Who Say's Size Doesn't Matter?---Sharp 36L-S400 T.V.
Written: Dec 17 '01
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Pros: 36 inches of crisp, clear picture. Low price.
Cons: Too big for standard entertainment center.
The Bottom Line: A fabulous find for the price! Read on for details.
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| erinrounds's Full Review: Sharp 36L-S400 36 inch TV |
There comes a time in every household when it becomes apparent that the current television just won't do any longer. In our case, our old Zenith console model, handed down from my parents, had ceased to perform after 16 years of service. The nerve of that old thing to quit working after 16 years! It left us with a big 24 inch void and one angry toddler. No more Teletubbies was going to be a big problem after a few days. Finally after facing the reality that our old Zenith was gone for good, we started hunting for a newer, bigger model. One that you could change the channels on without having to flip the dial. :)
Our search for a television brought us to the local Good Guys store to hunt down the best bang for our bucks. We were promptly greeted by a salesperson who proceeded to educate us on the current offerings by all the big names. We were dazzled by the flat screens, and blown away by the resolution of the newer HDTV's (high definition) and then after he had us good and bedazzled we took a look at the prices of those babies. I was going to be hard pressed to justify throwing away the kids college education for a television set, albeit a desperately needed one.
We pressed on past the biggest, and the newest high end models and arrived at the Sharp models. Now we were talking!!
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Price-
The model we ended up purchasing was a 36 inch model retailing for $799.99 on sale for $699.99. Wait it gets better: it also happened to be a weekend on which The Good Guys were paying for delivery and sales tax. So for $699.99 we were going to be out the door with a doozy of a television. On the way home from our purchase, we had to make a run to Costco and lo and behold our new t.v. was on sale there for $599.99. Back to Good Guys we went and they promptly handed us back $100.00. Good Guys indeed!
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Included Items-
The Sharp 36L-S400 comes with an infared remote and two AA batteries. (Note-we are still using our included batteries 18 months later).
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Features-
The Sharp 36L-S400 is fully loaded with features. It features an S-video connection (for use with satellite or dvd players for a crisper picture).
-Picture in Picture
-Energy Star Technology-Energy Save, you may select to dim your picture 20% to save on your energy consumption.
-Language-choose from English, Spanish, or French.
-Parental Conrols-allow you to select the type and length of the programming your children can watch while you're away.
-Close Captioning
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Warranty-
We passed on the extended warranty offered by the salesperson, knowing that while the Sharp 36L-S400 may not last the 16 years that our old Zenith did, it would most probably be adequately covered by the manufacturers included warranty. It covers one year of parts and labor for any reason and an additional year on the picture tube. We take reasonable care of our appliances and don't watch more than an hour or two a day so we thought it was appropriate to pass on the extra expense.
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Installation-
There was quite little involved in the set-up and installation of the Sharp 36L-S400. The hardest part of the set-up was quite frankly getting this huge t.v. into the house and out of the box. Thankfully as part of our purchase this was taken care of by The Good Guys.
Once you've installed the batteries in your remote and turned on your new unit, the t.v. will prompt you through your initial set-up and memorizing the local channels and cable stations.
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Ease of Operation-
The Sharp 36L-S400 is extremely easy to use, even for a technological neanderthal such as myself. The remote is backlit, with large characters, and adequate descriptions of the functions. The audio and video outputs are conveniently located on the front of the unit so you won't need to clamber around behind your unit to plug in your video games.
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What's The Down Side?-
I honestly can't think of anything else this television needs or could do better, but I do think the sheer SIZE of this model need stressing. It is a big televison in every sense of the word. It weighs well over 100 pounds and does not fit in a standard size entertainment center.
Since our last t.v. was a console model, we had no stand or entertainment center in which to put this, so we knew we were going to have to purchase something. What we didn't know is that most stands or centers only accomodate a 32 inch model, though we did find a few that took a 35 inch as well. The Good Guys offered a few specialty stands that cost nearly as much as the t.v. did. We finally ended up purchasing a stand through an unfinished furniture store.
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Final Thoughts-
I highly recommend the Sharp 36L-S400 for anyone looking for a bigger television with lots of features. We looked at everything and could not find anything even close for the money. We have had this television for approximately 18 months now, and the picture and resolution are as clear as the day we brought it home.
Thanks so much for reading. Happy viewing! :)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 599.99
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