LCD TV Reviews

Black: 0.037
White: 38.31
Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio: 1,035:1

The above readings were taken with the Sharp in its Standard mode, with the Backlight on –9, Contrast on +29, Brightness on –1, and Power Saving and Active Contrast off. Of course, you can get much more light output from the set by turning up the backlight. The set produced 89.11 ft-L with the backlight on maximum (+16).

The set’s before and after color tracking performance is shown in the accompanying figures. Both were taken in the Low setting of the Color Temperature control. Even before calibration, the result is very respectable for an out-of-box result. The after result is better yet. The calibration was performed using the single set of red, green, and blue (Drive) controls in the User menu. While more flexible calibration adjustments are available in the service menu, the User controls proved more than up to the job.

The post-calibration color gamut is shown by the white triangle on the pie-shaped CIE chart. The black triangle shows the standard HD color gamut (Rec. 709). The before-CMS calibration result (not shown) was nearly the same. The CMS could not move the primary colors (they weren’t off by much in any case), but it slightly improved the accuracy of the secondaries.

The Sharp’s HDMI HD resolution was outstanding at 720p and 1080i/p (with the maximum 37.1-megahertz luma—black and white—test frequency burst clearly visible). It was only a bit less pristine in component (a marginally dimmer 37.1-MHz pattern, indicating a slight rolloff).

The measured 480p HDMI resolution was good, but 480p component resolution was poor (the resolution lines were nearly invisible on the 480p’s maximum 13.75-MHz luma burst). The resolution with 480i (HDMI and component) was satisfactory.

The set’s overscan was essentially zero on all sides in 1080i/p and 720p, either in component or HDMI, and averaged 2.5 percent on all sides (a loss of about 10 percent in total picture area) in 480i/p (component and HDMI). The image in component was shifted about 0.5 percent to the right, but this was not noticeable in normal viewing.—TJN