Samsung UN55B8500 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 20th, 2010 in Samsung TV.
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Samsung UN55B8500

Let’s get straight to the point. This is the local dimming LED television we have all been waiting for. It is the best television available today. Yes, it’s even better than the famed Pioneer Kuro 151. I owned a Kuro 151 for over a year and I can tell you with 100% certainty that this television outperforms it in every regard. The black level on this 8500 is literally twice as dark as the Pioneer Kuro. The black level on this television is so dark, endless, and infinite that you can’t even imagine it. The black level is so dark that the entire television disappears if you are viewing it in a completely darkened room and the scene goes completely dim before switching to the next scene. I’m not exaggerating. You literally can’t see the television at all anymore when the scene goes completely dim. It’s like the black of being in a completely pitch black cave. I’m not sure it should even be called a black level on this television because it’s not a level of black. When I say that, I mean there is no possible way you could measure it. It is legitimately pitch black. It’s as dark as you can possibly imagine. If you want to have a little fun, go to CNET and read their review of the Sony XBR8. In the review, they discuss how the XBR8 is capable of achieving a darker black level than the Kuro during certain scenes. Now go and read their review for the 8500. In the review, they discuss how the 8500 achieves a much darker level of black than the XBR8 and how the black level performance is vastly superior to the XBR8. However they also try to say that the 8500 achieves the second darkest level of black — after the Kuro — they have ever seen. Well, you can’t talk about how the XBR8 can get darker than the Kuro, then discuss how the 8500 achieves a much darker black level than the XBR8, but then try to say that the 8500 has only the second darkest black level you’ve ever seen. CNET, this makes you come across as hypocritical idiots. It also clearly brings out your bias for plasma, especially Pioneer Plasma. I owned the Kuro 151, and I am now the owner of the 8500. If you compared the black level of these two televisions side by side, it wouldn’t even be close. A Plasma simply cannot go 100% literal black. The individual plasma cells can go completely dim, but they still have an electric current flowing through them, and they still have to use a black filter to keep from showing the light of the current in them. The Pioneer Kuro can go very dark and achieves an amazing inky black, but a local dimming LED — when done correctly — can completely shut out every single bit of light to any given area of the panel. This results in a black level that is so dark it cannot be measured. It is the only way to achieve legitimate black. Let’s discuss a few other performance aspects of this television. Words cannot describe the colors on this television. The color accuracy is absolutely flawless. The 240Hz with LED motion plus resoloves all 1080 moving lines. This is one of the only televisions ever made that can resolove all 1080 moving lines. This television exhibits no blooming whatsoever. The extreme contrast ratio makes the glossy screen a non issue. The only way you will ever notice the glossy screen is if you are viewing a really dark film in a brightly sunlit room. If you are viewing bright content such as sporting events in a room that is full of sunlight with a window directly facing the television, you would not see any reflection whatsoever. The glossy screen and ultra clear panel also help this television preserve an identical level of black regardless of room lighting conditions. I also own the XBR8 and while the matte screen is great for a room with a window facing the television, the matte screen does not allow the television to preserve the exact same level of black. It definitely still achieves an incredible level of black, but I just wanted to mention this for anybody who is considering matte vs. glossy. This television is simply the best. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Reviewed by : Andrew B. Leetham “Blue-Ray-Man”,   Feb 16, 2010

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Viore PLCD10V59 10.2-Inch Portable Widescreen LCD TV with Built-In DVD Player

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 18th, 2010 in Viore TV.
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Viore PLCD10V59

1. Video: For a portable device, to me, it is excellent. The resolution isn’t specified on the box but Walmart says it’s 800×480 (based on older PLCD10V49 model). OTA HD signals (i.e. ABC, NBC) came in clear and detailed, not fuzzy and washed-out like some other brands, so I think it can do at least 480P. Brightness on default looks fine to me, although I maxed out sharpness (to 8). Channel changing is pretty quick and spiffy compared to a digital converter box (like the Zenith).

2. Audio: Won’t blow you away, it isn’t Dolby Digital nor even surround, but it’s fine for it’s purpose as a portable TV/DVD. I believe speaker output is 6W total, which is standard for small TVs, I don’t believe Walmart’s listing of 2W. I suppose if you’re at the beach you MIGHT need to crank up the volume or use headphones, but for relatively quiet areas, 50% is quite audible.

3. DVD: Reads DVD quicker than my 15″ Toshiba tube TV/DVD, so that’s a plus. DVD door has been an issue for many people. First, go to DVD mode before ejecting/loading discs. Second, the tray mechanism is a hit or miss since, afterall, it’s assembled in China. Mine is fortunate to be pretty smooth… so far. Slide in gently and wiggle when stuck. It supports DivX but I have not experimented to see which encoder works.

4. REMOTE CONTROL: Works fine, quick response, but the cheapy clock battery it runs on is crap, probably won’t last a month with regular use, and they’re expensive. Here’s my suggestion-go to Walmart or Best Buy and get a $15-20 universal remote with learning capability, then you can program all the buttons from the Viore remote. Don’t bother asking for the remote code, tech support won’t know and you don’t need it with a universal remote. People have said that Akai is the parent company of Viore, but the codes for Akai didn’t work for me. Interestingly, after teaching the buttons to my Philips remote I got from Walmart, it controlled my 32″ Samsung LCD TV as well as the Viore. So try the Samsung codes if you really want to know what the remote code is, otherwise just do auto search or learn (no search necessary if you learn the signal directly from the Viore remote). Same thing for the DVD mode, I left the universal remote on TV mode and just learned the DVD buttons without having to switch to DVD. After you do this, just stow the Viore remote and battery away (take battery out) for emergencies.

5. Power: Takes 12V DC power, included is a car adapter and AC/DC adapter. The internal battery will last over 2 hours, unless you got a lemon.

6. Other Aspects: The USB and SD card inputs are used to view photos and play mp3s. You have to be in DVD mode first, then go to DVD menu and choose USB/SD. I found the interface slow and unintuitive, and the photos won’t show up as nice as if you bought a digital photo frame. Part of the reason probably is the limited resolution of 800×480. However, it is an option that you can use it to play back photos and music.

7. Accessories: The base stand is nice yet not necessary since you have that pull-out stand in the back, but the stand is more aesthetically pleasing. I don’t have a big problem with the included mini antenna, it receives most of the stations in Houston fine. Other factors that affect reception are your location, the strength and quality of the broadcast signals, if there are people/buildings/things between the antenna and the sky, and of course mother nature. I do have a problem with it’s ability to stand up since it’s light, wish there was a suction cup under the base (great idea! yay me). The earphone is crap, don’t even bother taking it out. There is a 3.5mm to composite AV adapter that I don’t think I’ll ever use, but who knows.

8. Last comments: Overall I think the unit itself is nicely built, aside from the DVD tray. There are no dead pixels and there’s a screen protector conveniently on the LCD. You can get rid of that “E” by wiping with some rubbing alcohol (DON’T use acetone on plastic). The glossy front looks pleasing with the base attached, like a mini LCD TV (which it is!). However, I would have preferred a thinner profile and a slot-loading DVD tray instead of the crappy pull-out one. I tried the Coby TFDVD1092, which is also a 10.2″ LCD/DVD combo but it’s twice as thick, squarish, heavy, ugly, dead pixels, no internal battery, no car adapter, and the picture is horrible. I can’t speak for longevity, but you do have 30 days free shipping return with Amazon, and perhaps 60 days with your credit card, or you can buy an extended warranty (from Squaretrade I presume). Price from Amazon since Christmas makes this portable tv/dvd combo very competitive. Walmart has also recently lowered the price to match. I think it’s a no-brainer since other brands only have 7″ or 9″, and the 9″ are lesser-known noname brands that got very poor reviews.

Reviewed by : L. Tran,   Jan 9, 2010

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VIZIO VF552XVT 55-Inch Class XVT Series TRULED 240Hz sps LED LCD VIZIO Internet Apps HDTV

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 18th, 2010 in Uncategorized, Vizio TV.
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VIZIO VF552XVT

I bought my first HDTV nearly ten years ago. It was a pain to hook up with a mass of wires and complex antenna adjustment for broadcast reception. Took hours to set up. The Vizio VF552 was unpacked, put on the stand and hooked up in about ten minutes. I have three Direct DVRs and a blueray DVD player. Just plugged in the HDMI cable and went through the simple start up process. Even the wireless hookup to my secure router worked the first time. I think the remote is reasonably sturdy. The remote is light and easy to use. I like the input button on the opposite side of the remote from the tv on/off button. On an older Visio tv, the input button was next to the main on/off switch and I was forever turning the tv off when I wanted to switch inputs.
One problem with the sharp, bright picture is that you can see set lighting. Programs such as “Chuck” are so realistic you can tell when they are on a set.
My wife told me not to mess with the color adjustments. I think the as-received adjustments are a bit too bright with over saturated colors. I backed off the settings slightly and I think it looks better. Trouble is that programs seem to have drastically different color values and saturation (e.g. “Miami CSI” seems to be grossly saturated.) Not the tv’s fault.
I don’t understand comments about this unit’s color accuracy when the sources seem to vary all over the place. When one program looks good, another looks cold, another warm. The source gamma seems to run the gamut, and I’ve given up trying to make adjustments for each program. With my old set, I always reduced the saturation and cooled the color tem for “Miami CSI”. This unit’s dynamic range (i.e. white whites and really black backs) makes it tolerable for me.
We really like the wireless remote that you don’t have to point at the set to make changes. It has worked flawlessly. Earlier Vizio models don’t have a wireless remote. The keyboard works fine, when needed.
After several weeks, we are completely happy with the performance of this unit.

Reviewed by : M. Marks,   Feb 16, 2010

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Samsung UN46B6000 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 17th, 2010 in Samsung TV.
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Samsung UN46B6000

I work in the AV industry and tried to assist my dad in purchasing a TV. When we found out my first TV choice was delayed for an unknown amount of time he didn’t want to wait and got this B6000 (instead of the 8000) on Amazon. Here are some issues I’ve seen with the TV.
1. Motion blur
I’ve noticed ridiculous motion blur or ghosting with this TV. I was quite appalled by it. I’ve adjusted settings fruitlessly (there isn’t that much to adjust) to no avail. This is all coming in on the satellite feed and while it is a 120hz TV I noticed the incoming signal always says 1920×1080 60hz. I can’t get it to change from there. In the end it may just be the satellite box (Dish DVR). Perhaps someone else can confirm this in the comments.
2. LED Edge-lit
I would stay away from edge-lit TVs for now. If you’re wall mounting and you MUST have an ultra thin TV then go for it. But if you want excellent screen uniformity then you’ll want to avoid it.
3. Controls
The amount of picture adjustment controls seems very limited.
4. GLOSSY SCREEN!
I don’t know why manufacturers are making TV’s with glossy screen. I can only guess that it costs significantly less to make than a matte screen. You can see every bit of light reflecting in this screen. If you like to have a light on while you’re watching TV, make sure the light is right above/behind the TV or it’s behind you and you’re sitting off to the side. Otherwise you’ll be plenty annoyed on any dark/semi-dark scene. On the bright scenes you don’t really notice it.

On a more positive note:
Through Blu-Ray it looks very amazing. In fact, perhaps too good. Several movies I’ve watched on Blu-Ray actually are so crisp and sharp that it looks like a movie set instead of a real life scene. That ruins it a tiny bit for me. The best example would be Dark Knight.

The motion blur has made me think poorly of this TV. I do hope it’s just something to do with Dish’s DVR box. But if it only does 60hz on all boxes, why bother? My brother has a slightly older model Samsung 120hz 52″ that looks great over Brighthouse. Again, if anyone has Dish w/ this TV please put a comment on whether there is motion blur for you.

Reviewed by : Ari,   Feb 14, 2010

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ViewSonic VT2430 24-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 14th, 2010 in ViewSonic TV.
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ViewSonic VT2430

This TV is pretty good all around, unless you need to look up at it. Like my LCD computer monitor it starts going dark quickly as your eye level goes below the screen. I bought it for my bedroom where it sits on a higher dresser. Since the base only allows it to tilt up (back) not down (pitch forward) it’s almost indiscernible from a relaxed position in bed. I guess I’ll have to mount it to the wall so I can tilt it enough to watch from bed.

Our larger Panasonic LCD doesn’t suffer from this degrading image from lower angles, but my LG PC monitor does. Maybe it’s got something to do with monitor vs TV design?

The sound is pretty good considering the little speakers. It’s a TV for a small room, in the living room it wouldn’t cut it but in a small room with the audio adjusted it’s just right.

There’s a single HDMI, but component and coax inputs, so unless you plan on running a ton of HD hookups to it you should be fine.

The screen format options are limited to full or 4:3, nothing more advanced. But those are the only options I usually use on my other TVs anyway.

The picture, as long as you don’t look from a lower angle as noted, is quite good. Side angles aren’t as good, again, as the Panasonic LCD (and of course can never compare to the Panny plasma in the living room)As a back up TV this will do the job if you can get it for a good price. If you’re looking for something more, spend a few extra bucks and get something with a better ability to be viewed from indirect angles. I bit due to the 1080p resolution, but honestly the 32″ Panasonic LCD we have in the other room blows this set away even though it’s a 720p. At this size, unless you’re on top of the set, you can’t really see too much of a difference.

Reviewed by : J. B. Oconnor,   Dec 25, 2009

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Samsung UN55B7000 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 13th, 2010 in Samsung TV.
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Samsung UN55B7000

Many folks still wonder about the newer LED/LCD vs. Plasma.
I was one of them. After months of research, I picked the 58″ B650 Plasma.
It is always tough to audition in a store, but we felt it beat out the big LCD’s.
Well – read on.
Had it 3 weeks, waiting for it to ‘break in’, which it did (the phosphors have to age and become uniform – took about 50 hours of viewing to achieve.)
Was able over time to get a great pic (in dynamic mode), but it never quite
looked as great as our Samsung 40″ B630 upstairs.
Then I measured the power consumption after we noticed the heat coming off the screen. Uh – 550W average, with peaks up to 700W in certain brght movie scenes!
My wife and I play the set quite a bit, and some quick math told us the heat and cost was just too much a price to pay for something that will hang on the wall for years to come. Back to the stores for more auditioning.

After another few weeks of looking we bought the 55″ UN55B7000 LED/LCD.
Almost the same size – but 1/4 the power after reading up on it.
Out of the box, this set looked as good or better than the plasma.
Black levels as good – color balance even better – My test BluRay that has a number of tough to get right grey/black scenes is Terminator Salvation. Looked better on the 7000.I use that, and UP, which really tests the color saturation.
And this is in the default movie mode, which comes up when I use my Samsung BluRay player.
With minimal tweaking in Standard Mode, I got it looking even better.
No heat. Long term cost way down over the plasma.

SUMMARY – I was able to own both in my own home and do my own tweaking and comparing, and all things considered – The LED/LCD 7000 beat out the 58B650 plasma.
Hope this provides some input for others that are trying to decide.
Consider all the factors – the heat and power as well as the picture.

Reviewed by : PhillyBill “PhillyBill”,   Jan 27, 2010

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Samsung LN26B360 26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 12th, 2010 in Samsung TV.
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Samsung LN26B360

I originally bought the LN22B350, the latest unit in this series, but had to return it. You can read my review on it, but in short, it was because despite the literature stating that it has one composite AND one component input, it actually should read one composite OR one component. You could only use one or the other because they share the video input jack. So, after viewing an actual image of the input panel on this unit, I took a baby step back and ordered the B360.

Wait a minute! Amazon gave me a backhanded “upgrade” by erroneously shipping the LN22A450. The 4 series is better than the 3 series, but the A series is older than the B series. They were willing to let me keep it, but after doing a little bit of research I found that the technology has leapt forward since it was made. Among other things, it had only a 3000:1 contrast ratio whereas this one has 15,000:1. These days there’s little difference between the massive numbers spun out by manufacturers unless you’re in a high tech calibration setting, but when you talking one that low, it’s not a good thing. So, one more swap and I got the LN22B360.

I really like this set. Unless you’re an audiophile, there’s not a single thing wrong with the sound. There are different settings and a bit of an equalizer to customize, and at the level of 44, the volume is excellent. People just need to understand that no manufacturer is going to put high end audio in a unit at this price point. The 22-inch set is not the one you want to pay $500 for, or should need that kind of audio. You’re not going to get a lot of the bells and whistles you get with the bigger sets because that’s not what people are using their small TVs for.

So after one that was too new for my old equipment, and one that was too old for the new technology, this one is just right. I chose Samsung for the on/off timer, of which this unit has three, and the options there are better than expected–select all days, weekdays, weekends, etc. The set-up was easy, the remote balanced (though no back light), buttons are a good size and arranged fairly intelligently. The smaller screen makes the 720p and 60hz non-issues. Since I don’t pay for premium services, it was nice to see several channels airing in HD without a converter box. And on the down-low, I’m getting intermittent On Demand broadcasts, though I do wish whoever ordered them would take fewer potty breaks. Too much pausing and rewind. LOL!

I’m very satisfied with this purchase and hope to buy its big brother (46″) in the future after I’m sure Samsung is the way to go (and I think it is).

UPDATE 12/22/09 — Just wanted to add that I’m still liking this TV. It completely meets my needs and expectations, although the On Demand feed stopped, darn it!

Reviewed by : MollyDawg,   Aug 11, 2009

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Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-L32S1 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 11th, 2010 in Panasonic TV.
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Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-L32S1

Pros
-good quality IPS panel, a superior LCD technology generally used in just a few premium computer monitors. Panasonic, NEC, and Apple are among the only manufacturers who guarantee IPS panels. Few other TV makers use them and even when they do, companies such as Samsung, Dell, LG have been known to swap them for inferior cheaper panels after initial positive reviews are published.
-less than a single frame of input lag with progressive sources, and a good quality de-interlacer which adds merely a single frame of lag, making this one of the best gaming TVs for ANY price.
-horizontal and vertical viewing angles are nearly as good as CRT and plasma, no color shifting
-saturated and accurate color (when calibrated), crisp and bright, no banding of gradients, no loss of detail in shadows or highlights, extremely rare for an affordable television
-S-Video, Component, Composite, and 3 HDMI inputs, both digital and analog audio outputs
-1920×1080 signal can be displayed 1:1 with no cutting off of the edges, such as from a PC with a DVI-HDMI cable
-a wide variety of VGA input timings are supported

Cons
-VGA input resolution limited to 1280×1024
-diagonal viewing turns blacks gray (just make sure the TV is placed at eye level to get the ideal wide viewing angles)
-the speakers are somewhat weaker than other similar TVs
-only Cinema mode (with brightness at 50 and Contrast at 100) has reasonably accurate color, the other modes make color changes that are not user accessible.
-fluorescent backlight gives slightly bluish “Normal” color temp, “Warm” looks best
-the black levels are good enough, but not remarkable
-colored text is slightly fuzzy even at 1:1 pixel resolution due to subpixel font rendering techniques of OSX and Windows (still readable and better than turning subpixel smoothing off, but this TV is not ideal for use as a full time web/productivity computer monitor, it is perfect for a media PC however)

Reviewed by : Miles Jacob,   Jan 29, 2010

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VIZIO VA220E 22-Inch ECO 720p LCD HDTV

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 10th, 2010 in Vizio TV.
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VIZIO VA220E

I have been looking for a small TV to put in my bedroom and to double as a computer monitor. I put this in my Amazon cart when it was only $200, but it went up to $250, so I kept looking. Then I missed the Gold Box Deal of a Panasonic Viera 26″ for only $250. (VERY disappointed) Later at Wal-Mart I stumbled upon this one again for $248 and decided to buy it and finally end my hunt. I’m a pretty generous rater on Amazon, but if I wasn’t I’d probably give it a 3-star.

What I like:
- Works great as a computer monitor and automatically adjusts to the differing aspect ratio of my computer games
- Two HDMI ports is nice for a small TV (I don’t use them yet but I’m sure I will in the future)
- Buttons are located on the side of the front panel within easy reach–you don’t have to wrap your hand around.
- Inputs and outputs located in the side are pretty deep–enough that the cords are easily concealed

What I dislike:
- The VIZIO logo glows white when on and can’t be turned off (though it’s pretty dim, not distracting), worse yet it glows orange when the TV’s off. IT’S A TV, NOT A MICROWAVE. That can’t be turned off either.
- There is no letterbox zoom. So if you’re wantching a widescreen program on a standard definition connection, the picture is stretched horizontally AND has horizontal bars.
- Speakers are horrible. I don’t care much because I have been plugging speakers in to the headphone jack.
- No RCA audio out. You have to use the headphone and get a 3.5mm to RCA if you have a stereo or something similar. There is however an optical out for a home theater.
- Remote is kind of cheap looking and is not universal (but this isn’t expected on a small set).
- Only one composite video–I know it’s outdated, but it’s still pretty common.
- The only reason it’s called an ECO TV is because it exceeds Energy Star guidelines by 15%. Woohoo. Big deal. For all I know, all LCD TVs do. I thought maybe it was made from recycled material or maybe NOT IN CHINA. (But that won’t happen until pigs fly).

List of inputs and outputs for those who are curious (It’s so impossible to find online)
HDMI in X2
HDMI RCA audio in
VGA in (RGB PC)
PC audio in (3.5mm)
Component + audio in
Coaxial in
Composite video/S-Video + RCA audio (all on side)

Optical/SPDIF out
Headphone out (on side)

There is also a 3-prong (looks like DC power kinda) connection that says SERVICE as well as one that is USB.

Reviewed by : Brian C “Bobazonski”,   Jan 12, 2010

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Sharp AQUOS LC32LE700UN 32-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV

Written by Best Buy HDTVs on February 9th, 2010 in Sharp TV.
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Sharp AQUOS LC32LE700UN

I’ll start out by saying that I’ve only had this TV a few days. I will also say that I could be wrong about the possible options for changing what I dislike about this TV, or in my description of what causes it- but in my research so far I haven’t found any reason to believe so. I’m always interested in hearing more information if I don’t have the full picture though.

All that said- I personally just don’t like this set so much. I bought this to replace a broken Sony XBR6 (also 32″), and this has been my experience so far, the good and bad.

Good:
- Picture quality: The picture quality on this thing really is amazing. Very deep blacks, crystal clear image. I had to tweak the settings a bit (I’ll get to my thoughts on that shortly), and never quite found a setting that I thought was perfect, but even with that being the case the picture was stunning and I can tell that with proper calibration it’s probably one of the best 32″ sets you can buy as far as PQ goes right now.

-Picture settings. I’m actually kind of split on this. The picture definitely needs to be tweaked from store settings, and the good thing is that this set provides probably the most extensive set of options for calibration than any other set I’ve seen- so chances are you CAN get it where you like it. It’s kind of a double edged sword though because there’s so many settings that unless you really know your stuff it’s difficult to figure out how to get the perfect balance.

Bad:

- Sound: Sound on 32″ flat panels has never been known to be that great, but I almost immediately felt that the sound was very hollow and tinny compared to the xbr6. I messed with the audio settings- turned on the surround simulator and upped the bass a little bit. That helped, but I still found it lacking.

-Build quality/Styling: This is something that may just come down to opinion (styling is for sure), but I was rather unhappy with both of these things compared to my xbr. The build quality feels cheap and not very sturdy by comparison, and the styling in general I just felt was bland. The same feeling extended to the system menus for me- I like the design and look of the Sony’s much more, whereas the Sharps feel more like a 90’s computer menu or something.

-Remote: Weird choices for how they laid the remote out… the button to switch ‘av modes’ (basically profiles for picture settings etc) is enclosed in a little drawer so you have to open that whenever you want to switch between your movie/game/custom modes etc. In general I also feel the remote is just kind of ugly…

-Motion processing: This was the big one for me. Everyhing else being as is (although the styling still bugs me), I would have been willing to keep this set just for it’s image quality. But this was a deal breaker. I’ve read on other sites that the Sharp ranks low in this area, especially compared to Sony, and I completely agree. Now this is where I believe it’s possible i’m missing some information but I haven’t found it yet. With TV based content it looks fine, but what seems to be the case is that you cannot turn off the ‘film mode’ image processing for any progressive signal based content (480p/720p/1080p). You can see the setting in the menu, but it is disabled (along with one other setting for the black levels I think)- and YES I am in ‘dot by dot’ mode.

What this effectively means (at least as far as my eyes can tell), is that there is no way to turn off the ’soap opera effect’ on blu-ray content (and probably progresive-scan dvd as well I haven’t tried that yet). I looked this up on forums and messed with every setting possible and I just could not get rid of it. Some people don’t mind that effect, some like it, some say it’s not even noticeable, but to me it sticks out like a sore thumb and I just hate it. So for me, I think this set will be going back in favor of the xbr9 or un32b6000 (hoping that doesn’t have any similar issues).

So I’m giving this set a 3 stars- if I could I’d probably give it 3.5. I’m not that concerned with the fact that it’s led or not, or that it doesn’t have local dimming- all I care about as far as that stuff goes is picture quality, and this set is extremely high up when it comes to that. Unfortunately I just found almost every other aspect of the set, most notably the inability to turn film mode off on blu-ray content, to be unsatisfactory. It’s a great value for the price, but at the same time, I can see why the price is much lower than the competitors in it’s class.

Reviewed by : teamMC,   Jan 22, 2010

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