lcd panel 40 inch sharp quotation

TV repair costs between $60 and $350 with most spending $207 on average for LCD, LED, plasma, and 4K TVs; costs are higher if repairing older DLP, projection, and HD TVs. TV problems like display issues, powering-on problems, or sound issues can be fixed. Pickup and delivery fees may apply.

For example, the price of a new Samsung 40-inch LED TV is about $400, yet the cost of a replacement display panel for this model is about $380. This price is only for the replacement part and does not cover diagnostic costs, labor costs, or travel or shipping fees.

Unless you are trying to fix a TV from the ’80s or earlier, cracked TV screen repair is not feasible; the entire display panel must be replaced instead. The cost of a replacement TV display panel is more than the cost of buying a new TV, and that’s before labor and other service costs.

TV manufacturers do keep replacement TV screen panels on hand to support products under warranty in case the screen malfunctions, due to manufacturer defect.

If you still want to replace a damaged or malfunctioning TV screen, your best option is to find a used replacement panel or a broken TV of the same model on which the screen is still functional. You might find one on eBay, and you can hire a technician to change out the panel.

The cost of a used replacement TV panel ranges from $50 to $350 or more, excluding shipping, depending on the brand and size. Note that the chances of finding exactly the part you need in excellent condition are slim, and the cost excludes the cost of installation by a repair shop.

Whether your TV is LCD, LED, plasma screen, or 4K (Ultra HD), the cost to fix common problems ranges from $60 to $350, depending on the repair type and the brand of TV being repaired.

If an older model LCD TV or projection TV powers on and has sound but no picture, this may be due to lamp burnout, which is both common and expected. In this case, replacing the bulb will fix the problem. An experienced technician should be able to replace the bulb quickly and easily.

A new inverter may be needed to power the LEDs, costing between $7 and $74before labor, or an average of $40. In some cases, a repair shop can convert a CCFL backlight to LED without installing a new inverter.

Flat screen replacement glass is not available. The only option for flat-screen TV glass repair is to try optical glass glue, which costs $1.70 for a 5-ml. tube. This may be an option for TV glass repair if the crack is only a few inches or less. TV panels are built as one unit at the factory, with the glass adhered to the display panel.

In-home CRT repair ranges from $199 to $249. The cost of repairing a CRT picture tube ranges from $199 for a TV that is 27 inches or smaller to $249 for a TV that is 28 inches or larger.

LCD flat-panel repair is not considered cost-effective. If the glass is cracked or the display is physically damaged, it is cheaper to replace the entire TV than to repair or replace the display panel.

The cost of flat-screen TV repair ranges from $42 to $359. You cannot fix a broken screen, but the price of a new flat-panel TV starts from around $249 for a 1080-mp (non-4K) LED TV from LG to as much as $14,999 for an 85-inch 8K LED TV from Samsung. A TV referred to as a “flat TV” or “flat-screen” TV might be any of the following:

LCD TV repair typically costs $60 to $85 for diagnostics testing, and $200 to $300 to perform repairs. LCD TVs use backlighting, which may fail. Newer LCD TVs use LED strips for backlighting. Older ones might use CCFL. If CCFL backlighting fails, a technician can replace it with LED backlighting.

An LED TV is just an LCD TV that uses LED backlighting, which all newer models do (older models use CCFL backlighting). The cost to replace one LED backlighting strip ranges from $100 to $122, including parts and labor.

Some shops will pick up and deliver a TV for free. Others charge a fee that ranges from $40 to $75 for pickup and drop-off, with an average cost of $58.

The more expensive a TV is, the more sense it makes to purchase an additional warranty to defray the potential for costly repairs. Best Buy offers an $89 five-year extended warranty for entry-level TVs. On larger TVs such as the 85-inch Samsung QLED 8K TV, which costs $14,998, the five-year warranty from Geek Squad costs an additional $1,699—11.33% of the cost of the TV.

Circuit breaker - Check the circuit breaker for the power outlet that the TV plugs into. You can check the breakers by opening the door to your breaker panel and looking for circuit breakers that are in the OFF position.

Lamp burnout -In a projection TV or older LCD TV, no picture may be caused by lamp burnout. In this case, a technician can replace the bulb quickly and easily.

Not included in these prices from Best Buy are 1080P screens, which range from $249 to $279 for 43-inch TVs from brands like Samsung, Sony, and LG. On the upper end, Sony and Samsung both have 95-inch 8K LED TVs for $69,999.

In most cases, a flat-screen TV can be fixed. The exception is a physically damaged display panel or screen. Most other issues including failing speakers, backlights, or power supply. Burned out fuses and damaged input ports can also be repaired.

Some shops will pick up and deliver a TV for free. Others charge a fee that ranges from $40 to $75 for pickup and drop-off, with an average cost of $58.

The back is the home of most of the ports and sockets of the LC040E67UN.  For information about the ports on the back of the Sharp LC-40E67UN see our Connectivity section.

On the left side of the body of this display are the controls and additional inputs. For information about the ports on the side of the Sharp LC-40E67UN see our Connectivity section.

The rounded stand of the LC-40E67UN does a good job of holding the large panel of the display in place. It is secured by eight screws: four that hold the base together and four that secure it to the panel itself. Fortunately, a hex key is supplied with the display so you don"t have to find your own screwdriver.

The remote control that comes with the LC-40E67UN is rather large, but with small, awkward buttons. It can control multiple devices, but the system for switching between them is awkward, limiting the usefulness of this feature.

The LC-40E67UN has the same clean, smart design that we see on most modern HDTVs, with a dark bezel surrounding the screen itself. Unfortunately, it is marred by a couple of problems: the bezel is shiny and shows reflections, and the curve of the bezel makes it somewhat prone to showing reflections from roof lights.

We measured the deepest black that the LC-40E67UN could produce at 0.1 cd/m2, which is a very decent score for an LCD screen. Most LCDs favor brightness over the black level, but this one takes the opposite approach, which means that the black level is very decent compared to other LCD HDTVs.

At the other end of the scale, we measured the brightest white that this display could produce at 217.82 cd/m2. That"s a decent, but unspectacular measurement; other LCD HDTVs have produced much brighter whites. What this means is that the whites on screen won"t be as bright as others, and that the images won"t look as good as brighter TVs in bright light. So, don"t use this display near the hot tub unless you are a fan of midnight bathing.

Televisions seldom get to display just white or black screens; most images contain both. In this test, we look at how a display manages this; do the blacks on the screen get brighter as they are surrounded by more and more white?  The answer for the LC-40E67UN was no; we found that the blacks remained mostly constant, even when just 5% of the screen was black and the rest was white. So, if you are a fan of documentaries about polar bears, their deep black eyes should still look good and black on this display.

The flip side of this coin is the white falloff. Do the whites on the screen remain just as bright if there is a small bit of white on there, or if there is a lot? For the LC-40E67UN, the answer is yes again; we saw very constant whites whether there was just a small amount of white on show, or if the entire screen was white. So with your polar bear documentaries, the Icebergs they live on will remain bright white if they are big or small.

We saw some issues with the LC-40E67UN in our tests of uniformity, where we look at how uniform the screens are with both black and white screens. On a black screen, there were some blotchy patches of lightness on the screen that gave the display a motttled look. On a bright white screen, the left and right edges of the screen were distinctly paler than the center, although the transition between the two areas was smooth. This is a good thing as sudden jumps are much more noticeable than more subtle changes.

The way that the display handles the process of going from black to white is called the gamma: if the gamma is too high, the image will turn into a grey mess.  If it is too low, it will look too dark as the grey details get lost in the black. The ideal we look for here is a gamma of between 2.2 and 2.3, but the LC-40E67UN was a little outside this at 2.65. That"s not a huge problem, but it is a little higher than we like to see.

The LC-40E67UN is a 1080p screen, but it won"t always have the luxury of being fed a 1080p signal. Instead, it will have to deal with the lower resolution signals that many devices output. So, we test how well all HDTVs can take these signals and process and scale them to fit its screen.

Devices such as standard definition DVD players with HDMI outputs usually output 480p signals, and the LC-40E67UN did a reasonable job of displaying these. In our test sceens, we saw fairly sharp text and no major issues with glitchy or jagged edges. The image is overscanned (by about 4%) and this can"t be disabled, but this is pretty normal.

In this test, we look at how consistent the whites are: as they go from the brightest white to gray, are there any shifts in the color of the white that could lead to colored greys? We didn"t see any serious issues here with the LC-40E67EU; the whites remained mostly constant, with only a slight error at the lower end of the intensity range.  As part of our calibration process, we set the color temperature of the brightest whites to as close to 6500k as possible: we found on this display that the closest we could get was the warm color temperature mode, which we measured at about 6100 degrees kelvin.

All HDTVs create the colors you see on screen by mixing the primary colors of red, green and blue. So, it is important that a display is able to represent the subtle changes in these colors that images contain to produce accurate colors. We found a few minor issues here, but overall the LC-40E67EU did pretty well. The RGB curves were mostly smooth, although there were some bumps in the RGB curves that could translate into problems reproducing subtle color changes. We test this by outputting a signal containing all of the different color intensities from 0 to 255 (the complete range that a HD signal can contain) and measuring the intensity of the color on the screen. We then plot this to produce the color response curve.

On a perfect display, this curve would be completely smooth, meaning that every slight change in the signal was reproduced. In practice, we find that most displays have slightly bumpy response curves, but the LC-40E67EU is no bumpier than most that we see; there are some bumps and jumps in the response curves, but these are small and  didn"t translate into problems in real world use, as our test photos that include subtle color changes mostly looked fine, with no problems in reproducing the fine details of things such as sunsets, flowers, etc.

The total range of colors that a display can reproduce is called the color gamut. What thsi gamut should be is defined in an international standard called Rec.709, so we test how close a HDTV gets to these limits. The answer for the 40E67EU is not that close; we found that while the blue was almost spot on, both the red and green corners of the gamut had errors. On the green corner, the colors are too intense, while on the red corner they are a little too pale. These errors are not likely to be particularly visible unless you are looking at this HDTV next to one with a more accurate color gamut, but they are definitely there.

The LC-40E67UN lacks the higher speed motion processing that is becoming commonplace on more expensive displays, and this definitely showed in our motion tests, as video had a jumpy, jerky look, especially with high contrast objects (such as a white edge against a black background), where the edges became blocky and jagged as they moved. More complex objects such as faces also suffered, becoming blurry and hard to distinguish amidst the movement.

The LC-40E67UN had no issues in detecting a 3:2 pulldown signal (which is used by many TV companies to give their programs a more film-like look), and the processed video was clean and glitch-free. It also had no problems reading displaying a true 24 frames per second signal outputted by a high-end Blu-ray player.

The LC-40E67UN performed poorly in our viewing angle test; we measured the angle at which the contrast ratio fell by 50% at a very weak 17 degrees, which means that people on the edge of the couch are going to see a much paler and less attractive picture than those in the center. Although LCD HDTVs typically have a rather poor viewing angle, this one has a smaller angle than most that we have seen.

The screen of the LC-40E67UN shows reflections from lights, but they are not overly distracting; we didn"t see any of the starburst or haze effects that we saw on some other displays. The shiny plastic bezel of the display is rather prone to showing reflections, though, especially the curved bezel at the top, which can easily pick up a reflection from ceiling lights. As this is right next to the image on the screen, these can be kind of distracting.

Below is a chart that outlines the changes we"ve made. If a setting isn"t listed below, we left it at the default settings. Feel free to use these settings as the basis for your own calibration, but remember that these settings aren"t optimized for your own personal viewing environment, so your best settings may vary. In particualr, we test LCD TVs with the backlight at maximum, which is not an ideal setting if you watch in a dark environment. If you really want the best quality, you should pay a professional to bring their own CS-200 ChromaMeter into your viewing area and calibrate the TV for you.

The LC-40E67UN has several video modes on offer, but these are a little hard to find. To change the mode of the display, you have to flip up the cover at the bottom of the remote and hit the AV Mode button; they cannot be accessed through the on-screen menu.

The remote control that comes with the LC-40E67UN has a rather ungainly design that is not particularly easy to use. For one thing, the long, thin remote is wider at the top than bottom, so the weight is more towards the top, which means it has a tendency to tip forwards when you hold it by the bulge at the bottom in one hand. Several buttons are also concealed below a flip-out panel on the bottom of the remote, which is rather awkwardly placed. The remote also feels rather flimsy; the panel over the hidden buttons could easily break off if you dropped the remote with it open. The buttons themselves also don"t have a very positive feel; they are soft and squidgy, so you can"t tell by touch if you have pressed the button in properly.

The buttons on the remote are small compared to the size of the remote, but the layout is mostly logical. When holding it in the hand, the directional control falls under the thumb, but you can still reach the channel and volume controls easily with the thumb for one-handed use. The other controls are out of thumb breach, though; you"ll have to use both hands to reach the channel number buttons or the buttons for controlling another device or turning the power on or off. The four colored buttons at the bottom can be programmed for specific channels. Several buttons are also located under a flip-out panel, including some that might be used more frequently, such as the buttons for controlling the surround sound mode and switching picture mode.

Most remotes that come with HDTVs can only be used to control the HDTV itself, but this one can also control a number of other devices, such as DVD players, cable boxes, etc. The programming process is pretty simple; hold down the function and display key and enter the device code for the device to be controlled. A good number of these are listed in the manual, including most major manufacturers. However, using this is a little awkward, as you have to use the function key to switch between the 5 different devices that can be controlled. Say you want to change the volume of the audio device: you have to press the function key 4 times (to switch between TV, cable, VCR, DVD and audio), then hit the volume buttons to change the volume control. To control the TV again, you then have to hit the function key again to switch back to the TV control mode. It"s a clumsy system that rather undermines the flexibility of the remote. Other Sharp devices can also be controlled using their proprietary Aquos Link system, but this only works with devices made by Sharp.

The LC-40E67UN has a decent selection of input ports on the back and right side of the screen; on the side is a single HDMI and a composite video and audio input. The rest of the ports are on the back, on the left side of the case (looking from the back of the screen). These ports include 3 HDMI (with an accompanying analog audio input), two component video, one S-Video and two analog video inputs. That should be enough to ensure that every device gets a port on most home theater setups.

There are relatively few output ports on the LC-40E67UN; you get a single digital optical audio output and a stereo analog out. There is no way to output video from this screen; if you want to run more than one device, you"ll need to use a splitter.

There are two 10 watt speakers built into the body of the LC-40E67UN which produced disappointingly,flat sound. To get any decent bass out of them we had to turn on the bass enhancer feature and increase the bass level in the two-channel graphic equalizer. The pseudo-surround sound system that was built into the display was equally disappointing; it didn"t add much to the sound and made it sound even thinner and reedier.

Sharp really needs to work on their menu system; the on-screen menus of the LC-40E67UN are difficult to read and to use. You access the main menu by hitting the menu button, which takes you into a screen with 5 options: Picture, Audio, Power Control, Setup and Option. Most of the commonly used options are on these screens, but some options ( such as the advanced picture features) are on sub-screens). The white text on a blue background is also rather difficult to read, especially from a distance. You move between options with the up and down key, and change the settings with the left and right key. This also means that you have to go back to the top of the list to move between the sections, which can be rather irritating if you pick the wrong one.

The LC-40E67UN comes with a very decent printed manual, but there is no quick-start or setup guide.  The manual itself does a decent job of explaining how to wset up and use the TV in both English and French, although some users may be a bit intimidated by the number of options on offer and the rather complex menu structure. You can find the Sharp LC-40E67UN"s manual online here.

The LC-40E67UN is a full 1080p screen with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, which means it can faithfully reproduce every pixel of a 1080p HD signal, the highest resolution currently in use. It can also handle all of the other lower resolution HD signals out there, from 480p to 1080i.

The Sharp LC-40E67UN sucked down a reasonable amount of juice, but not an extortionate amount. We found that at our standard brightness level (which involved putting the backlight to +13), it consumed an average of around 153.5 watts. This means that if you were to run this TV for an average of about 5 hours a day, it would use around $30 of electricity over the year. Because this display wasn"t capable of running at the higher screen brightnesses that many displays are capable of, the price for running it at the maximum brightness is not much higher: about $34.73. If you prefer to live in darkness, the price to run it with the backlight at minimum (-16) fell to $12.24 a year.

So we can compare TVs, we set the backlight for our standard setting so that an area of white on the screen measures about 200 cd/m2. The figures below are for this standard setting across our comparison displays. One thing to note here: the LC-40E67UN does offer a number of power saving modes, which work by reducing the brightness of the backlight: the standard power saving mode reduces it to 80% of the maximum, while the advanced mode reduces it to 70%. We tested with all of these disabled.

Both displays are similar in the specs they offer: they are both 1080p screens that don"t include many fancy media functions. They are both well procved, though. The Sharp is a bit more expensive than the Vizio, but it is also larger, at 40 inches against the 37 of the VO370M. Whether these extra 3 inches is worth the extra $150 or not depends on the size of your living room.

Both displays have their pluses and minuses here: the Sharp had significantly better blacks, while the Vizio had brighter whites. But in terms of the range between the two, the Sharp is the winner. So the Sharp is the winner, unless you are looking for a display that can hold its own in a brightly lit room, in which case the Vizio is the one to go for.

You could call a weak viewing angle "the curse of the cheap HDTV", and neither the Sharp or the Vizio would disagree: both had weak viewing angles. For the Sharp, the contrast ratio fell by 50% at just 17 degrees off axis. The Vizio was slightly better, but both did poorly here; neither would be suitable for larger families or for office displays.

the LG is the cheaper HDTV, but it is also the smaller one; at 37 inches. The Sharp is a 40-inch model, so it provides more screen real estate. However, in other respects, both HDTVs are similar; they are both LCD screens that run at the full 1080p resolution.

the Sharp has the advantages in our tests that look at blacks, but the LG was the brighter screen. But the distance between the blacks and whites on both displays wasn"t that different; the Sharp had a slightly wider contrast ratio, but not by that much.

The Sharp performed slightly better in our tests that look at color accuracy; it had slightly more consistent whites and slightly smoother RGB response curves. But there was not that much difference between the two; neither produced results that indicated any major problems.

Both displays also had poor viewing angles, with the contrast between black and white quickly falling off as you move away from right in front of the display. This is the same on most cheap LCDs, though, so it is no big surprise. But it does mean that neither display would be a good pick for an office display.

The Sharp had a definite advantage in our color tests: it had more consistent whites, smoother RGB response curves and a slightly more accurate color gamut.

Both HDTVs did have the same issue we see on most low cost LCD screens: weak viewing angle. On both displays, the contrast ratio fell to below 50% of the maximum at less than 20 degrees off axis, which means those on the edge of the couch will see a much weaker picture than those in the middle.

There is not a lot to choose between the two displays in terms of connections; both include a decent number of inputs (although the Sharp has one more HDMI port than the Toshiba) that should allow for the connection of a good number of devices. They also include plenty of analog audio inputs, which provides additional flexibility for connecting devices (scuh as computers) which don"t have digital audio outputs.

Spend a few minutes watching this 40″ Sharp AQUOS LC40D78UN LCD TV and you’ll be won over by its outstanding picture. Full HD 1080p resolution, 120 Hz Fine Motion Enhanced processing and a low-glare LCD panel give you pictures that truly show off any source material, be it Powerpoint Presentations, Blu-ray movies, broadcast and cable TV, or video games. Sharp’s proprietary technologies also ensure that whatever you’re watching comes across in rich, detailed color.

The LC40D78UN TV’s high brightness lets you install it in any convenient location, while its wide viewing angles make any seat in the room an ideal spot for viewing.

The Sharp AQUOS comes with a full complement of inputs. The LC40D78UN includes three HDMI and two component jacks for high-definition devices, composite jacks for legacy devices, and a PC input that lets you use the set as a big-screen computer monitor. In addition, the built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuners receive virtually all available local digital and analog programs.

Not only does the large-screen Sharp LC40D78UN LCD TV look good when you turn it on, but its high gloss piano black cabinet also makes it an attractive addition to any room.

Take a close look at the Sharp AQUOS LC46D78UN, and the first thing you’ll notice is its truly outstanding picture quality, courtesy of the set’s full HD 1080p resolution. At this optimal resolution, images are rendered in extraordinary detail, creating a viewing experience that is lifelike and totally involving.

Sharp’s Active Contrast feature extends the HDTV’s dynamic range based on advanced, real-time picture analysis. What’s that mean to you? You’ll enjoy a greater sense of depth from every video source. A complementary feature, Active Color picture processing, ensures rich color, especially in bright scenes.

Another quality of this Sharp HDTV that you’ll appreciate right away is its high brightness. This gives you flexibility as to where you put your set, so go ahead and place this LCD TV in any convenient location. Whether near a window, door, or other light source, the TV will still deliver a bright, vivid picture that won’t wash out. Built-In ATSC/QAM/NTSC Tuners

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corpis planning to start buying TV-use liquid crystal display (LCD) panels from Sharp Corpas early as in the next business year that begins in April, a source close to the matter said on Saturday.A photographer takes a photo of a Sharp LCD TV at a news conference in Tokyo August 22, 2007. Sony is planning to start buying TV-use LCD panels from Sharp as early as in the next business year that begins in April, a source close to the matter said on Saturday. REUTERS/Michael Caronna

Sony currently runs an LCD panel joint venture with Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, but procurement from Sharp is expected to help it secure enough panels to meet fast-growing LCD TV demand without heavy capital investments.

For Sharp, another major LCD TV maker, expanding a pool of customers for its LCD panels is important as it is ramping up its panel production capacity aggressively.

Sharp is also building the world’s largest LCD panel factory, spending 380 billion yen ($3.55 billion). The plant is slated to come onstream by March 2010.

Sony aims to double LCD TV sales to about 20 million units in the business year starting April, and the volume of its panel procurement from Sharp will likely come to the equivalent of 3 to 5 million 40-inch-class panels in the following year, the Nikkei said.

Global demand for LCD TVs is expected to more than double to 155 million units by 2012, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Association said on Thursday.

In an effort to keep pace with strong sales growth, Japan"s Toshiba Corpsaid in December it would buy large LCD panels from Sharp, while Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltdannounced earlier this month it would spend 300 billion yen to build an LCD panel plant by 2010.

LCD TV makers have always charged a premium for LED backlighting. In fact, the first LED-based LCD TV Sharp released, the inch-thick XS series, debuted last year at a cool $11,000 MSRP for the 52-inch model. LED has become a lot more mainstream since then, and so have Sharp"s ambitions for the well-marketed backlight technology. The Sharp LC-LE700UN series encapsulates that progress toward the mass market: it"s the least-expensive LED-backlit LCD available today, it measures the standard 3-odd inches thick, and as a result its owners will have a tough time convincing visitors that it"s anything more than a normal, CCFL-based LCD.

This Sharp uses different LED backlight technology from any of the other "LED TVs" available today, and perhaps as a result, its picture quality has no major advantage over non-LED-based LCDs. On the other hand, it sips power more sparingly than any other TV we"ve reviewed, and its solid feature set is highlighted by a unique selection of widgets and superb built-in support. The Sharp LC-LE700UN series will appeal to people on a moderate budget who still want the energy efficiency of an LED-backlit LCD.

Series note: We performed a hands-on evaluation of the 46-inch Sharp LC-46LE700UN, but this review also applies to the 52-inch LC-52LE700UN and the 40-inch LC-40LE700UN. The three sets share identical specs (aside from the 40-inch model"s omission of dejudder processing) and should exhibit very similar picture quality. However, this review does not apply to the 32-inch member of the series, model LC-32LE700UN, because that model has a different screen coating on its LCD panel among other differences. (Correction: This note originally indicated that the 32-inch model had a different LCD panel itself, but that"s not correct; all of the LE700UN models have the same kind of LCD panel.)

The glossy black finish of the LC-LE70UN series doesn"t break any new ground designwise, and this Sharp keeps the angled edges of its predecessors like the LC-46D85U. A silver fade along the bottom of the frame provides a very subtle accent while a blue-lit triangle, which reminded us of the emblems worn by the crew of the Enterprise, points toward the company logo in the middle of the bottom edge (the blue illumination can be disabled). Sharp"s matching glossy black stand doesn"t allow the panel to swivel.

Lest you see a Samsung ad and believe all LED-based LCDs are also ultrathin, Sharp"s LC-LE700UN series is among the many sets that prove otherwise. It measures 3.7 inches deep sans stand, which is quite normal for a flat-panel TV of any technology.

Sharp has gone the longest of any TV maker we know since changing its remote. The LC-46LE700UN"s clicker is basically the same as the one that shipped with the 2006 LC-46D62U, which was a few years old itself at the time. Our opinion of it hasn"t changed, so we"ll just quote that review: "Sharp"s long remote will be familiar to anyone who"s played with an Aquos set in the last couple of years. It has the ability to command four other pieces of gear, keys that are nicely spread out and well differentiated, and a generally logical button layout. We say "generally" because the key controlling aspect ratio is stashed clear at the top of the long wand, the one for freezing the image is given an unduly important spot near the main directional keypad, and the one for changing picture modes is hidden beneath a flip-up hatch." Unfortunately, Sharp cut back on the backlighting of its remotes, so now only the volume and channel rockers, as well as four nearby keys, receive illumination.

Sharp"s menu system design is also basically the same as in previous years, and its blocky look seems dated compared with the slick menus available from Sony and Samsung. The pertinent information is all there, however, and we liked the text explanations that accompany various selections.

LED backlighting tops the features list of the Sharp LC-LE700UN, but it"s unlike any other LED-backlit TV released so far. All of the other LED-based LCDs fall into one of two camps: edge-lit or local dimming. However, the Sharp falls into neither category. Its LED elements are arranged behind the screen, as opposed to the edge, but they are incapable of dimming or brightening individually. Like a standard fluorescent-backlit LCD, the Sharp"s LED backlight must dim or brighten all at once. The main benefit of its LED backlight is simply reduced energy consumption.

The Sharp LC-LE700UN also sports a 120Hz refresh rate that provides improved motion resolution compared with standard LCDs--although we suspect you"ll be hard-pressed to see any difference. That refresh rate also allows the TV to display the proper cadence when fed 1080p/24 material. The two larger sizes in the Sharp LC-LE700UN series, the 46- and 52-inch models, feature dejudder processing as well, while the two smaller 40- and 32-inch models do not. Dejudder is available in two strengths on the 46- and 52-inch models and doesn"t need to be active to realize the antiblurring benefits of 120Hz. See performance for more details.

Interactive features: Sharp gets into the interactive TV act with a feature it calls Aquos Net. The service is similar to Yahoo widgets found on Samsung and other brands" TVs, and, in fact, offer similar types of content. Once you connect an Ethernet cable to the back of the TV, you"ll have access to the following widgets:

We tested the system and it worked well, with the representative guiding us through changes he made in real-time while we never had to press a button. Advanced users might not like the idea of someone tooling around inside their TVs (the rep can make changes that nuke your picture settings, for example; we had to recalibrate our sample TV from scratch after our demo), but beginners will love having live help there to hold their virtual hands. Sharp also packs a user manual, customer service contact information, FAQs, and even a glossary of HDTV terms into the support section.

Other features: In addition to the LED backlight Sharp devotes a few other features to saving energy, and the result works. According to our testing (see below), the LC-LE700U is one of the most-efficient TVs of its size on the market.

This TV offers a couple of dedicated power saving modes, conveniently accessible from a dedicated button on the remote. Choosing Standard power saving mode causes the display to "optimize power consumption based on video content," while choosing Advanced also incorporates a room lighting sensor Sharp calls "OPC." Additionally, you can adjust the sensitivity of OPC and set it to engage or not with each adjustable picture mode individually. You can also choose to save the TV turn off automatically after a set period of time if it doesn"t sense a signal (15 minutes) or if you don"t press any buttons on the TV or remote for three hours.

Sharp"s range of picture controls has improved significantly over the last couple of years, and the LC-LE700UN"s selection can match that of most other brands on the market. It begins with seven total picture modes, six of which can be adjusted, one of which cannot, and one, titled User, that"s independent per input. New for 2009 is a mode titled Auto that, according to the manual, "optimizes the picture according to room brightness and video signal."

Among advanced controls we appreciated the option to set white balance for red, green, and blue, which can help hone the TV"s color temperature beyond the five presets. A full color management system is available, along with a "Fine Motion enhanced" setting that improves motion resolution somewhat; a setting that changes the picture dynamically to optimize contrast (we left it off); a five-position gamma slider; four flavors of noise reduction; and Sharp"s peculiar "monochrome" setting that turns everything black-and-white. Finally there"s film mode to control 2:3 pull-down and, on the 46- and 52-inch models in the series, dejudder processing.

Connectivity is very good on the LC-LE700UN. Three HDMI inputs can be found on the back panel while a fourth is located on the right side. Other jacks include two component-video, one VGA-style PC (1,600x1,200-pixel maximum resolution), one RF for antenna or cable, and two standard-definition inputs (one composite- and one S-Video) that, if connected, replace a component-video input. There"s also an optical digital audio output, an analog stereo audio output, an RS-232 connection for custom control systems, and the Ethernet jack for Aquos Net. The side panel adds another composite-video connection, and a USB port for photos (JPEG) or music (MP3) files stored on thumbdrives.

It turns out that the LED backlight of the Sharp LC-LE700U has virtually no impact on picture quality that we could discern. Otherwise, the TV performs like a solid, if unspectacular, standard LCD TV. Its black level performance and color accuracy are generally middle-of-the-LCD-road, and while its video processing is solid, its uniformity was surprisingly mixed. We"re also not fans of Sharp"s decision to include a glossy, as opposed to matte, screen.

As we mentioned, Sharp includes plenty of picture controls, and while those extra tweaks really helped us improve the LC-LE700UN"s color accuracy, there were still issues. The default Movie setting came close to our target light output of 40 footlamberts in our completely dark room with the OPC room lighting sensor engaged, but we prefer to leave such sensors off to prevent obvious brightness fluctuations. When we did, Movie"s default became much brighter (107ftl, if you"re counting). It"s worth noting that OPC didn"t improve the set"s black level performance when we turned it on.

For our calibration we set light output to 40ftl and dialed the Warm color temperature slot closer to the standard, although the midtones were still a bit bluish and minus-green afterward. We could have added in more green to compensate, but that would have adversely affected brighter and darker areas. Gamma measured a middling 2.44 versus the 2.2 target, with dark areas faring the worst. On the plus side, the color management system worked well, letting us improve the magenta and yellow secondary colors as well as color decoding.

(Update: October 21, 2009) At the request of Sharp, we checked the image with Active Contrast enabled, and found we still liked the image quality better with it turned off. The feature brightens or dims the entire backlight according to the onscreen content did improve black levels in some cases, but the trade-offs weren"t worth it. Its Shadow detail was compromised in dark scenes, highlights in bright scenes appeared too bright by comparison, and in prolonged fades to black the abrupt fluctuation of the entire backlight was distracting. As with all of the displays in our comparison that feature similar defeatable active backlight functions, we disabled it for our evaluation.

Our comparison lined up a range of models at varying price points, although none was less expensive than the Sharp. Standard, non-LED-based LCDs included the Samsung LN46B650 and LG 47LH50, while LED-based sets included the edge-lit Samsung UN46B7000 and the local dimming Toshiba 46SV670U and LG 47LH90. We also threw in a pair of plasmas for good measure, the Panasonic TC-P50V10 and the reference Pioneer PRO-111FD. For most of our image quality tests we used "Quantum of Solace" on Blu-ray Disc.

Black level: The Sharp LC-LE700U was capable of producing a black level on par with most standard LCDs, but could not conjure the depth of black seen on plasmas or local dimming LED-based LCD screens. Its blacks were visibly lighter than the standard Samsung B650, for example, but not as light as those of the LG LH50, and the other displays in our comparison were all capable of deeper blacks than the Sharp.

In the Sharp"s favor, it lacked the fluctuating backlight we saw on some of the other LED-based displays (the Toshiba and the Samsung 7000, most notably), instead remaining stable even when the screen faded to black. Of course, it also lacked the blooming artifact we saw on the local dimming models.

Color accuracy: Overall, the Sharp LC-LE700UN performed relatively well in this category, but couldn"t quite match the accuracy of most of the other sets in our lineup. The main issue was the set"s grayscale in mid-to-bright areas, which appeared less accurate even after calibration. When Bind visits the hotel with Strawberry Fields in Chapter 16, for example, areas like the white walls and gray floors, as well as Fields" exceedingly pale skin, were tinged a bit too bluish/reddish next to the other sets. The Sharp did a fine job with primary colors on the other hand, rendering the green of the plants in the hotel room and the blue of the sky above quite well.

We also noticed that the LC-LE700UN introduced the bluish/reddish tinge to very dark and black areas, such as the moonrise over the party in Chapter 17, which was more extreme than we saw in brighter areas. Nonetheless the discoloration wasn"t as obvious as the blue we saw in the black and near-black areas on the standard LCDs (the Samsung B650 and the LG LH50), albeit worse than on the other LED (and plasma) sets.

Video processing: Sharp"s smoothing dejudder processing--which isn"t available on the 40-inch model--comes in two strengths, labeled Advanced (Low) and Advanced (High) in the Film Mode menu. As usual it had little effect we could discern with video-based material, such as sports, and it made film-based material look overly smooth and too much like video for our tastes. In the initial chase scene, for example, engaging dejudder robbed some of the visceral feel, especially when dejudder would "kick in" abruptly. But some viewers might like the look, so we compared it against similar smoothing modes on the other sets in our lineup.

With the four participating brands" dejudder settings placed in their least-smoothing (and least objectionable, to our eye) preset modes--Standard on the Samsungs, Low on the LGs, Smooth on the Toshiba and Advanced (Low) on the Sharp--the Sharp held its own, not introducing too many artifacts or smoothing the picture too much or too abruptly. When the Aston Martin emerges from the tunnel at the 2:22 mark, for example, the Samsung and LG sets kick dejudder in quickly and relatively unnaturally (to be fair, of course, we should mention that the Samsung"s dejudder can be dialed even lower than the Standard setting, which reduces this issue). As usual, artifacts in these modes were rare enough to not be a major issue. We noticed more artifacts in the Advanced (High) mode, such as unnatural separation on the leading edge of a clothing rack at the 39:38 mark, or on the edge of an opening door a few seconds later. That mode was less-smooth than the corresponding modes on the Samsung and the LG, for what it"s worth.

In our tests for motion resolution, the Sharp maxed out between 500-600 lines when we engaged Fine Motion Enhanced, and between 300 and 400 when we turned that feature off. That"s the same ballpark as other 120Hz sets, but the Sharp did look a bit softer and less distinct on our test pattern than the others did. As with the implementations used by Samsung and Toshiba, you don"t need to engage dejudder to get the antiblur effect on the Sharp--a real plus. As always, however, it was nearly impossible to spot motion blur in program material as opposed to specialized test patterns.

Dynamic Crystal Display is what brings the incredible, lifelike color to Samsung displays. Using 10-bit processing, the displays are able to showcase a wider spectrum of colors — up to a billion different shades — capturing subtle differences for flawless color expression, critical to businesses in ensuring brand consistency across communication channels. The QBR-B series also features HDR+ functionality that converts standard definition (SDR) content to HDR quality for sharper contrast and more vivid colors.

By far the most popular plasmas are the 42-inchers, which are broad and sweeping enough to make any wall blush with pride. But if you"re about to go buy one, three words of advice:

Before you drop all that money on a 42-inch plasma TV, consider dropping it on a different kind of flat-screen TV, one that until this month wasn"t even in the running: L.C.D.

Of course, liquid-crystal display screens aren"t anything new; they"ve graced laptops, camcorders and cameras for years. But until recently you couldn"t buy flat-panel L.C.D."s with screen sizes above 40 inches, not even if you were Bill Gates. They just didn"t exist.

It finally dawned on two of the world"s biggest L.C.D. makers, Samsung and Sharp, to spend a few million bucks to upgrade the screen-size capacity of their factories. The fruits of their labors, the world"s largest commercially available L.C.D. screens, have just arrived: a 45-inch L.C.D. from Sharp (the LC-45G1H) and a 46-incher from Samsung (LT-P468W).

Apart from their sheer neighbor-humbling size, the biggest breakthrough is these screens" resolution: 1,920 pixels by 1,080 pixels. That"s the highest resolution of any flat-panel TV (including the gorgeous new 42-inch L.C.D. sets from Sony and Philips). You"re getting more than two million tiny color dots.

Compare that number with the 786,000 pixels on a typical 42-inch plasma HDTV, 345,000 on one of those $2,500 "enhanced definition" plasmas, and only 300,000 on a standard TV. No wonder these are very, very sharp screens. Now, high-definition geeks may be protesting at this point. "But that"s more resolution than anyone"s broadcasting yet!" And true enough, all those extra dots don"t make DVD"s or today"s high-definition broadcasts (known as 1080i and 720p signals) look any sharper.

The real payoff, though, will come in a few years, when broadcasters begin filming and broadcasting an even better, so-called 1080p HDTV signal. When that great day arrives, you"ll see far more picture clarity than your buddies who bought 42-inch plasmas instead.

These screens also enjoy the more universal perks of L.C.D.-hood, like being a couple of inches slimmer than a plasma, too, and quite a bit lighter. For example, the 45-inch Sharp, without its stand or speaker, weighs only 48 pounds; a plasma weighs about 80 pounds, requiring more structural support when mounting it on the wall.

In general, L.C.D. screens last longer, too. The Sharp and Samsung are rated at 60,000 hours, which comes out to six hours of viewing a day for 27 years, after which you can have the bulb replaced for $200, if in fact the TV, the company and you are still around. Plasma life spans are shorter, and you can"t replace the bulb, although the latest models are catching up. The earliest screens, which are even now being hauled out to the curb by sobbing early adopters, lasted only a few years before the picture deteriorated noticeably.

The fact is, plasma is still superior to L.C.D. in certain areas, especially price. The 45-inch Sharp and 46-inch Samsung cost $6,100 and $6,200 online, respectively, and about $8,000 in retail stores. For that kind of money, you could get a 50-inch plasma and still have $1,000 left over for popcorn.

Plasma is also the only way to go if you want something larger than 46 inches (for now, anyway; Samsung and Sharp have already demonstrated 57- and 65-inch L.C.D. prototypes). You should also opt for plasma if you don"t care about milking every speck of quality from high-definition broadcasts and you"re perfectly content with the quality of DVD"s. In that case, an "enhanced definition" plasma can save you thousands of dollars.

Picture quality is another debate. In general, an L.C.D."s picture is sharper than a plasma"s, and the colors are more vibrant. Moreover, an L.C.D. screen fares much better in a bright or sunlit room.

Still, most people would call this theoretical nitpicking. Both the Samsung and the Sharp look incredible. (Or, to quote a visiting home-theater installer who saw my review unit: "I - I"ve never - I"ve never seen a picture like that." He would have stayed to watch "The Godfather" Parts I, II and III if I"d let him.)

They couldn"t be more dissimilar in design, however. The Sharp is understated, calming and minimalist: a pure, floating sheet of moving image with only a 1.5-inch margin of handsome dark aluminum. It owes much of its sleekness to an external box that houses the power circuitry and all of its jacks.

Third, it has a slot that (with an adapter that you have to buy) accommodates a memory card. It can play slide shows of your digital pictures, or even - get this - capture what"s on TV, either as digital photos or even little digital movies. Sharp cheerfully suggests that this screen-capture feature could eliminate having to scramble for a pencil when a recipe or an 800 number appears.

The Samsung, on the other hand, is entirely self-contained; all of its jacks are on the back. As a result, it"s thicker (5.7 inches, compared with 3.4 for the Sharp) and a good deal heavier (99 pounds instead of 48). You"ll certainly prefer it if the effect you"re after is pure, wall-covering massiveness. The broader margin and the 30-watt permanently attached speakers make this screen a full foot wider than the Sharp.

Otherwise, though, these screens are more alike than they are different. Each offers a healthy assortment of jacks (HDMI, DVI, component, composite, S-video and so on), a swiveling table stand and a remote (the Sharp"s is illuminated and much nicer). Both offer excellent viewing angles (now 170 degrees) and much better handling of fast motion than previous L.C.D."s (now down to 12 milliseconds per pixel flicker). Both can memorize calibration settings (brightness, color tint and so on) independently for each video input. And both can serve as computer monitors, which is handy if you work with really, really big spreadsheets.

Above all, both of these screens change the landscape for anyone who"s in the market for a big, gorgeous, luxurious flat-panel TV. If you"re among those whose No. 1 wish-list item is a plasma, consider wishing upon a different star.