Perhaps the only thing better than a flat-panel TV is one with full 1080p resolution. But to appreciate the incredible detail such a TV can provide from a comfortable seating distance, you need to go bigscreen —in my book, that means 50 inches and up. Plasma TVs filling that bill start at a whopping $8,000. Fortunately, there are other 1080p options, including the new Sharp Aquos LC-52D62U 52-inch LCD HDTV that streets for around half that price.
The LC-52D62U packs a revamped Sharp panel, among the first to come out of a new factory in Japan. Sharp claims it has a fast 4-millisecond response time, higher contrast ratio, and a wider viewing angle than previous models. And its enhanced backlight is designed to deliver richer reds — something I could see immediately upon powering up the set.
The LC-52D62U's spiffy looks also grabbed my attention. A thin, gloss-black bezel surrounds the screen, and the set is propped up by a matching black stand. A silver grille concealing the speakers slopes gently across the set's bottom — an elegant design touch. A few control buttons are located way up on the TV's top edge. There are no front- or side-panel convenience inputs, but the jacks around back are near the edge for easy access. Connections include 1080p-capable HDMI inputs and component-video inputs (two each) and an RF jack.
Sharp's generous-size remote control has a clean layout and a backlit keypad for finding buttons in the dark. Good thing, too, since important controls such as Input, View Mode (aspect ratio), and one for selecting video presets are scattered randomly. The Input button calls up an onscreen menu showing only the active inputs, which can be assigned names and toggled through or selected with the arrow keys. The View Mode button switches among Stretch (16:9), Smart Stretch, Zoom, and Dot-by-Dot (1080i/p signals only) for high-def programs. For standard-def, there's Sidebar (displays 4:3 pictures with black side panels), Stretch, Smart Stretch, and Zoom.
|
The Short Form |
| Price $4,050 (AS TESTED; $4,299 LIST) / sharpusa.com / 800-237-4277 |
|
Snapshot
|
| Sharp's ultra-crisp 1080p LCD makes an intriguing alternative to plasma. |
|
Plus
|
| •Very crisp high-def picture •Vivid color •Excellent blacks, shadow detail for LCD •Minimal motion-lag on fast-moving images •Very wide viewing for an LCD |
|
Minus
|
| •Variable screen uniformity among samples |
|
Key Features
|
| •1,920 x 1,080-resolution screen •Adjustable backlight •Dot-by-dot display mode for 1080i/p •OPC setting automatically adjusts picture brightness and contrast •Vido inputs: 2 HDMI, 2 component-video, 3 composite-/S-video; RF •52.8 x 38.3 x 12 in / 89.3 lb (w/stand) |
|
Test Bench
|
| With the User Mode and Low color temperature selected, the Sharp's grayscale tracked within ±800 K of the 6,500K standard from 30 to 100 IRE — below-average performance. Measurements also showed a green deficiency throughout the set's grayscale, although color-decoder tests showed only a — 5% green error and 0% red for both its HDMI and component-video inputs. Overscan measured 0% in 1080i Dot-by-Dot mode and 4% in the 16:9 Stretch mode with 720p signals. The set displayed 1080i and 720p test patterns with full resolution via the HDMI inputs, but 1080i patterns viewed via component-video were slightly soft. Color "bands" were clearly visible on full-field gray test patterns on the first review sample we tried — a problem that also showed up on program material. A second test sample, however, was fine. Full Lab Results |
The Sharp LC-52D62U offers five color temperature presets, of which Low delivered the most accurate color (see Test Bench). When tweaking the set's brightness and contrast, I set the backlight relatively high and turned off the Black setting. This provided the best one-two punch of deep blacks and fleshed-out shadows.
PICTURE QUALITY The first thing I noticed was the Sharp's stunning picture detail — a quality that came across dramatically on the big 52-inch screen. Watching an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in high-def, I could make out the rough texture of the unshaven face of Detective Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) as he escorted a criminal on an international flight. And when I watched the documentary Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey on the INHD channel, background grass in a shot featuring African percussionists looked well-defined and crisp, while close-ups revealed individual beads in their tribal jewelry.
Other characteristics in which the Sharp Aquos LC-52D62U excelled were contrast and shadow detail — its performance in both cases was exemplary for an LCD TV. During a dark, exterior nighttime shot of a convenience store in the movie Four Brothers on HD DVD, the sky came across as a deep black tone, and I saw loads of detail in the surrounding buildings, cars, and dark clothing of hoods robbing the place.
The set's color was also rich and mostly natural-looking. In that convenience store in Four Brothers, products lining shelves and racks showed a wide range of vivid hues, while the faces of the actors displayed subtle skin-tone variations. Caucasian faces revealed a slightly red cast to the set's color, but overall it wasn't that objectionable.
What I did find objectionable, however, was the LC-52D62U's picture uniformity. On one hand, its off-axis performance was surprisingly good for an LCD. When I moved to an off-center seat, the TV's contrast, brightness, and color all looked about the same — highly unusual for this technology. And fast-moving sports programs like a high-def hockey game on the Versus network (formerly OLN) revealed almost none of the smearing effect I've noticed on lesser LCDs. Upconversion of standard-def programs was also pretty good, though both the TV's noise-reduction modes caused visible softening.
On the other hand, when looking at solid-gray test patterns, I noted a distinct pattern of horizontal dark bands across the TV's screen. The bands weren't as visible with regular programs, although they did show up pretty clearly on occasion. For example, in the Pulse documentary, I could distinctly see pinkish bands running across the sand in a shot of Native Americans performing a dance in Red Rock Canyon. And the black-and-white movies I checked out had something of a black, white, pink, and green look. Fortunately, a second review sample from Sharp had markedly better picture uniformity, with almost no banding visible on regular programs or test patterns. (Sharp is aware of the issue and said anyone encountering this problem should call 800-BE SHARP [800-237-4277].)
BOTTOM LINE The Sharp Aquos LC-52D62U 52-inch LCD HDTV delivers strikingly crisp 1080p pictures, and its vivid color, strong contrast, and impressive shadow detail make it a viable option for watching both high-def sports and movies — something we can't often say about an LCD. The picture uniformity problem we observed on one sample, but not a second, suggests quality-control issues with the first LC-52D62Us out of Sharp's new plant, a situation that's likely to be resolved quickly. Meanwhile, if you can get one of the good ones, you're bound to be impressed at what Sharp's new oversize 1080p LCD has to offer.
Full Lab Results
more equipment reviews
Back to Homepage
What's New on S&V