Customer Reviews

Sharp Aquos LC20D42U 20-Inch LCD HDTV

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Excellent blacks,color and lighting - basically a high quality set. It is hard to find a high quality 20". I bought a 20" Sharp from Costco 200.00 less but the picture quality was not good - it even had a DVD. This picture is that of a high priced HDTV. Pleased so far. If problems arise I will note them later. I own a very expensive HD set and know how a good set should look. This one is pleasing. I am putting it through the paces in this 30 day period - to make sure it is ok. It is on 15 hours a day in the kitchen.

Update: the issue I wrote about below was likely due to inconsistent A/C power at my previous apartment. Sharp deserves credit for attempting to right the problem even though it was not of their making. After moving, the TV performed without fail and still works well today.

____________________________

I purchased this TV three months ago because I wanted a small, portable TV with a good picture. I was willing to pay a premium for a Sharp product due to their excellent reputation in LCD panels (Aquos brand) and because I found the cabinet and specifications attractive vs. other similarly sized sets.

About a month into ownership a pixel went dead in the middle of the screen which was very noticeable during bright scenes. But, I thought, that's the risk one takes with any LCD display. Moving on. Three weeks ago, the set suddenly stopped working entirely and the power LED indicator was blinking. I called Sharp and they directed me to an authorized service provider. The service provider said the main system board needed replaced. The set took two weeks to repair. I just got the TV back yesterday and it was working again. This evening, when I went to turn on the set, it did not not turn on - the power LED was, again, blinking. At this point, I am absolutely furious. I will not again buy a Sharp product. I also think, after having shopped a few other sets, that the premium Sharp commands for this size display is not warranted. You'd be better off buying a Samsung or Toshiba TV for hundreds of dollars less.

-Michael

Pros

High Quality Images
(Good color, crisp detail, smooth motion)
Lots of inputs
Nice menu system
Attractive, convenient form factor

Cons
?

We use this as a combination Computer Monitor/TV as a part of a video editing suite.
Image quality is sufficient for editing work and the flexibility of inputs allows for multipurpose
use in connecting to many different devices.
It looks good, and has lots of handy features such as good cable management and it even
has a handle on the back to make it easy to move around.

This is a great little set for casual use. My wife and I use it as a kitchen TV. It's got wide viewing angles, good blacks, and, because it has a QAM tuner, we can pick up some high definition channels (generally the major network stations) through our local cable system without a cable box. The picture is particularly good on the high definition channels. The built-in speakers also have adequate volume, but are skimpy on the bass. It would be nice if someone made a small set like this with a CableCard so that all cable channels could be received without a cable box. As far as I know, no one does yet.

Just got this TV and am really impressed with the great picture. Bought it for my study and it is just the right size for the small room. Would not want this for my primary TV.
There is a little more delay when you turn it on than my other TVs-but other than that it is great.

Purchased this for our kitchen, with lots of windows, based on the strength of several reviews of SHARP Aquos from various sources. We made the right choice. Gorgeous picture, brilliant colors. No loss of picture, even on bright, reflected sunlight. Great viewing angles. Superb picture quality from both cable and HD DVD player.

The only downside of the experience was the less than accurate description when purchased through Amazon's Warehouse Deals site.
'Minor cosmetic blemishes' turned out to be a missing remote, power cord and owner's manual. Nothing in the box but the TV. I immmediately initiated a return,and re-ordered. I wisely waited for the next set to arrive before returning the first one. This set had all the accessories, plus an extra remote ! (Yes, I returned the extra remote with the first set.) Buyer beware when you go through Warehouse Deals ! The price was right, but not without a lot of extra effort on my part.

I own a 60" Sony, and two 32" Sony LCD's. I wanted a small unit in our kitchen to allow us to watch HD Sports, News and programs in that space, where we spend a considerable amount of time, given the size of our family.

In the Bay Area of California, we use Comcast for Cable, and I picked up the Comcast Cable Receiver. At first, I was extremely dissapointed by the volume. The picture was fine, but the volume was so low, I was considering sending the unit back. Then I realized the Comcast unit only had a component video output. I brought it back, and insisted on a Comcast box that had an HDMI output. Once I had a video receiver that allowed me an HDMI output, to go to the Sharp HDMI Input, two changes occurred.

1) Volume increased by 1,000 pecent. Where before the HDMI connection I could barely hear the TV at a volume level of 100, now I don't turn the volume beyond 25%.

2) The picture improved dramatically.

Great TV. Great price. HDMI connection is a must for this unit.

We're using this TV in the bedroom, and are very happy with it.

There are less expensive LCD TVs in this size, but after the Aquos LC20D42U arrived I didn't regret paying the premium.

The horizontal and vertical viewing angles are excellent, with very little change in color or brightness at extreme angles. Picture quality is very good for both analog and digital tuners.

We've wall-mounted the TV - and while Sharp customer service told me that it doesn't officially recommend removing the table stand, it can be easily removed by taking out a few screws.

A few things that keep me from giving this product 5 stars:
- The digital tuner is slow to change channels. This seems to be a consistent complaint among lots of digital tuners though, in both TVs and DVD recorders.
- Some tasks, such as removing empty channels from the tuner memory, require too many steps to execute.

There are many small details that make this versatile TV a joy to own. It has a handle on top so is easy to carry from room to room. Tons of inputs, (3 standard inputs + 2 HDMI inputs + a VGA input) and one of the HDMI inputs has an optional audio in which means it plays nice with my DVI Mac Mini. The Sharp remembers the volume level for each input, and an optional audio out can be controlled with the TV volume as well, so it is easy to connect either external speakers or headphones to this TV. It is the perfect size for a bedroom TV or an external monitor for a laptop. The power button, input selection button, and channel up/down buttons are conveniently located on the top of the unit, putting them out of the reach of my toddlers and making it easy to do most things without the remote control.

Although this little TV is a bit costly it is well worth it! I purchased it for the bedroom and the clarity and color are great. This little set delivers perfectly for a smaller room. I am very pleased with my purchase.