Sharp LC-52D64U user reviews

5.0 stars

"Excellent Television" on October 9, 2007 by bamafanb4u

Pros: Multiple HDMI connections

Cons: There are no cons

Summary: I really enjoy this television. It is ready for the 1080p format when it comes out and looks really good in any format. I would recommend the native mode which automatically chooses the best settings depending on which level of resolution you are watching.

4.5 stars

"Excellent TV" on October 17, 2007 by cevordnav

Pros: thin, great looking, great HD picture, lots of inputs

Cons: None I can think of

Summary: I bought this TV and so did my parents. Neither exhibits "banding" I hear about. HD picture quality is great especially with a new HD cable box and HDMI cable(my parents house). I use an older HD Cable box and component video cable and it looks really good but not quite as good as my parents setup. My cable company has PIP built into the tuner so I don't care that this TV doesnt have it. built in. I am very happy with my purchase.

4.5 stars

"No banding, vibrant picture, great price." on January 2, 2009 by SkyYYZ

Pros: Vibrant colours, deep blacks, excellent response time (my calibration test proved it!), narrow bezel, good calibration options, firmware update port, decent sound, absolutely no banding issues.

Cons: Narrow viewing angle. You can really only sit 3 or 4 feet to either side of the set from about 8-10 feet away, or else you start to lose depth of colour. I am cabinet seated and not wall mounted however, so that may make a difference.

Summary: I believe if cNet reviewed this TV again with the latest firmware update (mine is S0804171) then whatever issues they experienced with banding would be resolved. Out of the box this TV has so far amazed me. My serial number begins with D8088. This Sharp Aquos is an upgrade from a 42" LG I bought a couple of years ago.

There was one issue I had while calibrating the colours in 'User' mode -- I noted flickering in bright areas, such as sky scenes. After a couple of days I decided to reset 'User' mode back to factory settings and I successfully re-calibrated the set with no flickering. I've no idea what caused it the first time, but I'm mighty happy it resolved the issue itself!

I'm left with a stunning image, and for those who tell you there is no difference between 720p/1080i/1080p on a set under sixty-five inches -- they are dead wrong. The difference between 1080i and 1080p is phenominal on this TV. Don't get me wrong, 1080i is nice too... just not as clear. I realised this when watching 'Earth: The Biography' on my PS3. I read the back cover and noted it said 1080i. On the 42" LG it looks fantastic -- so I'd say the differences between 720p/1080i/1080p really lies in sets 52" and above. cNet says this TV is excellent at 1080i, so I know its not an area of weakness for it.

Anyway I'm no expert, but I am very pleased with my purchase. $1399 Boxing Day sale price. Way cheaper than comparable models by the competitors and with slightly better specs too. I give it two thumbs up!

Updated on Jan 13, 2009

Calibration Settings for 52" D64U model (LC52D64U):

I ordered and today received DVE on blu-ray (http://www.digitalvideoessentials.com/) and after a couple of hours of watching the video and calibrating my set, these are the settings I came up with. Fleshtones seem realistic when playing Baraka (Blu-ray edition), as does animal fur and vegitation in Planet Earth (both 1080p/24hz video via PS3 source/HMDI cable):

OPC: Off
Backlight: +8
Contrast: +33
Brightness: +1 (so as not to crush the blacks)
Colour: +8
Sharpness: +2



HUE
___

R: +8
Y: +1
G: -14
c: +2
b: +13
M: -4


Saturation
_________

R: +1
Y: +26
G: +2
c: -12
B: -19
M: -8


Colour temp: Mid-Low

Active Contrast: Off

Range of OPC: Max +16; Min -3


Hope this helps some of you who just bought the set and want more accurate colours.

Jay
Toronto, ON Canada

Updated on Jan 15, 2009

YIKES! Important! Above settings are for MOVIE MODE only. I didn't realise each mode still has it's own look even though settings might be identical. Also, Tint: +3 (I forgot to include that the first time). These settings are for using HDMI cable attached to your PS3 in 1080p/24hz (full RGB). You should buy a 2008 set with S firmware in order to achieve 1080/24 (ie: Serial number D808xxxxxx and Firmeware such as S0804171 or above).

Updated on Dec 26, 2011

Hey Alex,

Glad to see my settings helped. I have been very pleased with this set, but I am glad I purchased the extended warranty. After almost 3 years, this set is flickering -- which can be corrected by manually re-entering the settings. But I've had to do that a few times, and I hope that BestBuy will exchange my set. I'm planning to call them tomorrow. Believe I bought a 3-yr extended warranty. I've read that this is to be expected, and that the replacement units are a generation newer, yet have issues of their own. I will count my lucky stars if they even entertain my flickering issues after all of this time. Strange too, when it's so close to the end of extended warranty. Wish me luck! If not, I got 3 good years out of it.

5.0 stars

"This LCD TV is Superb" on October 29, 2008 by rranger1

Pros: Incredible ... simply incredible. I would recommend this TV to anyone. The color is vivid. The picture is uniform and - in 1080i resolution - the image is extraordinarily crisp.

Cons: I don't think I have ADHD, so I don't have a need to watch two programs at once. But, for those who do, this TV "lacks" a picture-in-picture feature (which, BTW, I have on my other TV but never use).

Summary: What can I say? We've had the set for a week and haven't experienced any of the supposed "banding" issues CNET's review talks about. Colors are incredibly vivid, blacks are truly black, and 1080i programming virtually jumps off the screen. For example, we were watching the Kate Blanchett Elizabeth program on HBO-HD the other night, and the images were unbelievably crisp and accurate in color.