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Review 1 of 1
Price Paid:
$3499.00
from LCDTVS.com Summary:
The Sharp Aquos LC45GX6U is, as you probably already know one of the most highly regarded sets on the market. I compared many of the DLP, Plasma, and LCD's on the market that were similar size and features (plus – minus a few inches), and came away with the impression that the Sharp Aquos is the best of the bunch, regardless of size, and has only one close competitor (the Sony 42" LCD, which is which is considerably more expensive). There is no distortion or loss of picture quality from side, top or bottom.
The display only weighs slightly over 42 pounds. The GX version in Sharp's 45" line has an external AVC box that accepts five different inputs. In my opinion, the picture quality and design features of this set are second to none. HDTV picture quality is outstanding. SDTV is great. (Like most HDTV's, the high resolution really brings out the poor image quality of standard definition TV.) It is the sharpest image I have seen. It makes plasmas look dull in comparison, (2.1 million pixels vs 0.9 million) with its 1920 x 1080 native pixel resolution. Normally, LCDs don't have a low black level like plasmas or CRTs but this monitor adjusts to room light to fix that problem. The AVC unit up-converts all signal to 1080p and sends it to the display. The AVC can be placed in a cabinet since the IR receiver is on the display panel. All controls when accessed are displayed neatly and clearly around the top and bottom and side edges of the display.
Recording and playback onto a PCMCIA (PC Card) is very simple. One touch video recording, two presses to record a still snapshot. I was using a PC card memory stick adapter, but have since ordered a 5GB PCMCIA micro-drive just for this TV from TigerDirect. Moving the video onto a PC, or PDA for viewing later, is simple. There are three resolution modes to record video onto the memory card at. The middle of the road is 320 x 240 at 30fps with audio.
The manual is very clear with drawings and instructions on how to connect different home multimedia configurations. All features are covered in the manual. Too many here to list. There are several display modes to choose from which tweak the display processor for gaming, action movies, theater movies, PC input, etc… The granularity of control is more than enough to keep a techy happy, but not necessary for a speedy setup, with superior results. There are display tweaks which can make text edges appear sharper if the display is used as a PC monitor.
My only disappointment was the rather short power cord for the TV. This is an irritating limitation when the tv is first being positioned in that sweet-spot you picked out and the cord doesn’t reach. For wall mounting, it necessitates the installation of a high mounted electrical outlet to be run behind the TV or use a longer cord which can be purchased from Radio Shack. Overall, not a show stopper, but it is a disappointment and something to plan for if you are going to wall mount the unit. There are two power cords, not interchangeable, one for the AVC and one for the display.
Overall, I am very pleased with this model. The display brightness, contrast, and color are all top notch. The thin form-factor and detachable speaker make for a very elegant wall mount or cabinet-top installation. Strengths:
- 1920 x 1080 native resolution
- 5 channels of input
- cable card ready
- PCMCIA card slot for memory cards
- one touch freeze frame
- one touch memory card video recording
- external audio video controller (AVC)
- detachable speaker
- HDMI input
- Fiber digital audio out
- ablilty to change the picture orientation (flip, rotate, mirror)
- auto power on or off based on video signal
- AVC can mount horizontal or stand included for verticle orientation.
- center channel audio input, when used, uses the Aquos speaker, as the center channel for 5.1 or 7.1 THX surround. Weaknesses:
- short power cord for the display unit (easily corrected)
- Power, channel, and volume controls mounted on top right rear of display are very difficult to reach when wall mounted.
- Included speakers are inadequate. You will need a theater surround sound receiver-processor, and external speakers to match your listening experience to the display quality of this unit. Similar Products Used:
This is my first non-CRT large TV. I have no other flat panel to compare to except PC screens, which do not offer the resolution this Aquos has.
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