Customer Reviews

Sharp LD-23SH1U 23-Inch Widescreen LCD TV

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

 

 

This 23" widescreen (16:9) HD LCD TV from Sharp is not a model from Sharp's highly acclaimed Aquos product line, but rather sold by Sharp Systems as a PC/Mac monitor. [You can find detailed product info on Sharp Systems' website.] This is actually a good thing, because while this monitor has the same excellent image quality enjoyed by its Aquos cousins, its price is more "reasonable" IMHO, if you don't need the bells and whistles or the advanced styling of Aquos LCD TVs. (Besides, Sharp has now reserved the Aquos label only for HDTV screens 26" or larger. Note that while all current Aquos models have the important HDMI input, this 23" monitor doesn't, one more reason it's not branded an Aquos.)

I've looked at many, many LCD screens. I like Sharp's screens because they are not overly contrasty or bright. Too many LCDs are too bright, even at the lowest setting, making watching TV and DVDs quite a pain in the eyes. Sharp LCDs give the most natural colors and a true dynamic brightness/contrast range, so almost anyone can find a setting to his or her liking. Now, the screen can still get really bright (up to 500 nits), so it looks good even during daytime when sunlight comes into the room. Its viewing angles are good, too, so 3 or 4 people can watch it together.

As a PC/Mac monitor, it renders text sharply and showcases your photos and videos nicely. I use Pantone's ColorVision Spyder 2 to calibrate the monitor, to obtain optimal settings from a photo-editing standpoint. Prior to this this monitor, I was never completely satisfied with the results, but now I am.

The monitor is reasonably good-looking styling-wise. It has a lot of input jacks including component video and DVI-D, but I have to warn you that there's no HDMI connection on this, which is one reason why the price is reasonable on such a namebrand set (all current Sharp Aquos models do).

Of course, because this is primarily marketed as a business-oriented TV LCD monitor, it supports VGA. It has a built-in NTSC tuner for tuning in to regular TV stations; this model is "HDTV-ready," meaning it has HDTV definition but you'll need to hook up an HDTV source, like an HDTV antenna or HDTV cable box, in order to watch HDTV content. You can also hook an HD-DVD or Blueray DVD player to this but keep in mind this doesn't have an HDMI so you'll end up using component video which does not do justice to HD-DVD or Blueray contents.

In short, this is a great LCD TV for a great price. The 23" size is perfect for the bedroom or study. It's excellent both as an HDTV and as a PC/Mac monitor. I highly recommend this.

UPDATE: There are various reasons to pay more for an Aquos LCD TV. One is size (Aquos models start at 26"), another is the HDMI input port, and yet another is the ability to reproduce rich black levels. Aquos LCD TVs are famous for their black level performance. I've discovered that if you watch movies with a lot of dark scenes, there's a huge difference between Aquos and this model. This model's black performance is acceptable, but if you must have the best image quality across all the colors and black levels, definitely go with an Aquos, which employs the most advanced LCD technology in the world.

Great price, great looks, great sound and all at an affordable price. The colors are bright and the images are clear, no blurriness on the edges.The sound is impressive also.

Keeps up with high speed sports, no streaking or bluring

I bought this TV more than 2 years ago from Buy.com in 535 buck. Its picture and sound quality is great. No complain so far except one. It does not output audio port to connect external speakers. Otherwise it is great.

good enough for me. Screen just right size. Speakers a bit small but good enough. Picture quality great. Would have been nicer if HDTV tuner came with it