Remember that commercial when plasma TVs first came out, with that couple randomly placing their new plasma set on different walls around their apartment until they finally settled on a ceiling mount? That ad always bugged me because they made it look so easy to just decide where you wanted your TV to go and then put it there. What about the power? What about the cable hookup? What about video from a DVD player? Moving a TV around is a real chore regardless of how little it weighs.
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Until now. Sharp has truly cut the umbilical cord with the new Wireless Aquos, a 15-inch (diagonal) LCD set that’s the first TV to require no cords whatsoever. Not for power. Not for cable TV. And not for recorded video. Akin to a cordless phone, the Sharp LC-15L1U-S combines an outboard Wireless A/V Center to handle the connections, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and the marvels of Wi-Fi (the original 802.11b standard) to produce mobile TV.
Installation is simple and straightforward. While the Wireless Center can be placed virtually anywhere that’s close to a cable-TV jack and a power outlet, you do need to keep it away from sources of interference like microwave ovens, cordless phones, and devices using Bluetooth wire less technology. A loop-through output is provided for both the RF antenna/cable and Video 1 inputs, and the Video 2 input can be reconfigured as an output.
The TV automatically “finds” the Wireless Center when it powers up and from then on works pretty much like a regular set. It also has a headphone jack and its own composite/S-video input if you want to connect a camcorder.
Designer Toshiyuki Kita incorporated a handle into the top of the stylish panel, making it easy to tote this portable about. The table stand is totally unobtrusive on the kitchen or bathroom counter, but to fit in tighter spaces — like the tile surround of our Jacuzzi — simply remove the TV from its pedestal and use the flip-out easel stand instead.
Resolution is 640 x 480 pixels, and picture quality was on par with that of other Sharp LCD TVs, which is to say very bright and detailed. Even at extreme viewing angles, there was very little loss of brightness. Battery life is rated at 3 hours max with the panel’s brightness set to Dark. I kept it set to Normal, which provided roughly 2 hours before I needed to recharge.
Transmission range is listed as “about 15 meters” (45 feet), but real-world results will vary. In my 2,000-square-foot home, reception in the farthest rooms (about 50 feet and through three walls) dropped out — resulting in a stuttering video image. But this was with the Wireless Center located near my A/V gear, not centered in the home. As the TV’s distance from the Wireless Center increased, remote-control reaction times also became more sluggish.
Of course, the real test of the Wireless Aquos is how well it works out on the patio. I fired up DTS’s new Demo Disc #8 on my DVD player and settled in for a little poolside viewing. The clips from The Two Towers and Pirates of the Caribbean are dark, while the one from Gangs of New York has lots of smoke — two conditions that can give fixed-pixel devices fits. The set handled these scenes with aplomb and had the range — just barely — to provide coverage around the entire pool.
I loved being able to transmit infrared (IR) commands back to my main gear — that’s real remote control. Not only can you change TV channels with the Aquos remote, but you can also operate your DVD player, VCR, cable box, and so on — provided you have the correct remote handy. This is an awesome feature!
We’ve become accustomed to wireless phones and wireless Web access, and now Sharp has broken the final wireless boundary, giving us fully wireless TV. If you have a large home, or one with concrete or steel construction, you’ll have to be careful where you place the Wireless Center for best results. Everyone else, the line forms behind me.