Customer Reviews

Sharp Aquos LC26D40U 26-Inch LCD HDTV

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I got this set because of the spectacular picture quality, and had planned to pay more to the cable company to add HDTV to my "basic cable" connection. I decided to plug it in and see how it does with normal TV, and I put it on AutoChannel to scan for the channels that are available. After about 10 minutes, it was done scanning, and much to my surprise, the HDTV channels of the major networks and PBS are all available on this TV, because it has a built-in QAM tuner that decodes the unscrambled local channels, without renting a box from the cable company for $6.50/month!! (This is not true for premium content channels that are scrambled.)
It is a great TV with good sound and fantastic picture. It came a few days after I ordered it and there were no problems.

I recommend this TV--a good sharp picture from any angle, The viewing area seems larger than 26 inches (we were constrained by our TV cabinet). We had to put the stand on it when it came, but that was very easy.

I've owned this TV for about six months and haven't had a moment's trouble. I'm receiving HDTV off-the-air only (no cable) and with an outside antenna, I can receive Cincinnati stations 40-50 miles away. I do have two wishes for the TV, though: 1. It needs to be able to download an entire program guide, not just display information on what's being shown now (it wouldn't hurt to set the clock the same way). 2. The TV needs to automatically limit the volume. Commercials are often much louder than programs. I'm wearing my remote control out. If the signal gets marginal, the TV displays "Digital Signal Scrambled" even when it isn't. Unlike a Samsung I owned, this TV doesn't blank out the picture but freezes it momentarily if the signal glitches. Even wind in the trees will do this. If you have cable or satellite, that won't be a problem.
Overall the set is excellent: great color, powerful sound, a wide viewing angle. The black case fits into decor far better than some silver models. For the price, it's a good buy.

After 2 weeks, the pciture still blows me away - excellent contrast, very good highlights, good+ black level, even color saturation with enough variance in control to satisfy most viewers (I tend toward "cool" settings with lower color and brightness, but have "temperature" setting on this set at "medium"). Very well balanced but crisp picture.

Very good audio, balanced tone across the range (am I the only one tired of emphasized bass??) - but insufficient volume for very large rooms on its own. Not a problem in my application (bedroom).

Cabinet design is good, with materials and appearance excellent. Gloss black panel surround.

A little more money than I would have preferred to pay, but no regrets.

The TV has a sleek look and is easy to use and set up. The picture quality is good as well. However, nine months after I bought this (and with only seven months of use), the picture went out. Sharp's customer service directed me to the nearest authorized contracted service center (70 miles away).
After a look by the service center, Sharp offered me a replacement that was a rebuilt unit. Four months after I received the rebuilt unit, the picture died. When I called Sharp customer service back, their answer was, "Sorry, but your 1 year warranty has expired." To get the rebuilt unit fixed, I would have to pay for repairs myself.
Very disappoininting since the rebuilt unit was less than five months old. I chose to purchase a new LCD from another manufacturer and skip the Sharp brand.
From the looks of other reviewers, my TV might be the exception to quality, but that exception has cost me a lot of money.

I purchased this tv about a year ago at best buy. It still amazes me. The picture is outstanding, and this is just on regular cable not HD. Although with the built in tuner I receive about 10 digital channels, and 4-5 of those being HD. You almost hate to go back to regular tv, once you've watched the HD channels. Just outstanding picture quality. My sis has a samsung flat panel and this is way better in my opinion. Hers is very grainy, and any black color shows up as green. The picture on the Aquos is very smooth, but still vivid, and the black is as rich as you're going to get on a LCD. (Generally LCD's have trouble showing black, plasmas are better...however plasmas have problems with red so I'm told...and they're way more expensive.) There's also no glare from light sources on the screen...whether sunlight or lamps.

The sound is great especially if you're using this in a medium to small room. Has built in surround, which is nice since I'm using it in my bedroom.

The tv itself is also very pleasing to the eye, the mirrored black finish is superb, and is an attention grabber.

The one negative as some have said is the lag between channels. However, I consider this a rather small downside for all you get, and I generally know what channels I want to watch so it didnt affect my rating.

I'm not partial to any company, I go with whatever suits my interest and looks the best. I would advise doing the same, even if you plan on purchasing a tv from here. Go to the stores and check them out. Hope this helped somehwhat.

Nice TV for the money. The only complaint is the lag when switching channels. It is very slow to produce a picture on the new channel. The tuner automatically picked up HD over the air channels which is great. It also picked up many digital audio only channels. So far we are pleased, no complaints.

Update Spring 2011: This TV has developed some disappointing quality issues. A few months ago a vertical red line started appearing from top to bottom in the approximate center of the screen. The line is very thin, but noticeable. It disappears after the TV is on for a period of time, usually a half hour or so.

More recently a long-black mark appeared in the lower left quadrant of the picture. This mark appears to be pixels that have worn out. It is several inches long, starts thick, then gets thinner. It does NOT disappear, but remains on the screen at all times. The TV is only 4 years old and I expected it to last much longer before we experienced any picture-quality issues.

My next TV will not be a Sharp!

We decided to purchase our first LCD television after reading reviews and doing research. The Sharp Aquos 26 inch LCD TV seemed promising and offered many excellent features.

Initially, the picture was great and much sharper than the picture on our Mitsubishi CRT (which lasted for over 10 years). Then, within a few weeks after the one year warranty period, the picture soured. A vertical blue/green line appeared shortly after the television was turned on (every time it was used) and then disappeared after 30 to 45 minutes. I wrote to Sharp, since this problem was not going away. They were unhelpful, noting that resetting the television should help, and referring me to a local repair shop for service (that I would have to pay for).

We decided to wait, given the likely high cost for repairs. Unfortunately, the blue/green line continues to appear, every time the television is turned on (and stays on for at least 45 minutes). And, a second blue/green vertical line has appeared, closer to the right side of the screen. This second line lasts for a shorter period of time, but leaves me feeling certain that this expensive LCD television will continue to deteriorate, even though it is only 1 1/2 years old. My next LCD television (likely to be bought within another year) will definitely not be from Sharp.

Addendum: (October 2008)

After several phone calls, I finally spoke with someone at Sharp headquarters who listened. He requested that I send in digital pictures, which I did. Three weeks later when I called back (since they did not contact me), the technician explained that the LCD "panel" was bad. She noted that it was not worth trying to fix, since this would cost more than the television itself. The best she could do was make me an offer: I PAY $240 for a reburbished 26" LCD tv (with a 30 day warranty) or $350 for a new 26" LCD tv (with 1 year warranty).

My decision: I plan on giving this television away (to someone who won't really mind the blue bars) and buying a Panasonic Viera instead.

Bought it for the appearance - sleek shiny piano black finish - and performance - high refresh rate, brightness, etc. (Note: Bought it from Amazon after seeing it in a chain store and a getting bait-and-switch two step from the sales help there. Ordered from Amazon - more or less same price - and had it two days later on regular no-charge shipping. Don't screw around, buy from Amazon, a class act.) Looks great, works great!

Some minuses: Occasional blurring on quick action scenes in analog. (And NOT in HD.) Also it would be nice if the zoom was scalable.

Other than that, no complaints, and yeah, I'd buy another, and I WOULD buy it from Amazon.

i read reviews and the 'Aquos' brand did very well....even in consumer reports, but i must say, i've had problems with the software 'freezing'...sometimes i get 'searching for channel' (no matter what channel i put it on analog or otherwise)....other times i get just the channel number with a black screen. turning the tv off then on resets it, but its a pain. WAIT for a couple of generations for them to get the bugs out if you are first time buyer!