Sharp 55RWP5H Rear Projection Reviews

Price Paid:  $2300.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I have had my Sharp 55 Widescreen for almost exactly 1 year when the picture stop coming on. Luckily, I purchased the 4-year extended warranty. Everything was great until this happen earlier this week. The Best Buy service plan is horrible. They come pickup my TV & take it away to fix it for who knows how long. I wish I bought ANOTHER BRAND. You get what you pay for.

Strengths:
Initial price, PIP format, HD capability

Weaknesses:
Broken after 1 year, Service Plan is a rip-off, GET WHAT you PAY FOR!

Price Paid:  $2000.00 from bestbuy

Summary:
Awesome tv. i too compared with all the other tvs at best buy, circuit city and tweeter. This tv was in the top 3 that I liked, but was also a good 1500.00 cheaper than the other two. I didnt realize the price was so low until I went to purchase it as all the stickers were missing. I had it calibrated by a specialist which was included with the best buy warranty, and he spent almost 3 hours fine tunning convergence and color and all kinds of stuff that made it look even better than it had in the store. If you are thinking about getting this tv - think no longer. It doesnt matter what your budget is up to about 3-4k. This tv is still very much a contender in the 55" widescreen genra. I also like the fact that it has two component inputs as right away i needed both for dvd and xbox. I will switch one of them out when I get HD, but thats not bad.. The only downside is the lack of built in HDTV reciever. I wish this tv would have had that so that I could at least check out the over the air signal until I was ready to go with direct tv.

Strengths:
Clarity, brightness, color, sharpness, cost

Weaknesses:
no built in HDTV reciever. Could have used a third component input - but no tv has this yet...

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, RCA

Price Paid:  $2100.00 from Bestbuy

Summary:
This is my first "Big" Screen TV. It took me over four months to decide on the Sharp. I almost purchased a MIT, but the price was too much. Bestbuy had the Sharp on sale for $2200 plus an additional 20% off sale. I paid around $2100 which included a 4-year service agreement. At Bestbuy the sharp was next to a Sony, Toshiba and Pioneer. Everyone thought the Sharp had a better picture plus it was $500 cheaper; it was a good buy because Bestbuy sold six of them within 10 minutes, including mine during the sale. I have it hooked up to Dish Network, a JVC DVD (pro scan) and a Xbox. Some of the channels from the Dish are not as clear as with the DVD (I'm still waiting for the SAT companies to resolve the merger problems, so I haven’t moved to HD yet) but still better than any TV I’ve ever owned. But the DVD and Xbox through the component video are awesome; the picture is clear and crisp. I can’t comment on the speakers because I use a H/K receiver and Bose speakers for the surround sound. I’ve had my Sharp for almost 1 year and never experienced any vertical or horizontal line problems. So far it has been problem free. For a TV under $2200 you can’t go wrong.

Strengths:
Price Problem Free

Weaknesses:
Wish it had more component video inputs

Similar Products Used:
JVC

Price Paid:  $2200.00 from ProVideo

Summary:
Sorry to hear about the first guys complaint, but I love this TV. I got an incredible deal through and EE purchase who hooked me up with the 55RWP5H at cost. So basically it was a no brainer for me. In the 2000-3000 price range there is no HDTV that compares. Realize, like I do now, that this is Sharp''s high end brand SharpVision, like Sony ES or something. The copied a lot of their tech from Pioneer Elite and we all know they make the best TV''s. I debated for a long time on the Mits, and Toshiba and even Sony and then realized that the line doubler is far superior in this TV. If you are watching analog TV and simply compare the TV''s it is a no brainer. Give sharp a chance and if you don''t believe me just go to stor where you can compare the picture.

Strengths:
line doubler and price

Weaknesses:
None

Price Paid:  $3100.00 from Home Theater Experts

Summary:
This has been a great set for me.

I too noticed the vertical lines Rodney writes about. In addition to the vertical lines, I also have a horizontal line about 2 inches below the top of the screen.

The lines He describes are not caused by the TV.

Depending on the locations of lamps, ceiling lights or other ambient light sources in the room, shadows can be cast on the screen. The way the screen is framed on this set, shadows are cast as straight lines vertically or horizontally on the screen.

I watch mostly DVD's, with the room dark. The shadows are not an issue for me.

This is a new product, and there isn't much service history with this set. Unfortunately, many service technicians are merely "parts replacers" rather than true technicians. The factory will send out the warranty parts as fast as they can- they want to keep their customers happy. I spoke with Sharp Service- I found them to be very responsive. They even followed up with a letter in the mail to be sure I was satisfied with their response.

Sharp is an excellent company that builds high value, quality consumer electronics.

Strengths:
excellent line doubler, picture clarity, accurate color decoder

Weaknesses:
would be nice to have "one touch" type convergence adjustment

Similar Products Used:
Mitsubishi, Toshiba