Customer Reviews

Shines in video, tad weak in audio
PROS

Video:

Consistent high picture quality across all resolutions, but at times consistently over saturated at 480i analog. With available custom user settings, the SE94 allows one to set a custom preset 480i color compensation. All the following were reviewed via Cable TV setting, DVD player or using the [...] test DVD.

color balance
image movement
still
sharpness
free of artifacts: jaggies, ghosting, image runs, especially in fast motion video

These are the settings I've tested:
480i via analog TV signal or digital
480p standard DVD output and digital TV
720p Broadcast HD digital
1080i Broadcast HD digital
1080p DVD output upconverting

Sharp's advanced video features are set at default, most are OFF. The test DVD showed a small amount of red color bleed and slight staggering in anti-aliasing tests, but no moire patterns.

I compared the video with input provided by a Sony NS700H/B DVD Player. The video is inferior via composite but there is little difference in images between component and HDMI inputs. I compared audio RCA cables instead of component cables on the component jack and was surprised by a slightly degraded picture, so slight it would not be noticed unless it was compared against HDMI.

HDMI offers some convenience features: it auto selects the HDMI input once signal is detected, and turns off the device automatically once the TV is turned off.

Tuner:

Includes NTSC, ATSC and QAM tuner. The QAM tuner allows access to 'open' digital channels, not advertised by the cable company.

Shipment:

Via Amazon ordering, deliverer carefully followed sign off instructions to the letter: allowed me to examine the condition of the box at delivery, open box, and examine contents before I signed off on the delivery.

Setup:

Quick and easy. Attach speakers then mount stand, all screws or bolts supplied with tools. Plug into AC and cable coax, and the SE94 automatically detects signal and begins EZSETUP process. Follow onscreen instructions and when done, the TV is ready to watch cable or air broadcasts.

For Input jacks, equally easy. Just snap on the cables as color coded or the HDMI, then select INPUT from the remote until you receive signal from the device. On HMDI devices, it auto detects signal and auto selects that input first.

Setup is unique per input. The SE94 remembers the volume and video setting of each input.

Packing:

Very durable and sturdy. The lower half of the box serves as a stand until you can assemble the enclosed stand. Importantly, the styrofoam pads never go farther than the metal frame of the LCD panel, and thus do not touch the glass panel anyway. It would be wise to save the box in case this TV needs to be returned, its very customized to the TV and difficult to provide the same protection for shipping as this box.

Instructions:

The Sharp manual is not as well written as a Sony manual. It seems to require more careful reading, whereas Sony's has always been user friendly.

Cables:

None supplied. I used or bought cables elsewhere.

Faux leather trim:

Is almost invisible, other TVs with shiny metallic borders often get dulled by fingerprints, the faux leather appears cleaner longer because it hides dirt better.


CONS

Remote layout poor but provides access to all the TV's functions: related or frequently used buttons are not grouped logically together and often small; it can't be operated without looking at the keys, e.g. the universal controller has a toggle that lights up LEDs when its set for DVD, VCR, TV etc., whereas on a Sony, these are all unique buttons, and easier to find and press.

Bands: Using the detailed [...] TV tests, slight bands were detected on my SE94 using 'grey scale' test, its otherwise most invisible. On some LCD TV forums, there are reports of sizable bands in the SE94 series that are annoying and can be seen in regular video. Just how common these are is unknown.

Volume is a tad weak: at 15Wx2 its rated stronger than many competitor LCD TVs yet it output is weaker compared to my old analog TV. The emulating 'Surround' algorithm of Sharp is not as 'surround' as the SRS algorithm.

CONCLUSION:

Given the audio issue, I'd rate it 4.5 Stars versus 5. The video is so stellar, it more than outweighs the audio drawbacks. Buyers should be cautious that reports of banding has been reported in the SE94 series, and it can be very troublesome.

Excellent TV
Very good picture. The high-def image looks amazing. I've only had two small problems with it. First, I'll sometimes hear a high-pitched noise when changed from a digital channel to an analog channel. This goes away if I switch back to digital, then to analog again. Second, I've had the picture not display when turning the TV on. To fix this, I turn the TV off, wait for a few minutes, then turn it back on.

Top-tier image quality
This is among the best quality TVs made in 2008.
There are now sets with better picture quality, such as the Limited Edition series (also from Sharp) which use LED backlighting, but they are quite expensive.
There are many brands of television, but Samsung and Sharp manufacture the vast majority of LCD panels.
Other brands, even big names like Sony, Toshiba, and Pioneer, only buy panels from manufacturers and build electronics around them. Sony, in particular, charges quite a lot for their brand name even though they didn't even make the panel!

Some Sharp panels from past models were known for having a color banding problem. This was endemic in Sharp televisions for a long time, though most peopled did not notice. I am happy to report that this set does not suffer the same problem.

Absolute contrast is 3000:1, 3 times that of most other sets. Dynamic contrast (contrast achieved by adjusting the intensity of the backlight) is 27,000:1, and in practice, the brightness this set can produce is almost over the top. It literally hurts my eyes and lights up the entire living room, though I usually keep it at low settings because I am not into intensely bright screens.

My 46" set uses about 150W of power at 20% backlight -- not bad. It can use just over 300W at full brightness (actual measurement).

The internet service, "Aquos Connect", is fairly worthless. It is slow, takes up screen space (or the whole screen), and has terribly response latency -- if you switch views or turn it on/off, it takes a while to comply. It may be handy for showing weather or stock information occasionally, but you will probably be more likely to walk to a nearby computer or change to an appropriate TV station rather than work with the clunky TV internet interface. The possibility of remote servicing and diagnosis sounds promising, however.

I can't comment on the speakers as I use an external stereo.

The connections are well placed and, in particular, the HDMI and RCA ports on the right side of the TV are very useful for connecting temporary hardware, such as a friend's game console.

This TV handles many more resolutions with the VGA connector than any previous HDTV I've had. I tested it at 1600x1200, but no higher. Works well.
I use this screen mainly as a computer monitor, connecting my computers DVI-out to one of the TV's HDMI connectors using an HDMI cable and adapter. It looks beautiful and works very well for both business applications (even Photoshop, which has long been a poor program to run on other LCD screens due to color accuracy problems) and gaming. The response time is so fast as to not notice any blur or shearing, and the TV works perfectly at a full 1080P, 60 Hz.

This screen may be able to display at 120Hz, but it cannot accept input at 120Hz. 60Hz is the maximum, at least at 1080P. This leads one to wonder how it can play a Blu-Ray movie without shearing at 24P if it cannot accept input at an even multiple of 24.

One final noteworthy comment is that this screen does NOT have a glare problem at all. Many glossy screens, especially those on notebooks, reflect the surrounding light so well that you can shave in your reflection. Very distracting. This television has absolutely no glare problem whatsoever. Its glare is even lower than the previously popular matte (non-shiny) LCD panels.
I can only see noticeable light reflection at about a 60-90 degree viewing angle (though even at extreme angles, the picture still looks fine).

Overall I am very happy with this TV and find its faults to be incredibly minor. I'd recommend it over any other 2008 television set (though Samsung has very nice panels as well). However, if you want the highest-end and are willing to pay for it, look for something with LED backlighting.