Customer Reviews

Sharp LC-32GA5U 32-Inch AQUOS Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD TV

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

 

 

First, keep in mind that when ordering a TV from Amazon, once you sign the shipping paperwork, you own the TV and have to depend on the Sharp warranty. Amazon does not accept returns on TV's larger than 27" (the only items that have this policy). I decided that it was worth the risk for me, but others may not.

A few details regarding this particular model:
This is the same screen as the other Sharp 32" LCD TV's, such as the LC-32GD4U and LC-32G4U, with the following exceptions. For those of you wishing to hang this on the wall, the speakers on this unit are not detachable, no HD tuner as in the GD4U, and the unit is thicker than the others by about 1.25" because the other sets have an external box for all of the A/V connections (component, DVI, HDMI, etc.). Sharp seems to be catering toward those of us planning to use this more as a traditional TV, with the stand attached. However, the exception which I cared most about was the price, which was significantly lower than the other 32" Sharp or Sony LCD models, especially with the rebate currently offered by Sharp.

As with most of the new HDTVs, this set delivers an amazing picture with either HD or DVD content, mediocre to poor with SD pictures. Fortunely, HD ownership is increasing rapidly (expected to double this year) and with it HD content. The main reasons to select LCD technologies are the lower power usage (1/2 of plasma), longevity (2x the life of plasma), and improved color/brightness. Also, if you live at high elevation (I'm moving to Fort Collins, CO and property at 8000') then plasma has an irritating buzzing that will not only wear out your nerves but your set as well.

The knocks against LCD are that the blacks are not as black, decreased viewing angle, dead pixels, and the various size/cost complaints. Since I was not looking for any bigger than 32", LCD or CRT were the only choices, and I perferred the LCD picture quality due to the reduced eye strain (no flicker or scanning as with CRT). If comparing at Best Buy, Ciruit City, or the other retailers, yes, the black level on the LCD is not as good, but distinguishing dark detail at home has not been a problem, and is much better than my 10 year old Sony CRT. As for viewing angle, I cannot tell any difference between plasma and LCD even at 85 degrees, though I don't know anyone who really enjoys watching TV at such extreme angles. The dead pixel issue was a major concern at first, but with as small as the pixel size is for HD TV's, I can't even see the two on my TV from more than 2 or 3 feet away; besides, plasma displays can have similar problems. All in all, an excellent TV, especially for movie and sports lovers such as myself.

After purchase though the net, the unit arrived safely and without damage. It was carefully and properly set up and wouldn't work. The image disappeared, audio remained. This is quite frustrating and I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a 3000$ purchase from a well-known manufacturer to work out of the box.

Warranty requirements state that the defective unit must be sent to Sharp not the retailer. This would have cost me another
200$. I was able to take the whole unit to a Sharp-authorized repair shop who diagnosed the problem as a "bad" board that needed replacing. However, I was told I would be responsable for payment for the new board and their time - about 900$ total - and I could take up the warranty with Sharp myself.That was two months ago and I am still waiting. I am told that it is back ordered by Sharp Japan.

All in all, the warranty policies are clumsey, expensive to the consumer and there are no parts in the event of a failure. Who wants that?

If I ever get it going, I'll report again.

I just received mine - from Amazon - a few days ago, and I have to say, it's fabulous. I comparison shopped in person, and the Sharp had the best picture hands down - blacker blacks, crisper images that were not blurred when displaying motion, and in general less eye fatigue - in a row of 8 32" LCD TVs, my eye preferred to watch the Sharp every time. Now that I've got it home I can't say enough good things about it. My setup is a Comcast cable box, and setup was a breeze - a 5-connector cable from the box (3 component video and 2 sound channels) and I was finished.

Delivery was a snap. The delivery guys were cool when I explained to them that I needed to see the machine power on and deliver video and audio before I could sign for it. They understood that I would be sending it back if it had not worked. In fact, they helped me set it up. I recommend having your cable box in place and the cables ready to plug into the machine; it really took 5 minutes to get it out of the box and get a picture and sound. (Actually after that there was no setup left to do; I haven't really adjusted anything since then and the picture is great.)

In terms of comparison shopping, Sony hypes their digital image correction technologies, but this set also has a good number of them, available in easy-to-access menus. The default settings are best, especially for watching in HD, but if you are watching a grainy old black and white movie, you can set the noise reduction to 'high' to remove the grain - it's amazing, it just disappears - and the color to 'monochrome' to remove pesky color artifacts. Likewise you can optimize for 'slow' motion, such as those HD nature documentaries that show deer grazing at sunrise at Point Reyes; or 'fast' motion such as an HD NASCAR broadcast.

At the 32" size point, I compared Panasonic, Sony, Sharp, Westinghouse, and JVC LCD screens, and the Sharp won. (This wasn't true for larger sizes or rear-projection TVs; Sony definitely seemed to have an edge there, but the 32" Sony LCD looked grey and washed out by comparison to the others.)

I also used the DVI input to make this a computer monitor, just for laughs. The result: I immediately tossed my old Apple 20" monitor into the back room - no contest. This is now on my desk and it is my main monitor as well as main TV.

Some other things I liked: It's light. The stand is on the TV when it's shipped, no assembly required. There's a nice back cover to route wires cleanly. The remote is easy to use.

Finally, a couple of reviews incorrectly mentioned the speakers being detachable. They're not. You could never get them off, they are totally built in, permanently attached, fully integrated into the case of the TV.

I'd buy this TV from Amazon again, my satisfaction is 100%.

The LC-32GA5U is a stripped down version of the Sharp 32" line of LCDs with non-swiveling base, non-detachable speakers and non-digitally processed sound (more expensive AQUOS models have these features). SDTV display is very average and doesn't seem to be deinterlaced/up-converted. DVD 480p displays were very good though; I didn't get a chance to hook up to HDTV 720p. My biggest problem was the constant background noise on every input source when sound was turned up to 50% as this is required to get adequate output for most DVDs due to the meager 10 watts/speaker amplifier. The noise went away if Virtual Surround was used, however I didn't like the Virtual Surround effects. I returned this TV. It may be just an odd lemon, but other LCDs maybe a better bang for the buck, or you may want to pay up for the higher models of the AQUOS line.

The television itself is great, but we wanted to return ours because the speakers are not detachable (the other post on this site saying that they are is just wrong -- read the downloadable manual). Amazon's policy, which appears on the product page but is certainly not highlighted, is that any TVs over 27 inches cannot be returned (except for damage during shipment, etc.). Nor will Sharp do an exchange or return. We would have been willing to shell out for return delivery and probably even an upgrade to a different model, but Amazon's policy is firm.

Let me start off by saying, this is easily the best looking LCD HDTV you can get. I stood infront of about 20 different types and this Sharp, and one JVC tv looked the best.

I am using a HDMI cable for my HD Cable Box and wow. Top notch. I used a componant cables for my DVD player and it looks better than I thought. I can't wait til DVD players can start using 720p or 1080i.

The menus on this baby are so good looking and clear that they make your mouth water. Seriously. This is an easy TV to set up, plus it comes with different viewing settings like movie, game and several others.

When I first took this baby out of the box, I saw no plugs. Then I took this cover off in the back and poof, there they are. This TV comes with a couple of accessories that allow you to hide cables, so, just another plus.

I can go on, and on, and on about this TV.

The only down side about it is probably the remote. I set my cable box to it, and well, the buttons are way to sensitive. I press down, and I go down two channels. I press seven, I get seventy-seven. That's it. Nothing more about the remote.

Also there is a timer feature.

As far as HD hook ups go, it has:
(1) HDMI
(1) DVI
(2) Componant

I hope I was able to sway your choice torwards this masterpiece, Sharp Aquos 32", your my baby.

Picture and sound is excellent......have it hooked to Direct TV HD and the HD in 1080i is amazing. Not bad in lower resolution, or with a progressive scan DVD player either. To me, the Sharp does not compare to the other in the class.

Sound was better than expected, no need for external speakers (have the unit in a large master bedroom). Set up, connections, wires were easy.

A strong reccomend for this TV.

Unbelievable picture quality. Very natural colors. Great sound. I just wish it had 2 HDMI input ports.

Up until the last couple of months this TV has performed beautifully, vivid picture, no streaking and amazing details (especially with DVD).

We've had this model for just over two years and we are now having daily shutdown problems with it. The TV will randomly shut down and will not turn back on for several hours. We've talked to Sharp's customer service and tried basic trouble shooting to no avail. I will say the wait time and their staff are courteous but I dislike being in the position to have to call them. Sharpe's final response to this is to bring it to a service center and pay for the repair. Fair enough since it's no longer under warranty but considering it's cost and the extra money paid expecting quality I'm left very dissatisfied with the ownership experience. Funny how things change, this will be the first (and by far most expensive) TV which only lasted two years before needing repair. The next closest TV Set (A Panasonic) to require repair was over 18 years old before it started losing picture quality. I know which brand I won't be buying or recommending in the future.

AN

I read a review below... someone thought the speakers were NOT detachable - in fact, if you read the manual, it explains how to remove the speakers, which requires that you loosens a couple screws. no big deal. took me a couple minutes, by myself, just a little girl, and I was done. I rem,oved the speakers b/c i got a home theatre hooked up to it & love the tv so much I am thinking of buying ANOTHER Aquos TV in a different size. best picture, best look, best # of hook ups for external high end devices for this price. All my friends who have comeover get mesmerized by the amazing picture quality.