Customer Reviews

Sharp Aquos LC46D92U 46" LCD Flat Panel HDTV

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought the Sharp Aquos LC46-D92U in early February of 2007. It was Sharp's latest and is supposedly their high end model. My set had a serial number beginning 7018xxxxxx. The first number in the Sharp serial number tells the year of manufacture (2007) and the next two numbers represent the month of manufacture (January). As you can see, I was an early adopter. I bought it sight unseen despite the uproar going on on the Internet about the banding problems of the new Sharp LCD's manufactured at Sharp's recently opened manufacturing plant in Kameyama (sp?), Japan. For those not familiar with the conflict, apparently some of the new LCD's from Sharp demonstrated the presence of both dark horizontal and vertical bands that could be seen on monocolor backgrounds, like solid gray, or white or sometimes black. The earlier models from Kameyama, the D62U's, were supposedly worse. So, why did I buy this set when a conflict about such a defect was raging? There were a number of reasons:
1. I saw a couple of the D62U models playing in various stores and I didn't notice any bands on regular material.
2. Sharp has been extremely cooperative with people complaining about banding and has been replacing the sets until the person was satisfied or returned their purchase price if the individual desired.
3. Those who had seen the picture quality of the new D92 U models at the Consumer Electronics Show in January were absolutely blown away by it. This set was a true leap forward in LCDs. The blacks were jet black and easily a match for a plasma set. The new 120 Hz screen refresh rate (double the normal 60 Hz) seemed to completely eliminate any motion artifacts. You could watch a football game or hockey game without any smearing. The new five color backlight gave some of the most rich glorious colors yet seen on an LCD. The colors had a real WOW! factor. With the new 1080p resolution, a high quality signal had an almost 3D quality on this set.
So, I decided to take the risk. I had good luck with the picture quality. It was just as amazing as had been described, and there was not a band in sight. I apparently got one of the good ones. However, it came out of the box with a problem with the sound. No matter what I hooked up to the set, the sound was intermittent. I called Sharp who gave me the number for the local authorized repair person. He checked things and then called Sharp to discuss the problem with the Sharp technicians. They apparently recognized it immediately. They told him they'd been having problems with the audio IC board. Apparently they received a bunch of problematic ones. They sent a new audio IC board out, the technician bolted it in place of the old one, and everything was solved.
So, it has been a bit of an ordeal getting everything set up properly, but, now that it is, I think it was worth it. I don't have one of the new High Definition DVD players, but I've got a good upconverting conventional player that I set to 1080p output, the native resolution of the set. When I use the DVD player, I set the TV to dot-to-dot mode. All I can say is: it's a revelation! I have not seen a picture like this on any LCD before. Of course, you have to properly adjust the set. It comes from the factory set in the flamethrower mode and will melt your eyeballs if you watch it this way in a darkened room. For those not familiar with videophile jargon, this means the factory sets the backlight all the way up so the set will be as bright as possible out of the box. This may make sense if it's going to be hung in a big video display in Circuit City or Best Buy, where there are very bright overhead flourescent lights, and where the set will be hung right next to its competition (Sony, Samsung, etc.), but it makes no sense in a home environment. If anyone buys this set, my advice is to immediately turn the backlight down to the STD setting. There are other setting changes for color, tint, sharpness, contrast, etc that need to be made. Go to the Internet website [...] and find the Sharp threads. You'll find plenty of recommendations for how to set the TV properly. You will also find an incredible amount of whining and complaining about this set from people who expect perfection in whatever they buy. To each his own. What you won't find is anyone who has anything but good to say about the picture quality. The banding problems and the sound difficulty are why I gave this set only four stars. Based on picture quality alone, when fed a really good signal, this set deserves 5+ stars. It really does seem to have addressed all the picture quality problems that previously plagued LCD sets. The sound is OK, but a set this glorious really deserves better. If you don't want to fiddle with a full five or seven speaker surround sound system, Sharp makes a nice two piece "Home Theater In A Box" called the SD-SP10. Amazon has it for sale and it's quite inexpensive for the quality of sound it puts out. It's truly a bargain. Just don't expect it to compete with a five speaker setup driven by 6 or 700 watts.

I ordered a Sharp 46D92U after living with a Sony KDL464XBR2 for a while. My wife and I love the XBR2, but right now both sets are set up side by side in my living room and while there's a long list of things that we prefer about the Sony; after several evenings of viewing, the Sony's going back to the store and the Sharp has a new home.

Now that's not because of looks. Neither my wife nor I have ever found televisions attractive. They tend to be these big ugly hunks of glass that are best hidden away when not in use. Not so the XBR2, we find the XBR2 to be the most attractive looking flat screen package on the market. It looks like a thing you want hanging in your living room. The Sharp? The Sharp looks like a really big computer monitor. We had a tough time ordering it in the first place because we find it so ugly and the Sony so pretty.

It's also not because of the build quality. Don't get me wrong, the Sharp is built well. But the quality of the buttons, the labels on the ports, all much lower on the Sharp than the Sony.

Nor is it because of the "out of the box" sound. The Sony's speakers and sound have it hands down over the sharp which sounds tinny and thin and quiet compared to the Sony.

But then there's the picture quality. This is after all a TV; not a vase, not a computer keyboard, not a stereo, it's a TV. The two boxes are set up side by side in our living room and here's the net. Coming out of a Blu-Ray player, the Sony looks worse on almost every scene compared to the Sharp. The Sharp has this clear "no panel blur" picture that is just incredible. The Sharp displays a level of detail in the darker scenes that the Sony just cannot match.

Don't get me wrong, if we'd not done the side-by-side, we would have continued to be completely happy with the Sony. The XBR2 has an incredible picture. But it's not as good as the Sharp's. Motion on the Sharp is better. Dark scenes on the Sharp are better. The only downside is that all that "sharp-ness" makes the source material look grainy once in a while. So, if you are willing to put up with the Sharp's looks and not going to rely on the built in speakers for sound, this may be the set for you.

I have been researching flat panel TVs for months now trying to decide between Plasma vs. LCD, TV size, and picture quality. What I found was the Sharp LC46D92U. First of all LCDs appear to be the direction of the industry as there may be limitations to the advancements that can be made with plasma technology. Secondly the advances made with the Sharp LC46D92U have put to rest all of the advantages held by plasma sets in the past. Plasma TVs for example had deeper blacks than LCDs because plasma TVs do not use a back light. Also in the past, faster moving scenes on large LCDs have been a problem because the frame rate conversion was to slow to keep up with the fast motion. The Sharp LC46D92U put all issues to rest because they doubled the frame rate conversion solving the fast motion problems, and a 5 wave back light has solved the black level problems. Now, I could go on about how this set is superior showing you all of my research, but I don't feel that I need to as this set speaks for itself. Be sure to get the D92 module as it is the latest set with the advanced 5 wave back light, 120z frame rate conversion, and the 4ms response time. Also watch out for the previous D62 and D82 modules as some stores are still trying to push old stock (Best Buy & Circuit City, etc.). These old modules do not have the latest advances nor do they have as many connections, and they had some banning problems on the old modules. Also as a side note this set is 1080p Full HD, so it is ready for the latest forms of HD (1080p) (Blue Ray DVD) (HD DVD). All in all, the picture is fantastic and the price can't be beat and that is why I bought the Sharp LC46D92U.

Just got this Sharp LC46D92U from a local store. I chose it because, it was at the time of purchase, the latest ASV LCD made at the Kateyama 2 factory in Japan with 4ms response time, 120Hz frame rate conversion and the new 5 wavelength backlight (all latest technology for LCDs). After trying it out for the last few days, I was not disappointed. I played HD-DVD movies at 1080p from an XBOX 360 Elite via HDMI and the picture quality was excellent! The blacks were black and contrast level was amazing. I also had to dial down the brightness because the preset level was at the highest. There were no banding issues seen. I did not see any dead pixels or any clouding issues. I am very pleased with this flat panel TV and would recommend it highly.

We ordered the Sharp Aquos LC46-D92U on the internet, since all local stores were pushing the D82U model to clear their stock. In addition, we saved a few hundred dollars in the process. The TV was brand new, not a refurbished model. Many local stores incorrectly inform customers that internet purchases are refurbs and that is how they sell at a reduced price. Just remember that the internet stores will not accept a return on screens this large. The Sharp TV worked just fine for two hours and then developed a bright blue line just left of center, stopping half way up the display. I immediately called Sharp and took six digital pictures of the problem and E-mailed them to their technical service department. In a couple of days Sharp called and informed me that a brand new replacement would be shipped and the defective one would be picked up at zero cost.
One week later the delivery truck stopped at our house right on time. The new D92U (manufactured in November 2007) was set up and the defective one was boxed up, no questions asked. We waited for eight hours before we plugged it in so that the TV would be at room temperature. The picture was perfect and the sound was very good - I do not use the simulated surround setting. In my opinion the Sharp LC46-D92U picture beats even the fifth generation Sony XBR picture. Sony still lists response times @ 8 msec in their specifications. I research everything before I buy. Internet purchases do not always proceed without problems and local store purchases are not always smooth sailing either. I just want you to know that Sharp does stand behind the Aquos products and that I am thrilled with the performance of this set. Read the book and go through the setup screens step by step. I used HDMI cables for all hookups. I have a Sony Blu-Ray and a Toshiba HD DVD player and both work equally well. Direct TV in HD is exceptional. Returns on these high tech displays by all manufacturers are not that uncommon. There are many good products to choose from, but for the money Sharp cannot be beat. I would not trade this set for anything that Sony or Samsung has to offer. I hope that this short review helps in your buying decision.

I spent 8 months reading and waiting and watching the 3 bext LCD tvs in the 46" arena. And it was SOOO worth the wait!
I weighed the LCD TVs in the areas of HDMI connections, contrast ratio, response time, refresh rate, and a few more -but most importantly watched the price every week from August '07 to March '08!
The top three brands were Sharp, Toshiba, and Sony using only the top of their lines in the 46" arena -and watched and waited as all three prices dropped significantly after early Feb (Super Bowl) and saved my self over $1,000!
Will update this review after 2 months of using the new TV.
So far:
No banding problems
Great picture after calibrating
Very poor speaker system but adequate if temporary
Easy to assemble stand and speakers
Aboslutely NO glare at all
Great viewing angles
Easy to hook up: DVD, Cable box, Game system

I received the TV from 6th Ave Photo through Amazon quickly and with no problems. The ordering was hassle free and efficient. The Sharp Aquos installed with no problems, but as with any electronics as sophisticated as this YOU MUST READ THE MANUAL. I've had the set for over 2 weeks and am very satisfied

My parents bought this tv via the internet and they are amazed. at first we were worried there was some banding, but the helpful technician came by and showed us the setting of the dvd player was wrong. voila no banding....
AMAZING BLACKS
BRIGHT COLORS
FAST REFRESH!
GREAT SERVICE ALSO! (they were worried as it is hard to return this item...0

Much better than the sony or samsungs! Now I am planning to save up money to buy my own.

This is an excellent LCD HDTV to buy. I did a lot of research before deciding upon the Sharp Aquos LC46D92U. The two determining things were: quality and price. There was little doubt after reading many reviews that the Sony Bravia 46XBR4 was the best TV to buy, as far as quality is concerned. It, however, costs more than $500 more than the Sharp.

The next best TV after Sony is Samsung. Once again, picture quality is high. However, Samsung has a problem with its reflective screen. My family room has lots of windows, so I had to rule out the Samsung.

The Sharp had a few excellent things going for it. The 15,000 to one contrast ratio, the 4-millisecond pixel response time, 120 Hz frame rate conversion, and the small footprint of the TV. Also, the blacks are supposed to look like blacks on the picture.

The big negative about the Sharp TV was that some people, including CNET, said that they saw some banding with Sharp TV's. The positive was that many people said they did not see any banding at all with this model. Also CNET makes this negative statement: "Sharp also adds a 120 Hz frame rate conversion mode to the spec sheet, which is not the same as a true 120 Hz refresh rate." Whatever that means. Also, some people said that the 120 Hz rate is not that noticeable.

I bought my Sharp from Amazon for $2,000, including shipping. It was shipped by Electronics Expo. The first problem was with the shipping -- there was no tracking mechanism available by Electronics Expo. They give me a window of about five days when it might arrive. After calling their office, they said that they usually call the day before and give us a time for delivery.

Electronics Expo called the day before to say they were delivering the next day. It was a Wednesday and fortunately my wife was off work that day. However, the best the shipping company could give us was a time from sometime between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. They said if we wanted they could call an hour before they were to deliver. However, they also said that if no one answered the phone when they called, the TV would not be delivered. They did call that Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. and delivered at 5:00 p.m. They did do an "into the threshold delivery."

When my wife and I examined the box everything looked to be in good shape. The first thing we noticed that assembly was needed on both the speakers and the base. It took us about 20 minutes to figure out how to do this. It does take two people to do the assembly.

I have Comcast digital cable, and the picture is spectacular, even though it is at 1080i because of Comcast's limitations. There is no banding. Even regular TV looks acceptable. The sound is just adequate, but I have the TV hooked up to my home theater and am enjoying digital surround sound on high definition stations. I do notice that some stations are louder than other stations.

We had the Sharp TV for almost a month now, without any problems. By the way, we signed up for the Sharp Advantage Club at no cost and received three additional months of warranty for the Sharp TV.

Also, I found a Sony remote for $23 that takes over all the TV functions, as well as the functions for the cable box, DVD player, and home theater receiver.

I had waited a year to buy this TV, and it did not disappoint. Great design, easy to setup, and the picture is awesome!!. Incredible value for the stats that this set provides.