Not outstanding, but a Sharp value
Written: Apr 08 '02 (Updated Jun 24 '02)
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Pros: Picture quality, sound quality, features, weight
Cons: Slight humming from drawing power when off
The Bottom Line: If your older smaller set dies and you see this one at a good price, buy it. If you want home theater large picture and sound, go bigger.
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| estoke61's Full Review: Sharp 25R-S100 25 inch TV |
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Ok, so my 8 year old Zenith AV 20" finally bit the dust with a dead picture tube. Now before you barrage me wondering why I have a Zenith in the first place, it was a gift, and 8 years is not bad for that brand and size.
My brother's 25" Sharp TV has been very reliable in its 11 years. Except for the always broken remote battery cover, it hasn't needed any service. With that knowledge in mind, and a BestBuy sale flyer in hand, I tried out Sharp's 25" model 25R S100.
Here is my box to cart evaluation:
The box is too big. I couldn't fit it in my mid size auto, so out of the box it came, and directly onto my my seat. The box was flattened for later use. For a 25", the set pretty light, although the tube does unbalance you some. The set arrive to my home where it fit perfectly on an improvised TV cart that I used for my old 20".
The first impression I got was not exactly inspiring. The power cord comes out one side of the styled case, and when I plugged in for the first time, I noticed the set makes a high pitched hum, like when a set is on. The sound, though only noticeable when near the set making connection changes or in a silent room, is different than most other TVs I have used.
From thereafter, I had no reason to worry. Sharp's features include V chip, 16 preset channels via 4 buttons, and an "energy saver" mode. The Energy saver mode dims the screen a bit to save you 20% on power when the set is on. I think it is a great feature and the amount of dim is hardly noticeable, but I wonder if the technology for such a feature is reliable. However, anytime I can save power is a good deal.
The screen is vibrant and colorful, with good attention to detail. The audio channels are split fairly well for a television, but unfortunately this set does not have AV output, only input, so it would not make a perfect home theater set. The remote control is laid out logically, has the major buttons glow in the dark, and can control a VCR or DVD with the common controls.
One note about changing channels: I don't know about anyone else, but every TV I seem to use has a different method for changing channels. My old Zenith blanked out the screen; my Dad's Magnavox has half the screen scroll into view at lightning speed, and this one goes dark before showing the next channel, like my Zenith does, albeit slightly slower. My preference is to have the screen blank out between channels.
Overall, this set has served up an excellent value overall, from a brand that I consider reliable due to experience, not some magazine's opinion. I hope that is lasts as long as my brother's 11 year old monster (wow TV casing has shrunk in 10 years) and that the quality of the picture does not diminish from routine use of the energy saver mode.
-§tokes
062402: UPDATE!!!
I wound up taking the set back for the humming noise when turned off, and was pleased to find out, with an exact replacement, that the problem was specific to that set. My replacement does not have that problem whatsoever. The rating for the set increases to 4.5 stars. -§
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199.99
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Epinions.com ID:
estoke61
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Member: Eric Stokes
Location: Gorham, ME
Reviews written: 54
Trusted by: 42 members
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