the experience for a few minutes before the novelty wore off, I got a slight headache, and I switched back to 2-D. Still not a 3-D fan, I guess. Maybe I just don't "get" it. [Shoulders shrugging.]
There are many settings which can be adjusted to suit your personal viewing desires. Blu-rays like "Cowboys & Aliens" or "Avatar" look insane - visual drugs, I call it. I'm done with smelly, stinky movie theaters - where people make noise, goof around, and leave gum on the floors, all at $10-12 a ticket. Literally, buy some microwave popcorn because you'll never need to sit in a theater again. Ever. Got a load of DVD's? Don't worry, they upscale really well on this TV. You can see some minor compression noise, but it's still a beautiful sight. Cable or satellite feed at 720p? It will look amazing, too.
This television is very heavy for an LED set. That's fine by me, I'm from the old school and tend to equate "heavy" with "quality". However, it must be handled carefully both in shipping and setup. If you have a wooden stand as opposed to a wall-mount, make sure it will take the weight. My 1-year-old top-of-the-line entertainment center began to sag under the weight and immediately needed to be propped up underneath.
All in all, this is one incredible television. Don't bother with the edge-lit LED's; if the price of this set is a big concern, do careful homework and shop the sales. Be a careful consumer. Think carefully about the extended warranties, particularly since the price of these sets will likely go down in the future. This TV is worth every penny.