#290933 - 29/11/2006 15:05
Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
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old hand
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 931
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
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Specifically I am looking at either the 46" LC46D62U and the 52" LC52D62U
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#290934 - 29/11/2006 17:09
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: burdell1]
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addict
Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 658
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I was so very close to pulling the trigger on the 52" version. Beautiful set. But then after further research on AVSForums and after spending some time with the TV at a local dealer, I decided against it and went with a Pioneer plasma. I really liked the 1080p goodness on the Sharp, but non highdef stuff just looked way better with the Pioneer. LCDs are nice but I think at that size, plasma still wins.
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#290935 - 30/11/2006 13:21
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: burdell1]
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addict
Registered: 02/08/2004
Posts: 434
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
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For what it's worth I just had me TV calibrated yesterday. I asked him what he thought were the best/worst TVs from a calibrators perspective. He said that Sharp were among the worst. He said that although the picture could be improved with a calibration, they were in his words, junk.
He recommenced Samsung. He also said to stay away from Mitsubishi.
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#290936 - 30/11/2006 14:21
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: burdell1]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12320
Loc: Sterling, VA
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I don't mean to "threadjack," but I was wondering if anyone might know what the best ~60" rear projection set might be. So far I've looked at Toshibas (62HM196/62MX196), and Sonys (KDS-R60XBR). I was lusting after the Sony KDS-R70XBR, but for some reason you pay almost double to get an extra 10", and that's not worth it for me.
I thought I'd check here to see if anyone had opinions on other ~60" sets. 60" is the sweet spot for screen size for me, and flat panel TVs in that size are out or my price range, so I'm looking at various rear projection technologies. Any advice?
ps-I know it's silly, but one of my favorite parts about the 70" Sony was that the speakers were removeable. Speakers on big TVs like this are a pet peeve of mine. A salesman at a local home theater store told me that the percentage of people who use those speakers is over 50%, which surprised me. I assumed that anyone getting a TV this big would have a surround speaker system.
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Matt
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#290937 - 30/11/2006 14:34
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: Dignan]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 15/01/2002
Posts: 1866
Loc: Austin
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Quote:
I assumed that anyone getting a TV this big would have a surround speaker system.
And I sort of expect it. It seems quite retarded to not do so, really.
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#290938 - 30/11/2006 15:25
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: petteri]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
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Quote:
For what it's worth I just had me TV calibrated yesterday. I asked him what he thought were the best/worst TVs from a calibrators perspective. He said that Sharp were among the worst. He said that although the picture could be improved with a calibration, they were in his words, junk.
That's an odd perspective. My father bought two older-generation Aquos's last year (the then-biggest 46" panel with 1080 lines and a smaller 37" / 720p model). My opinion is that the black levels weren't terribly black (apparently improved on the newer models), but everything else was amazing. I went through the Avia tuning DVD and found that, out of the box, everything else pretty much spot on. I moved one of the color sliders by one notch, which contrasts with my now-ancient rear-projection CRT, where calibration made a world of difference from the factory defaults.
Maybe he doesn't like Sharp because there just isn't much that needs to be done to it.
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#290939 - 30/11/2006 15:37
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: petteri]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31583
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Quote:
For what it's worth I just had me TV calibrated yesterday.
I thought only CRT projection televisions needed calibration. I thought that one of the advantages of the new DLP and LCD projection TVs were that they didn't need things like focusing, alignment, and calibration.
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#290940 - 30/11/2006 15:39
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: petteri]
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addict
Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 658
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Sorry to add yet another layer of threadjackedness, but was the calibration worth it? I'm reading around on AVSForums and apparantly people are paying quite a bit to get their sets professionally calibrated. Are services like this and calibration discs like Avia pretty much for audio/video-philes or will I notice some sort of real everyday difference?
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#290941 - 30/11/2006 15:49
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: Dignan]
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addict
Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 658
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Man o man i've been doing way too much TV research lately. I've found that for that size, Samsung DLPs are pretty popular. Totally depends on your budget of course. Circuit City has a 61" for $2,600. The Sonys I saw were also real nice. Wasn't a big fan of the Toshibas and Hitachis.
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#290942 - 30/11/2006 16:44
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: visuvius]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12320
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
I've found that for that size, Samsung DLPs are pretty popular.
You know, I forgot about Samsung alltogether. I remember them being pretty popular for DLPs, now that you mention it... Plus, looking around briefly online, they certainly have the lowest relative prices. I'm going to have to check out some reviews...
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Matt
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#290943 - 30/11/2006 17:06
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: burdell1]
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addict
Registered: 02/04/2002
Posts: 691
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I just got mine back from repairs. It was about 2 years old when it stopped functioning. The repair was about $300 for a new main board?
I don't have the model/size because I'm out of the country. I can post that if you'd like on Monday/Tuesday
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Oliver
mk1 30gb: 129 | mk2a 30gb: 040104126
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#290944 - 30/11/2006 17:25
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: Dignan]
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veteran
Registered: 25/04/2000
Posts: 1523
Loc: Arizona
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Quote:
So far I've looked at Toshibas (62HM196/62MX196), and Sonys (KDS-R60XBR). I was lusting after the Sony KDS-R70XBR, but for some reason you pay almost double to get an extra 10", and that's not worth it for me.
I thought I'd check here to see if anyone had opinions on other ~60" sets. 60" is the sweet spot for screen size for me, and flat panel TVs in that size are out or my price range, so I'm looking at various rear projection technologies. Any advice?
I got the 60" SXRD in April. I absolutely love it, and haven't had any problems with it at all. I have the Avia calibration disc, but it really didn't need any calibration.
The screen is insanely bright and the colors are vivid. The only problem I really have with it is most TV shows (I have DirecTV) have some artifacts in the dark areas of the picture. DVDs don't have this problem, so I assume it is from the compression they are using. DVDs look great, as do the HD feeds. As soon as there is a clear winner in which high-definition format is going to be dominant, I plan on getting one of those players.
Price was one of my sticking points on getting this TV. I was originally planning on getting a 50" SXRD. I was able to get a discount on the 60" and it came out to be $200 more than the cheapest 50" I found at the time.
Recently, as in the last few days, I've been having a recurring nightmare of a Wii Remote flying through the TV. Not a fun dream  A remote or body going through the TV while playing (Bowling is really bad for the body going through, but you'd have to know Lunchbox to understand) is my biggest concern.
Overall, it is amazing. I don't care for the speakers, but I don't think I ever even heard them (I got a new receiver and sound system at the same time as the TV). Its big and pricey (but incredibly light). After living with it for seven months, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat if I knew then what I know now. I probably wouldn't have waited as long as I did for the DirecTV HD package though.
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#290945 - 30/11/2006 17:37
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: Tim]
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member
Registered: 27/01/2006
Posts: 142
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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I've been mulling the 50" SXRD myself. I think the 60" would be too big for my living room. I think you might have just sealed the deal for me.
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#290946 - 30/11/2006 18:00
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: Tim]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12320
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Thanks for the great endorsement. I think I may aim for that set myself. Just to clarify, are you talking about the XBR2, XBR1, or A2000?
Whatever happens, I won't have all the cash saved up for a while yet, and it doesn't make much sense to buy one now when I'm going to be moving in six months. I think I'll wait until the summer, and hopefully the prices will be even lower.
ps-my problem with the speakers isn't their quality, but with their dimensions. Sony seems to think it was a great idea to not only stick 4"-wide speakers on the sides of the TV, but to also seperate them from the main screen with a 1" gap. They've tacked on even more width to an already wide set. I commend them for providing you with the option on the 70" set, but that makes it even more frustrating that the feature didn't trickle down to other models in the exact same product line. The 70" set with its speakers off is only 1" wider than the 60" set. Argh!
*edit* Scratch that, the 70" with no speakers is .4" narrower than the 60" set. Double argh!
Edited by Dignan (30/11/2006 18:02)
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Matt
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#290947 - 30/11/2006 19:01
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: Dignan]
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addict
Registered: 02/08/2004
Posts: 434
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
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I've got the Samsung HLS6188W set. I really enjoy it, it sure beats the old SAMPO 34" CRT I had! This Samsung did need its focus adjusted. Before the calibration the contrast and black levels were way off. I've calibrated a set myself before using the AVIA DVD. What the calibrator did to my set was way beyond what I could have done myself. Now is it a night and day difference, no. But would I recommend it, yes. The every thing is now set to EXACTLY as per specs and it is a noticeable difference. The focus adjustment was done with the back panel removed and was nothing that I'd even think about doing myself. Skin tones and detail now look perfect, or at least as good as the source material can provide. I'm now just waiting for the day I can afford a Blue-ray player.
As for the set itself, I love it. By far the best picture I've seen on a TV. One interesting thing Samsung has done, although not with this set, is to merge LCD and rear projection together. On one of their TVs it is a LCD panel that provides the light, not a bulb with a spinning wheel. So if your one of those who can see the "rainbow effect" that might be worth a look.
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#290948 - 30/11/2006 19:19
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: petteri]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14486
Loc: Canada
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So how much $$$ did people here shell out for those coveted HDMI cables?
I went looking for two (one HDMI-HDMI, one HDMI-DVID) locally, and discovered that the retailers are (for the most) pushing very expensive Monster Cables ($100-$240), and somewhat less expensive others ($35-$80) for 5m (15') lengths.
Kind of odd, as these are pure digital signals, and don't require any audiophile snake oil to achieve error free transmission.
???
Oh, and what I finally did was register my small business with a wholesaler / manufacturer of cables, and then purchase two 5m cables from them for CAD$16 and CAD$20.
Cheers
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#290949 - 30/11/2006 19:20
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Snake oil knows no bounds.
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Bitt Faulk
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#290950 - 30/11/2006 19:26
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: mlord]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 13/01/2002
Posts: 1649
Loc: Louisiana, USA
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I paid about $30 for a generic HDMI -> DVI cable from an eBay vendor a couple years ago.
Stu
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If you want it to break, buy Sony!
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#290951 - 30/11/2006 19:32
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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I have been buying HDMI, DVI, Firewire and various other cables from monoprice.com. Obviously, there is the issue of whether they ship to Canada or not, but their price for a 15' HDMI cable is $8.07. I also have a membership at Sam's Club and their HDMI prices are not bad (compared to BestBuy-type stores). I think they want $20 for a 6' cable. Not bad when you're in a pinch.
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80GB 16MB MK2 090000736
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#290953 - 30/11/2006 19:55
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: Dignan]
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veteran
Registered: 25/04/2000
Posts: 1523
Loc: Arizona
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Quote:
Thanks for the great endorsement. I think I may aim for that set myself. Just to clarify, are you talking about the XBR2, XBR1, or A2000?
I believe it is the XBR1. I'll check just to make sure when I get home. To be honest, I didn't even know there were XBR2s out
Edit: Confirmed it is the XBR1.
Edited by Tim (01/12/2006 12:01)
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#290954 - 30/11/2006 20:20
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 7868
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Be careful with the DVI to HDMI adapters like this. I initially bought one to then just plug a normal DVI cable in, and found that the HDMI plug wasn't strong enough to hold the adapter level. So the weight of the cable and adapter eventually caused a few pins to not connect anymore, and I saw some weird patters on the TV. Sticking a lego under the adapter to support it worked for a while, but I finally just bought a DVI to HDMI cable to replace it. Ended up costing me $10 I think for the 1m cable I got.
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#290955 - 30/11/2006 20:26
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: robricc]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14486
Loc: Canada
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Yeah, monoprice.com does seem to be the ticket down your way. Apparently they do ship up here as well, and the cost (after shipping) would work out only slightly more than what I paid.
Definitely good to have the link here for everyone else, though.
Cheers
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#290956 - 30/11/2006 20:28
Re: Has anyone bought one of the Sharp AQUOS LCD televisions?
[Re: drakino]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14486
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
Be careful with the DVI to HDMI adapters like this. I initially bought one to then just plug a normal DVI cable in, and found that the HDMI plug wasn't strong enough to hold the adapter level. So the weight of the cable and adapter eventually caused a few pins to not connect anymore, and I saw some weird patters on the TV. Sticking a lego under the adapter to support it worked for a while, but I finally just bought a DVI to HDMI cable to replace it. Ended up costing me $10 I think for the 1m cable I got.
I do have one of the other kind of these adapters -- plugs/screws into a DVI-D chasis, and provides an HDMI jack in return. Those are much more useful. But cables are just as cheap as the converters, so..
Cheers
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