Customer Reviews

Sharp Aquos LC42D65U 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've had this for about a month. It works ok but since I have two other HDTVs at home so I got a good chance to compare (instead of just the giddiness of owning the first HDTV). The 6ms response time doesn't bother me as I don't think I can tell the difference between 6 ms and 4ms 9as.

The good:

Lower power consumption comparing to some other brands. Channel change is quick. You wouldn't know the importance of this unless you have one that's slow. Great menu selections. You can customize about anything. No banding.

Now the not so good:

I don't know how many dead pixels for such a screen size is considered acceptable. Mine came with at least two dozen. They are so small and I can't tell from beyond two feet away, so ok.

The speakers are really bad. Yeah maybe it's as bad as it can be. Even my wife can easily tell the difference between the build-in speakers and my $20 computer speakers that I plugged in.

One of the holes in the back that bolt the TV to the stand is slightly off position, as a result, the screw can't go in. The delivery guy tried 10 min, and I tried 20 min myself. It's not a deal breaker as the other 3 were screwed on fine, but just makes you wonder the cost-cutting has gotten to a dangerous point.

In the end I didn't return it because of the hassle of returning and the hassle of having to find another one. I expected a bit more from a supposedly higher end model, however.

Check the reviews for the lc42d64u model. The "65u" is the fall 2008 version of it. I had to do a lot of research (hours) to figure this out. Even Sharp's website is still listing the 64u's at this time. Found this at productwiki.com

http://www.productwiki.com/sharp-aquos-d65u-series/

There have been over 60 5 start ratings on the 64u at amazon.com so I thought you might be interested in a little more feedback before making your purchase. Given the vast price difference, I figure it's just new and no one knows about it so this may be a get it while you can opportunity...

According to the site mentioned, the only difference is the energy star functionality, which can be turned off, according to the previous rater.

I bought that tv 3 weeks ago.Since that time, we are enjoying watching tv and dvd movies as whole family. Black is real black and the colors are vivid. I also connect my tv to my laptop and use as a monitor. Superb result.Great product, great buy.
20% energy saving option is an additional feature which is great.

I found this TV on sale locally for less than $900, and I can say it was a great buy. The automatic brightness adjustment can be annoying and give you degraded picture clarity, but you can turn it off or adjust it to suit. The sound is good, but not great. As for the quality of picture and the quality of the TV in general, I couldn't be happier. This TV is a great buy.

UPDATE: May 28 2010: This TV stopped working and was unrepairable after only having it 18 months. However, Sharp offered to exchange the TV for about $475 with a refurbished Sharp LC-46LE810UN 46-inch 1080p 120Hz LED Edge-lit LCD HDTV, despite my tv being out of warranty. They even compensated me for the money I spent trying to get this tv fixed. While I was annoyed with the tv breaking, I can't help but say Sharp's customer service is amazing. GREAT company to buy from.

I read online about this tv before I bought it. I read about tuning the picture, then I found the preset keys. The dynamic fixed gives the setting you would find in the stores. Everyone talks about that not being the right picture for the home. Lets be honest, those bright pictures are why we buy the televisions in the first place. Good thing they have a function that starts there and lets me tweak everything to my liking. After I found that function, I really appreciated the product. I had a 26" flat screen before this tv, but I really appreciate the HDTV channels now, they pop. Considering Sharp is one of the few manufacturers that makes it's own screens, it's a really good deal. All in all, it's the right product for the right price.

I've had this TV for about 2 weeks now. I ordered from Amazon for <$900 with free shipping. This TV is definitely a good value for the price, IMO. The input options is probably the best feature with 5 HDMI ports, VGA ports, etc.

The OOB picture settings were just ok, IMO. The automatic backlight adjustment from the OPC was irritating for me, so I turned it off. Also, the colors were just too bright, to the point that it looked artificial. After a bit of tweaking with the picture settings, it's at a point where it finally looks good. In short, I'd say it was a good value for the money, but definitely requires some calibration before you get it right.

Just want to warn you out there - the 65U is probably a downgrade from the 64U (instead of upgrade), as the 65U uses an 8-bit panel which seems to be inferior to the 10-bit panel used by the 64U.

I am very satisfied with this HDTV after about three weeks of use. I relied almost exclusively on the Consumer Reports endorsement in buying this, never even saw it in a store. Bought "used" through Warehouse Deals, but received a new HDTV with the most minor damage to the shipping box - so my deal was even better than most (IMHO).
The set has so many input options (5 HDMI is ridiculous!) and the 1080p resolution is superb. Plugged in HD DVR, DVD and Wii - turned on and voila, picture came up automatically.
There are lots of customization features for input labeling and control.
Picture customization is above average for sets in this price range, and useful. I found the default setting to be dark - after two corrections, wife is happy.
Sound is much better than I expected, it can get loud if needed, but doesn't clip or get too tweety.
Extremely satisfied.

We have been very pleasantly surprised by the clarity of the picture. Our old TV was high-def (tube) and it was an improvement over the previous TV - but this is awesome! I personally think that the picture is too large - but my husband loves it! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that the sound quality is not as good as I would like. We will add an upgraded sound system later. We shopped and compared TV's for weeks and had decided on one brand at a chain electronics store - until we saw the Amazon price for this TV! This is a much better TV for the money we had planned on spending!

STAY AWAY. I bought this unit from Costco. In my day I have owned Sony, Mitsubishi, Samsung and Toshiba televisions. This is my first (and last) Sharp television. Right out of the box the unit had a burned out pixel. After contacting Sharp they required a myriad of pictures to prove it (5-6 pictures, I am surprised that 1-2 pictures isn't enough). They also said that they would get back in touch with me in 36-48 hours; it took them a week after multiple emails. They emailed me back saying how this was "within our specifications". How does a burned out pixel qualify as within someones specifications on a high definition TV? Obviously thy have a standard well below mine. They refuse to act on the TV.

Other matters - the remote is underpowered; the set-up doesn't allow for in dependent selection of digital vs. analog channel screening; not favorites on remote; no multiple component operational capability.

I have multiple Samsung televisions. Their quality control has been unpeccable. I owned a Toshiba TV that has lasted nearly 10 years without any issues. Multiple Sony televisions in my arsenal have also been great picture, features and reliable. Even a 42" Westinghouse TV has operated flawless for many years. In this competitive market we have many choices and I will definitely exercise them in the future.