36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mine works fine and was purchased from a reliable dealer...., October 1, 2006
This review is from: Sharp Aquos LC32D41U 32-Inch LCD HDTV with Integrated ATSC Tuner (Electronics)
This is the first LCD television I have purchased. Like most, my familiarity with LCD's has been with computer monitors (Apple, in our case). Our other televison, which I would describe as the primary viewing unit, is 42 inches with 1080i cable and 720 DVD. As such, it provides a good basis for comparison. BTW: this set will be used in a "media" room, where I keep the stereo gear; sort of a second TV.
First, with any relatively complex technology, purchase from a reputable dealer. While I did pay more (over 10%) than "mail order", the advice was top notch and there is a 30 day return policy; no questions asked.
Second, when you view (side by side) units in a store, make sure the source material is similar to what you will utilize. If you do not have 1080 digital and you make your selection with only that programing, you will be mightily disappointed. Take a DVD that you are familiar with and have the dealer play it. This will give you a good basis for evaluation.
In our case, it was appropriate to compare with 1080 and normal analog signal. As such my utterly subjective analysis is:
-The Sony Bravia (XBR) was, as it should be, excellent; however, there was no discernable difference meriting another $800.00;
-The Samsung was also quite nice; but, again, very similar to the Sharp and Toshiba; also, it was a few hundred dollars more.
-The Toshiba and Sharp were, based upon my observations (yours may differ) identical, with a negligible difference in image quality compared to the Sony and Samsung. All sets were the most recent models, some with build dates in July. (Curiously, the Panasonic was inferior to the other four.)
Why, then, purchase the Sharp? Glad you asked:
-It was the least expensive of the four I was considering. I usually do not look for bargains in electronic gear; however, if the quality is the same, money is still money.
-6 ms rate; this may be irrelevant, but to my PS2 (soon to be PS3) colleagues, it sure is a neat conversation piece ("What does your set do? Only 8 ms? You poor sloth").
-Excellent accessibility to component plugs and jacks, and a goodly number of them.
-The salesman, from whom I have purchased a number of toys, gave it his thumbs up (it is nice to know that Eric has thumbs).
My initial reactions are that this is a first rate piece of electronics that will do the job very nicely. It is quite likely that several other brands would have performed just as well. Much of the nuanced talk of subtle differences in LCD's (particularly the nature of the manufacturing process) is worthless jargon; trust your eyes and, if you are lucky to run into an intelligent and well meaning dealer/saleman, trust his/her opinion, as well. They do spend most of their waking hours ruining their retinas on these things.
One bit of advice: when in doubt, go larger. The 32, viewed from about 9-10 feet is very impressive. A 37 or 40 would be more impressive, still. If I was to do it over, that would be my only alteration. The $400-$600 difference is worth it. However, if you are on a budget, do not shy away from the 32; but, if you are able, spring for the larger unit.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sharp LC-32D41U initial impression, October 22, 2006
This review is from: Sharp Aquos LC32D41U 32-Inch LCD HDTV with Integrated ATSC Tuner (Electronics)
The Sharp LC-32D41U is an impressive display for about a grand. Many LCDs in this price range exibit poor video processing (video noise & edge enhancements), and poor de-interlacing (picture softening during motion). The LC-32D41U does not have these problems. Feed it a high quality source (HD DVD, Blu-ray) and you'll be rewarded with a beautiful picture.
As with most TVs these days, the default video settings are a bit cartoon-ish (over-bright, over-saturated colors, and over-aggressive sharpness). The pleasant surprise is how accurate a picture this set can provide for folks who are willing to do a bit of picture tweaking. For those who don't wish to spend time experimenting with a calibration DVD, try the following settings in the Picture menu: OPC OFF, Backlight -16, Contrast +30, Brightness +8, Color -22, Tint 0, Sharpness -9. In the Advanced Picture sub-menu: Color Temp Mid-High, Black Off, Monochrome Off, Film Mode On. Feed this set a hi def (1080i) signal via HDMI if you can.
A drawback to this set is that the black-level cannot be adjusted to be completely black, even with the Backlight adjustment all the way down. (This is typical for LCDs.) Also, the sound quality from the built-in speakers is mediocre. A home theater surround sound system would be a welcome addition to this set. Aside from that, there's not much to complain about. Anyone looking for a reasonably priced flat panel TV should take a close look at Sharp's D41 series sets.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
No picture at all, not resolved through sharp., August 7, 2008
This review is from: Sharp Aquos LC32D41U 32-Inch LCD HDTV with Integrated ATSC Tuner (Electronics)
I bought this TV on 10/9/06 and in 5/08, with the warranty expired, the TV began to lose the picture completely, no menus no picture. It did this periodically for short periods of time at first and now it spends the majority of the time just black with sound. I guess I will have to try to get it repaired but am pretty sure that I am just screwed. I purposely purchased this TV (which was more expensive than comparable sets) because of the superior picture quality and the EXPECTATION that it was of better quality than them, in other words as an investment. I am extremely disappointed and the company has pretty much responded to my call to them by saying, "Tough break, try to fix it." They have not responded to emails.
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