Customer Reviews

Sharp AQUOS LC60E88UN 60-Inch 1080p X-Gen Panel TV, Black

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this TV from Video and Audio Center and I received it less than a week after I ordered it. The LCD screen looks amazing, the colors are vivid and they are very sharp. My roommate had a brand new Pioneer Elite PRO 60" Plasma (an $8,000 TV), so when he moved and took it with him I didn't think I would be satisfied with anything less. I was definitely wrong, the HD experience (based on my perception) is much better on the Sharp LCD. I am still trying to adjust to the realistic look of the picture. The setup was very easy. I also have a very large living room with lots of windows, so I was worried about the lighting, but the OPC feature works very well adjusting the backlight automatically. At first I was hesitant to buy this TV due to the lack of reviews, but it was definitely worth the risk.

In case you are interested, I bought the "Sanus VMPL3-B Tilt Wall Mount for 27" to 84" Displays", and even though it was not very easy to setup, it is of great quality.

I have spent over a year debating which tv to get. It all started with a very long conversation with a friend discussing Plasma, LED, LCD, LED-LCD, HZ, ratio contrast, and all the other important numbers when looking at a TV.

First off, if you're looking for a TV with a million bells and whistles... this isn't your TV. If you can't live without 3D ( complete waste of money ), don't get this TV. It will support non-true 3D but still stupid if you ask me. You can only watch Monsters vs Aliens so many times and there are so many times when watching 3D ( I sat there for like an hour ) that your eyes cross over and those glasses are annoying and expensive and you won't have one for all your friends when they come over blah blah blah. 3D... wait for it to get better. Then waste your money.

Now, if you're looking for a TV that outshines every other TV where it matters... the picture... then get this TV.

Let's be honest, in the applicable world of TV watching, we are either watching HD cable or DVD's that are not blu ray, cuz we've probably procured quite a few movies that we love but are not Blu-Ray. Net-Flix does offer blu ray discs, and even Red-Box does blu ray. But for the most part we're gonna be watching the normal stuff. And the normal stuff on this tv becomes unbelievably amazing.
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If you're a gamer... and you like being able to clearly see what's going as you turn 360 degrees quickly, this is the TV for you. The refresh rate allows quick movement without judder. 60" of crystal clear movement will blow you away.

The picture quality is outstanding. The colors are clear and detailed, the blacks are deep and don't shade off when sitting directly next to bright colors. I read another review that the angle changes the quality... ummm I don't think so. I checked it out from every angle and it is flawless. Motion blur, by far the most annoying thing on a TV simply does not happen. The 240hz is like a miracle worker! That's the point right? I mean the high refresh rate just takes it away, no need for some fancy name like Natural Digital Motion, or all the names Samsung and Sony gives it, this TV simply does it all the time.

Some people have referred to this 3D effect that occurs when using the full 240hz 1080p. I own Planet Earth on Blu-Ray and what the heck? Can a TV look any more real? Get this, I was sitting there watching it with some friends, and there was a long swooping camera scene where the camera was coming at a cliff side and it dropped off and over the edge and we all shouted because we thought we were gonna fall off. Yes, there is a 3D effect and it is insanely amazing.

If you're wondering about the LED-LCD version of this tv... it is very good too, but the over all picture just isn't as good as this tv. I would recommend this TV a hundred times over.

60 inches... 240hz... 1080p... under 2k... Unequaled picture quality... yes. Go get this TV.

I have used this TV for a week now. I ordered it from Amazon, but shipped by Audio and Video Center. I now use it in India.

First, about the vendor who sold the TV. I had never even heard about Audio and Video Center, but they were offering the best price on Amazon for this TV. I called them a couple of times to verify the price and how/when they would be shipping the item. Their customer service folks were courteous and informative, and they shipped the item the same day I ordered on Amazon. It arrived some 3 days later in top-notch condition. I would use them again, and I have put them on my list of trustworthy online retailers.

Now, about the TV. I was looking at both LED-lit LCD as well as plasma models. I would have picked up a direct LED backlight LCD TV, but I couldn't find any in the 60" range. The reviews of edge-lit LED TVs all mentioned issues of uneven backlighting and black-level deficiencies. The plasmas I looked at on the other hand had high power consumption (almost twice that of regular LCDs) and were heavier by 30% - 40%. Plasmas also seemed more fragile during shipping - I saw a number of cases of cracked front panel being reported, which was not good for me (as I wanted to move the TV to India). Overall, I was looking for a TV with great picture quality at a reasonable price in the 60" range, and I took a leap of faith on this Sharp model based on the (few) reviews I had read here in Amazon and elsewhere.

I am glad to say that so far I have found the TV to be extremely good - true to the reviews I had read. It still needs a few refinements, and I would have given it a 4-1/2 star rating if possible. Spefically, the good parts:

- Picture quality: It took me some time to tweak the settings and get the kind of picture I like, but the end result is excellent. With 1080p 24Hz sources (blu-ray movies), the picture is outstanding, with deep enough blacks, natural colors and even backlighting. I do not notice any 3D effect, but even at low backlight settings, the picture is bright enough for me. I have since gone to local stores and looked at edge-lit LED TVs (Sony, Samsung, etc, set to showroom level super-bright pictures). I feel that the PQ of this TV is no less in comparison.

- User interface: Is elegant and simple. There are many settings to manage the PQ and there are several pre-defined A/V modes. You're most likely to be happy with one of the pre-defined modes with some tweaking. I found it useful to both use the settings on the TV and those on the Blu-ray player to get the optimum quality for my tastes.

- Power: The TV can be set in automatic power save mode, which adjusts the backlighting based on ambient light. This works well most of the time. The rated power consumption is 390W at the highest level, and I think most of the time you'll be using much less than this. You can also set the TV to turn off automatically based on no input signal or no activity.

- Advanced features: Active Contrast (which automatically adjusts picture contrast based on the scene) is very useful. I don't find any visible improvements with the 240Hz "Fine Motion" setting. The picture is generally smooth, and where there is very minor motion blur, the 240Hz setting doesn't seem to help. A number of color adjustment settings are given, which one finds best to leave at default values. The "Film Mode" setting - in conjunction with a 1080p 24Hz source - seems to produce smooth picture.

- Panel: The X-gen panel in this TV is dark black (not grayish). This is a different kind of panel than the one in my 4-year old Sony Bravia, which doesn't reflect any light at all. The Sharp panel does reflect some light, but not anywhere close to plasma glass panels. I haven't found this to be an issue, even though the TV is in a room with a lot of ambient light (large windows and glass patio doors).

- Looks: With the dark black panel, the piano-black glossy frame, and the (color-matched) sturdy stand, it looks very nice and classy when it's not running. The speker positioning makes the frame looks slim. The back of the TV is also nicely rounded and very slim.

- Remote: Remote is pre-programmed, universal type, with minimalistic design. Nothing extraordinary about it. Some keys can be lit by pressing a "light" button.

- Unexpected bonus: This TV supports the PAL color system for two of its (composite) video inputs. This is a great feature for me to have in India, where the cable and satellite programming is in PAL. Another bonus is an excellent comb filter, which shows clear picture even with composite video input (which is the case with my satellite box). The TV, however, doesn't have univeral power supply (100-240V), which would have been nice. I have to use a step-down transformer (240 to 120V), but otherwise the TV works fine.

Now for the areas where more work is needed from Sharp:

- Picture: Although Sharp claims a wide viewing angle - and many people have said that the viewing angle on this TV is better than the Sony EX models - the black level does get affected as you move from the exact straight line from the TV. Specifically, you can see the picture getting lighter even from a few degrees to the side. This is not a big concern in a family room setting, but the folks sitting right opposite get the best picture as per your setting. Also, in a fully dark room, you can see the border areas around the movie frame as grayish. In other words, the black levels are best with some ambient lighting and not in a dark room (perhaps as to be expected in a LCD TV).

- Sound: The TV's sound output is weak, but usable in a moderate sized room. There is no bass at all to speak of, and the audio settings like simulated surround and bass enhancer are useless. The speakers in this TV are recessed (behind the frame and down-firing), and this doesn't help the cause of good audio either. I use the TV's speakers only when watching Satellite programming, and find it to be tolerable.

- Build quality: While the stand is solid, and the back is well-done, the frame has a loose feelng when you press it (with some movement). Sharp could have done this better.

- Lack of swivel: This TV cannot be swivelled to suit your sitting position. This is a drawback due to the picture issue mentioned above.

- No S video input: A minor irritant. But with the excellent processing of composite video signals, this doesn't seem to be a big issue.

- No earthing in power cord. Not sure if this is a problem. The power cord supplied is also very short.

UPDATE 11/20/2010:

I ended up getting the TV replaced by Sharp because of the defective backlighting (the first bullet below). The new TV has perfect backlighting and I'm very happy with it. The blacks and overall quality of the picture does seem better on the replacement. I have to commend Sharp for their excellent customer service with the replacement process.

I also found a way around the audio delay that can happen with this set with Film Mode and other video enhancements enabled. If you run your audio and video directly through your external stereo receiver, it should fix the problem. However, if you run your video from your DVR or Blu-ray player directly to the TV and the audio separately to your stereo receiver, you will probably get a delay because the video takes longer to process than the audio. Also, if you just use the TV speakers, you shouldn't have any audio delay either.

ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW:

I can't give this TV a perfect 5 stars for the following reasons (note that these issues may only be an issue with my set):

- There are 2 very faint lighter areas that stretch horizontally across the screen when the TV is completely black. They are hardly noticeable except during dark scenes, but once you know they are there, you start to see them more.

- The "Fine Motion Enhanced" doesn't appear to do anything to reduce motion blur (but on a positive note there isn't much blur on this set). BUT, this is the mode that sets the TV to 240hz, apparently with no effect.

- The Film Mode option (soap-opera effect) does a good job at eliminating almost all motion blur, but at the cost of audio delay. The audio delay was so bad (words not matching up with people's lips) that I can't have this feature enabled. The last Firmware update was in May. Sharp might release a newer one eventually that solves this.

Some of the other video options are interesting to play around with, but I found that most of them don't work well enough to be used. A good example is Active Contrast. I wish this had different levels you could set for it because it makes things too dark.

My recommendation would be to change the video to "Movie" and turn off Film Mode and most of the other settings or go with "Game" mode (note that Film Mode is turned on by default). To do this, you have to open the bottom part of the remote that has more buttons hidden. You can also reset any of the video modes to their factory defaults if you mess something up with them.

Even with the above issues I do still recommend this TV as a cheaper way to get a high quality 60" LCD 1080p TV. Black levels are excellent. Blu-rays look stunning. There are plenty of connections in the back to hook up all of your components (make sure you attach a good sound system as the TV speakers are horrible). The menu system is also very well done.

Overall - 4/5

At first I was nervous wondering if I should have paid the extra to get a LED TV. Once I received our Sharp 60", and hooked it up it was nothing but impressive. The picture is great. As for the sound I would not exactly rate it a five. Awsome TV for the price, and Amazon, regarding buying with comfidence is second to none.

Just to ease my mind, I went to Costco and compared the Sharp LCD with a Sony LED. There actually is a slight difference in picture quality, but the Sharp is still an outstanding brand and the picture is great. I also play PS3 on this TV. I noticed that the games are more detailed now, and object dimensions are more obvious. This is our second Sharp TV. This first is a 46" sharp LCD 120hz, which I have now put in our bedroom. Due to the first experience I had with our first Sharp TV, I bought this one knowing that I would infact be buying a great TV.

So far every person who has seen our new Sharp is nothing but impressed. This is my second Sharp TV, and I am nothing but happy with both LCD televisions.

I did not buy the TV via Amazon as I live in western Canada (Visions Electronics $1500). I did rely on reviews so I am giving back. Overall, you cannot get more for 60" TV at this price. While it is thicker, heavier (100 lbs) and has a much larger foot print stand base than any other LCDs or Plasmas out there, the picture is pretty darn good with tones of adjustments. I compared this TV with a Samsung Plasma PN58C540 side by side running HDTV signal (not Blue Ray). Pros: much brighter overall, whiter whites than Samsung which has a slight greyish tint, 2 inches diagonal is noticeably larger and tones of picture adjustments. Cons: Contrast is way better on the plasma (e.g. details on black clothing), some blacks appear greenish on the Sharp and lacks detail (just all dark), the stand does not rotate, remote is not very nicely designed (cheap feel) and one dime size backlight bleed at the bottom edge (only noticeable when screen is black - no signal) - not sure if I should exchange for another one. Although the picture is excellent overall, I personally expected more in terms of finish refinement from Sharp on the casing (front and back) and remote. The Samsung appears to be much better built overall. I am keeping both, Sharp for parents who prefer brighter and larger screen and Samsung for myself (does have some reflection issue inherent on Plasmas in a well lit room natural and electric lighting) but can live with it. I would recommend the Sharp if you are not a colour accuracy freak (Plasma is the only option) and not looking for a sleek thin look. At this price range...there isn't anything that compares well. UPDATE: reduced to 3 starts because there is now a large blue line running from the top to bottom of the screen near the centre atfter only couple of weeks of light use - likely a failed LCD panel - I had teh same issue with a 32" Toshiba after 10 months. Returning this one for a new one or repalce with Samsung PN58C540 and live with some of the inherent reflection issues. Somewhat disappointed by Sharp - expected better quality control. Samsung still ROCKS!

this Display is best on the market 60" LCD ,Hands down the winner in every way
puts the LED displays to Shame .. PQ is the name of the game & Sharp has a clear winner here with the Sharp AQUOS 60 LC-60E88UN 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV ....
Yes It's CFFL backlit LCD & it's a Eye Popping Beast ! The whole package is Jaw Dropping .....Black is black with detail, whites are white , images are fine & detailed , colors are vibrant , the all black frame is way Cool as it does not draw the eye off the screen ,viewing angle is really wide, Non-Glare glass, & the price point makes this must have for any Home Theater. yeah it has Crappy speakers but who uses display speakers on 60" LCD.
I couldn't be happier with this display, this is the 3rd Sharp LCD display I have bought in a year & 1&1/2.I have both a 42" & 46" 85U Sharp both of them are Very Excellent picture quality .This display is even better than the 85U . get a 60" TV & there is no going back ,You will love this Display !
The gamers in your house will LOVE this display as it has LOW LAG in game play :) meaning better & faster play !

First off a little background....I am very new to the HDTV world. Although I am a very tech savvy person, I just didn't take the plunge for a while....didn't see the point. I had an older JVC 32" heavy glass tube tv....this tv was great for the family the last chunk of years, But I decided I would go ahead and get a updated home theater for not only myself, but for my family as well. So I began to research tv's like most people do, CNET - Best Buy - Consumer Reports - Ect. Ect...I won't lie, this whole new TV world with all its choices and gadgetry can be very, very overwhelming, even for me an experience tech savvy person. I did have one choice already made in my head, I figured if I am going to take the plunge to the new - I might as well go big or go home. So I decided to go with a screen size 60" and match it with a top rated home theater system. I had already purchased the ONKYO HT-S9300THX system and needed to match a tv. At first looking at this tv I was somewhat skeptical to the Sharp brand, never owned anything sharp except an older vcr player back in the day. So my journey began. I had probably taken a whole solid 6 months deciding on what tv to get....reading every review I could get my hands on for this tv.....although cnet and other rating sites judge a tv by the test patterns, black level numbers, harsh video processing number crunching ect... I am actually the type of person to listen to people that had bought the tv and seen it in their homes. So I purchased the tv through dell, who I must add are very awesome in the whole order and delivery process.

Like most people who have purchased this tv have mentioned before, you get the tv home - plug it in and your ready to go. Now I will try to calibrate the tv soon, but for now I am just tipping my hat to sharp and this tv's picture.....very, very nice. Again let me say that I am new to the HD world, but now that I have it with this tv.....there is no turning back. This set has made me a believer. Watched tv last night on Direct TV (HD signal) with the family and we were just looking at the shows we always watch and noticed things that our older tv couldn't show us. Then we watched Avatar on Blu Ray....to be totally honest I am still overwhelmed as to how beautiful, clear, crisp, downright STUNNING the show was. I truthfully could not believe what I was seeing.....and I am sick of avatar, but I watched the whole movie and enjoyed it like it was the first time. The colors were bright, the blacks were very excellent, and the picture was down right vivid and gorgeous....a theater in my home...wow. The menu's on the tv are very good with a plethora of picture settings, the sound that most have commented on does not get very loud....you can turn it all the way up and it still is not that loud, but good enough for average viewing with your favorite shows. I actually didn't see that much of picture loss when viewing from the side...just when you go to a very harsh angle will you notice this. I watched a little NFL and ESPN channels and didn't notice one bit of blur on either. I could care less about internet on my tv, don't want 3D...if I want internet I will jump on my laptop and not disturb my family's viewing pleasure. 3D.....call me old fashioned, but I believe that should be something your family should enjoy in a theater complex on a movie night out, give your kids some memories to talk about later. So far it's only been a few days but I can confirm that I have made a good choice and I am very satisfied....its not LED, its not 3D, its not rated from cnet and the other judge sites, it doesn't have the other add on gadgets. What this tv is though, a pure clean picture that at the end of the day is what I want.

I will update later after more viewing time.

When I began looking for a TV I was interested in the latest technology in a 60" unit. I found that buying a 60" LED LCD with 3D to include 240HZ refresh rate exceeded my budget. I am unwilling to pay much additional for 3D at this time, and I have heard (unconfirmed) that there have been reliability issues with LEDs.

I found this unit and based on a limited set of recommendations on amazon, and my own experience with Sharp TVs, as well as the delivered price (>$1,800) I became very interested. I also did some research elsewhere on the net; there are not many reviews of the unit which is why I'm writing this. My primary reason for buying was refresh rate, screen size, and the Sharp brand. I purchased the TV on September 2, and it was delivered on September 8! (this was a holiday weekend!)

The picture on this TV is awesome, and I have not yet fully tuned in the picture settings. Several of my visitors has commented on the "3D" like quality of the picture. Blue Ray movies exhibit the same reaction. Although some internet reviewers say there is no noticeable viewing difference in in refresh rates, my other sharp TV is a 46" 1080P at 60 HZ and there is a very highly noticeable difference, even more so when watching blu ray. Even older movies that I watch on Encore have a clearer and sharper look on this TV versus my other 46" 60Hz Sharp LCD TV. Football games are equally fabulous. I have seen LED TVs with 120Hz refresh rates and I would favorably compare this TV to those or any other LCD out there in terms of clarity, color and brightness. And it cost much less than what a comparable 3D/LED TV would have cost.

Obviously, reliability of the set is to be seen, but the technology is mainstream and Sharp is a good company. The TV has pretty complete, but basic connections; for example there is no internet port; this is not important to me but may be to some.

Just received this TV and hooked it up to a Blu-Ray player and watched Avatar. All I can say is wow !. The picture is so clear and bright that it looks almost 3D. I saw Avatar in 3D at the movies and this is so close that I can't believe it. The high Def channels on my Satellite system are so clear you can see every hair on a persons face. I can't wait to get off work tonight so I can check out more stuff on my TV. When I watch movies that I have already seen on this TV it seems like I am watching them for the first time. You won't go wrong buying this.