Prices are Coming Down, but It Is Still an LCD....
Written: Jul 18 '05 (Updated Jul 25 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Picture Quality: |
|
|
| Durability: |
|
|
|
Pros: Decent Image Without Any Worry of Burn-In. Looks good on paper...
Cons: Won't tune to ISF standard, no processor, should be alot better for this much $$$
The Bottom Line: Provided you accept all the caveats inherent to LCD, Aquos is clearly among the better LCDs. A a neat toy, but read the review- probably better w/ plasma.
|
|
|
| nick1326's Full Review: Sharp AQUOS LC-45GD4U 45 in. HDTV TV |
Sharp's Aquos LCD product has certainly taken a prominent position in the Video Market. The product is widely used by custom integrators and is also available in many retail stores. Sadly, while the product is really popular, video professionals understand the LCD as a product is really a compromise -- The experts unanimously agree that for video fidelity, LCD does not have a chance- there is simply MORE to the game than simply resolution and plasma creates the necessary contrast RATIO (Actual MEASURED CSMS contrast ratio, not the BS spec that the marketing departments print, but the actual CSMS SPEC that the profession video industry uses). All this aside, this is not to say LCD is a bad solution -- In fact, LCD is often quite a good solution for many things... Before we dig into the review and the actual product, it is of critical importance that I sort of reveal the ground rules regarding this entire product category, so that no one gets the wrong idea... More on this later. But now, on to the Review.
Sharp's Aquos 45" (LC-45GD4U, LC for liquid crystal) is Sharp's most recent offering, touting it's ability to handle 1080P in native format. This is great- we're getting to the next level! Happily, Sharp is one of th earlier players to shut up and put up, readily adopting the newest enhanced hi-def standard resolution, 1080p or specifically 1920x1080 pixels. This is the good news- it is clearly ready for the next generation... (ironically, now we just have to find some sources to do so!!! but they're right around the corner).
On the flip-side however, we have to remember that in reality, our eyes know that there is simply much more to consider, because our eyes tell us LCD sets simply don't look quite as exciting as plasma on the whole.. Yes- there is much more to this, than simply resolution. Again, as we dig into this review, I'm going to get really specific about the nuances of this prodcut so that you can be educated as a potential consumer, and really make an educated decision on HD TV and why, or WHY NOT to purchase it. Before we do this, we will talk about this product, and than later on, I hope you read on through to get a good idea of exactly why this product may or may NOT be for you..
The Aquos 45 is packed with some good features and a healthy array of inputs. It also lacks a few keys things- specifically, a SCALER, but we'll talk about these in detail momentarily. For now, the Aquos 45 spec as quoted by Sharp:
" Digital Cable Ready with CableCARD™ Slot
"Plug and Play" capability, enabling easy connection to HDTV channels on cable TV systems.
High Brightness (450 cd/m2)
AQUOS Liquid Crystal Televisions are very bright. You can put them anywhere -- even near windows, doors or other
Contrast Ratio (800:1)
provides incredible images whether you're watching dark or bright scenes.
Wide Viewing Angles (170º H / 170º V)
Detachable Speakers/Included Table Stand
PC Card Slot
lets you record and playback MPEG4 video and display JPEG still pictures with a PC Card.
Quick Shoot
Sharp’s proprietary fast response time video circuit, for a response time of less than 12ms.
Specifications
Panel Type 45" Active Matrix (a-si TFT) Advanced Super View LCD1
Pixel Resolution 1920 x 1080
Video System NTSC
Brightness 450 cd/m2
Lamp Life 60,000 hours3
Viewing Angles 170º H / 170º V
Audio System 10W 10W
Tuner Type 8VSB/QAM/CableCARD™ "
The Aquos panel is equipped with a 1920x 1080 pixel TFT liquid crystal display- very similar in nature to our home pomputer TFT flat screen monitors, except of course, quite a bit bigger. Remember, there are TONS of players in this market- many MANY low end players, selling very cheap LCDs. For now however, very few factories are able to produce LCD displays with this many seemless pixels. Accordingly Sharp is one of the few players with such capabilities -- It is a very reputable product from the long-standing reputable player. THey are well made, and ergo, cost more. Aquos have all the merits - the 45 though, since it is such a specialized product, still carries a retail price of 8 grand. It is obviously best to buy such an expensive panel from a reputable dealer who will stand behind the product- rather than an internet crook who will simply say f-off in the event of something going wrong- backlight burnout etc... We'll talk about THAT aspect later too.
The panel itself is constructed quite nicely. The package includes side mounted, removeable speakers which detach fairly easily. The unit can be stand mounted, or, or couse, with the purchase of a seperate bracket, be mounted to a wall. The unit comes with an easy to operate elegant remote. THe menu is very straightforward- unfortauntely, for better or worse, the Aquos have a very standard set of functions and settings, BUT, clearly the nature of LCD is limited in terms fo fidelity. The panel does not come with a full-blown scaler -- Which is why is only handles native 4:3 and 16:9 (1.33:1 and 1.78:1 numerically) however what about all the many Cinema Aspect Ratios which are vastly more popular? 2:35 CineWide is a true cinema aspect ratio. Despite the panel's 16:9 native shape, I was quite disaapointed that the panel did not scale native 1.85 and 2.35 CineWide - About 3/4 or MORE of the Entire DVD market is recorded this way- IT IS THE MOVIES BABY! THIS IS HOLLYWOOD! The true cinema experience is derived from looking at images the way cinema was designed to be looked at. There is a very good reason that when you go to the movies, the screens appear WIDER than our 16:9 shaped "wide-view" TV sets at home- Aquos included! Having a true video processor/scaler is essential for creating a true movie-viewing experience...
... NO ONE WANTS TO LOOK AT GREY BARS - ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY JUST SPENT 6 GRAND OR MORE!!!
FOr this, I just can't help but fault Sharp for clearly dropping the ball here. For this price, I should be able to at least view the images without grey bars and without people looking like obese balloons or skinny toothpicks!!! I don't want to turn every program into a carnival, I want to look at native imaging- just like the director who director the camera guy WANTED it to look!
A WORD ON CONTRAST RATIO: I'm an expert in video- I do this for a living! Marketing departments everywhere prey on the consumer under the assumption that they can be swayed and lead to think a certain way to buy stuff... Hell- it's America folks! Everyone and their grandmother shopping for any kind of TV these days is seeing spec sheets including "CONTRAST RATIO" this is a very imporant spec- BUT, they aren't telling you everything you need to know about this- and it is becoming truly a pi $$ing contest in terms of spec. Here's a secret folks: Our eyes (made out of human living organism stuff) are only able to resolve approximately 800:1 or so contrast ratio - I love watching the plasma players trying to advertise plasmas with "4000:1 contrast ratio" IT DOESN'T EXIST!! Regardless, than on those pretences it should be safe to say at 800:1, the Aquos is dead on the money with what it needs to create a decent image... Well... NO - sorry, it ain't that simple...
True contrast ratio isn't quite as simple as the spec sheet makes it. It is important that the device creating the image be able to quickly shift from white to black, and obviously to accurately project a uniform grey scale from dark to light- without over-cranking a certain band of color (red, green or blue). Sadly, LCD in general has never been the best technology for white scale uniformity - so you have to realize that inherently, without the presence of full video tweakability, the Aquos is not intended to give you a film-like image- the technology itself just isn't able to do it. Regardless of the 800:1 contrast ratio, I urge you to go LOOK AT THE PANEL before cimmitting to it- I know it is really easy to get lured in by ridiculously cheap prices on the internat- but before you spend ANY money- go shop these things- there is a REASON why plasma looks more pleasing to watch and more natural looking and exciting looking.
Resolution and Image Quality For Viewing Multiple Sources:
The Aquos 45 is again, equipped with 1080p ready 1920x1080 resolution. This is really a great thing, and Sharp deserves commendation for adopting the future industry standard early. Of course, they're kind of milking the cow on this one however- which is why the retail price of MSRP is accepted instead of laughed at. Not many people are able to produce LCD this big - which is why in the smaller sizes, there are many korean players making sub-standard (but still pretty decent) LCD panels for FRACTIONS of the price. Sharp is trying to play it cards right and take advantage of the fact that other vendors haven't figured out how to cost effectively produce 45" panels- because when they do, the commoditization effect will happen and prices will come down way down, on 45 inch panels! For now though, Sharp is priced in my opinion, too high- at 7999.99 The technolgy is not a true video-fidelity technology- it is a compromise, but does certain things VERY WELL - much better than plasma. Sadly, they are not related to image quiality- but we will getinto them in a second. It bothers me though, that Sharp is taking advantage of "1080p" resolution as a marketing tool to keep their prices high - LCD panels aren't able to really resolve 1080p effectively like some other technologies- so Sharp is over stressing its importance to justify over-pricing.
On the other hand, 1080 looks really good- and gives the Sharp a bit of an edge of lower priced lesser resolution units. You have to remember, LCD is a back-lit product. Accordingly, because it is LIT in the back, light takes away from perceived contrast ratio. Also remember, the 45" inch panel is quite big - A 40" panel can easily look really good with alot less resolution - plus, it doesn't need as much backlit to make the image pop because its size is physically smaller. The 45 needs a good bit of light- this to me makes it bleed contrast a bit and get a little washed out. Again, it's why LCD to me just isn't quite as exciting to look at. Regardless, the Sharp is well equipped with 1080p.
SCALING / PROCESSING (or lack there-of)
Consumers generally aren't educated enough in terms of scaling and processing -- Two key areas in creating believeable video. We have to remember inherently hollywood is smoke and mirrors - we create certain imagery-effects by using lots of various imaging tricks and methodologies. Especially for movies, when directors master their films in the studio (digitally or analog) the image's size is of key importance for creating a certain effect for the viewer -- THe analogy for photographers is like looking at how different focal lengths on a camera do certaing things better- for instance, you wouldn't want to take someones portrait at35 or 45 millimeter- you'd probably want it somewhere in the 85-110 or so range.. Aspect ratio control is a key area in imaging. The sharp panel is a native 16:9 display- which all of today's flat-panel devices are based on...
Hi-Definition TV aspect ratio is 16:9 or 1.78:1. This aspect ratio itself is a compromise, because regular TV (native 4:3 resolution) and typical Cinema (1.85 or 2:35 CineScope) are drastically different- CineScope is almost TWICE as wide as standard 4:3. FOr this reason, Hi-Def programming became a compromise between the two - 1.78:1 was invented so that wider-aspect images could be broadcast. As a native 16:9 display, native 16:9 images obviously look correct and very good, because they are SUPPOSED TO BE in 16:9 aspect ratio! However this changes quite a bit when DVD's are played or Movies are viewed. movies (cinema) are typically shot in an asepct ratio a bit wider than 16:9 standard hi-def- most like it is shot in either 1.85 and more likely, 2.35:1. This why in native 16:9 modes of viewing, 2.35 images, like on Lord of The Rings or Gladiator appear with black bars up top and at bottom. Look at that- you are getting robbed of pixels you paid for! If your display is displaying BLACK BARS it is because it doesn't have the ability to stretch or SCALE the image to a size where it can accomodate the full screen - or worse, the TV's that DO have this, don't actual SCALE the image properly- meaning in both horizontal and vertical directions, EVENLY. the result is without a scaler, you can't avoid black bars OR you will end up with people looking like the michelin man OR like they've not eaten in a few years...
SO WHEN THE HECK DO I WANT TO BUY THIS PRODUCT ANYWAY???
Well, as it happens, while I dont particularly think Aquos handles film real well, with the absence of a scaler/processor, the Aquos DOES do some things REALLY better than a plasma.
First, the LCD technology as a whole is extremely hard to burn in. Plasmas HAVE gotten MUCH BETTER themselves- which is why to some people who view all different types of sources like movies, football games, TV, hi-def etc will NOT have any problems with plasmas burning in- plasma have gotten pretty resistant to it. BUT - there are cases where repetitive viewing of the same types of inages WILL result in burn in- despite that plasmas have gotten much better at avoiding it:
Examples:
WALL STREET - If you look at the stock ticker on your display all the time, YES, you will certainly want an LCD like the Aquos. Aquos are LCD- ergo, they are the MOST resistant to image burn-in. A few years ago, this advantage of LCD as a technology made it a big advantage over plasma- but again, plasma has caught up in terms of durability and resistance to burn-in - so it is only in extreme cases of repeatedly the same image (IE the stock ticker and corner where they show the DOW and S&S etc)
SPORTS - If all you watch is sports games where the score-bar is constantly in once place- or for instance, speed vision, where there is always a box with information howevering in the same area, then yes- LCD will give you even greater resistance to burn in.
VIDEO GAMES - How Bout Video Games??!?! Hey- as far as I'm concerned, this is THE MOST critical area where LCD is fantastic!!! Video games seem to ALWAYS have a box which stays put- this makes it REALLY hard on plasmas to stay perfect. In the world of video games, the aquos is a superb choice.
SET UP AND OPERATION:
THe Aquos is again, fairly straightforward to set up. Knowing a fairly basic amount of setup knowledge you'd have an easy time getting the Aquos up and running. Again, you can't really tweak the hell out of the set, which is why again, LCD technology was never realyl intended to deliver true video fidelity- it was designed as a compromise in fidelity to provide ultimate durability- particularly when plasma technology was deficient in burn-in resistance. Obviously the plasma side has greatly narrowed the gap.
Nowadays, the best imaging devices in the flat panel market are equipped with elaborate setup menus where the end user can really dial in the set to provide the optimal viewing with proper setup - it is like tuning up a car. Think about it- when you buy a car, it doesn't come directly from the factory to you- the dealer has its mechanic department go through it and prep it, THEN it goes away. and from time to time, you need to tune it up and get the oil changed- it is proper maintaince...
FOr better or worse, the Aquos does not have a completely elaborate setup menu - This makes it very easy to set up and get running however it does not make it ideal for tuning up to get optimal image quality.. Again, it is an application product- if you want the easiest to set up, without worrying too much about image quality, well, yeah- the Aquos is a fantastic solution - you never have to worry about extensive set up knowledge, because you can't use it in a menu that doesn't include such finite setup points!
SO AFTER I HAVE IT SET UP, HOW DOES THE THING LOOK ANYWAY?
Overall, considering all the pretences and caveats I've given you about LCD, the image looks overall pretty damned decent. There's ALOT of cheap LCDs out there- you can bet they all look like crap- you do get what you pay for. The Aquos looks pretty good- especially for an LCD. Again, the limits inherent to the LCD technology mean that there are constraints, and those considered, the picture quality is particularly good for LCD. In perspective, MANY devices are worse, a few are about as good, there is really only ONE LCD display that really is light-years ahead of the rest of the market, and it is not the Aquos- that'll be for another future review.
Sports events look really quite good on the Panel. Sharps lack of a processor has the least amount of effect on HD broadcast sports events, such as football games -- After all, insider video people understand LCD does special things with Blues (which is why original Stewrat Greyhawk screens had a blue tint and were intended primarily for use with LCD projectors -- Since then, Greyhawk has been renamed Greyhawk RS for Reference Screen, the blue tint has gone away completely and this all happened because there are almost no LCD projectors left on the market anymore!!! LCd was NOT up to task in front projection systems!!!). Anyhow- because football games and baseball have so much green (turf/grass) LCD does a pretty good job of shooting blues across the room and the lack of a processor will have the least amount of degrading effect on a sports event - Aquos does a decent job here, even without the processor/scaler.
As a potential buyer, you have to consider this so you know your goals and pros/cons in order to make a good decision. If you watch lots of movies and TV shows, along with a mix of everything, well, for the money, you're going to do ALOT better by NOT going for an LCD. Again, LCD devices true advantage are in the fact that LCD virtually (VIRTAULLY) never burns in... YES, that is to say if you leave it on for 3 days with a video paused, obviously there's probably going to be a ghosted image stuck on screen - however things like sports events or stock-tickers, which WILL burn in a plasma eventually will not do this to an Aquos panel.
CONCLUSION:
I can't stress it enough: LCD as an entire product category really continues to exist for 2 reasons: 1) it's available in much smaller screen sizes than any plasma technology is and 2) LCD has a few specific (and aforementioned) advantages over plasma- but again, that gap has narrowed quite a bit in the last 2 years since plasma manufacturers adressed such concerns very effectively.
If it were my dollar, and I was shopping for anything bigger than 40 inches, I would be spending my money on plasma, NOT LCD. HOWEVER, if I were to buy an LCD screen, the only product I'd buy is the Runco Crystal Series LCDs, since they're the only LCD product in existence that DOES have an actual ISF designed processor module built in- the Runco panels are able to produce the most video fidelity that any other panel on the market, and they were designed with the videophile in mind, because unlike Aquos or any other LCD product, they will successfully tune in the ISF spec and the images are the most filmlike you'll find on any LCD.
All of this having been said, again, if you're in the market for a 45" LCD screen, do yourself a favor and really consider your purchase carefully -- There are only a few reasons why you should actually buy a large LCD over a plasma- and they're listed above... My best guess says probably 80% or you considering this product might REALLY be better off saving some bucks and going for a high-quality 43" plasma, such a the Runco or the Pioneer Elite- both of which do a wonderful job in video quality department, and VERY VERY resistant to burn in and will yield much better value for your dollar than an LCD such as the 45 Aquos.
...The Aquos looks great on paper when you look at the spec sheet- but the proof is in the pudding: LCD technology has NOT evolved far enough in terms of video fidelity- this will be very plain to see with your own eyes, which is why if you were to watch Fifth Element on an aquos 45 and then a Pioneer Elite or Runco 43" plasma, the plasma would look bright, crisp and superbly defined, while the LCD would simply look washed out and dull and boring, compared to the much more dynamic picture of the plasma - go see for yourself!!! Good luck shopping and I hope this review helps you make the best decision for your money!
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 5500
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
nick1326
|
 - Top 100 |
|
Location: Long Island, NY
Reviews written: 232
Trusted by: 93 members
About Me:
Music, Motorcycles, Drumming, Surfing, the finest cigars and living life to its fullest...
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.