Sharp Aquos LC45D40U 45-Inch LCD HDTV with Integrated ATSC Tuner
Great TV so far
Briefly speaking, it's the great TV. I did quite a lot of research before the purchase, and considered several other brands including Samsung, Sony, Philips, and Westinghouse, various sizes from 40 to 46 inches, and various resolution types including 1080p. My goal was to get reasonably priced high quality LCD TV from a reputable manufacturer, and I after about 3 weeks of using the set, I am happy with my choice.<br /><br />Sharp produces an outstanding picture from any source, but 1080i content looks particularly crisp and rich. There are plenty of various controls and settings to adjust the picture any way you want. To my surprise, Sharp has a setting that can automatically adjust the strength of the backlight according to the light in the room - very useful feature not only to save power consumption, but also avoid having to mess with the setting manually if you watch the TV in the very dark room or during the bright sunlight. I found that the TV slightly overdoes the backlight compensation by default, and luckily the level of compensation can be adjusted to fit the particular room settings. On the subject of adjusting the picture - Sharp is preset at the highest levels of brightness, backlight, sharpness and contrast, which is not the best combination of settings for your room. After spending 10 minutes with the sliders, you can bring the picture to a more comfortable viewing level. The settings you set are saved for each input, so you can have different settings for the DVD or cable, and also choose from several presets, including Game, Movie, Standard, etc.<br /><br />The only drawback of the TV is its average remote. Even though it can be set up to control other devices, buttons cannot be programmed individually. The remote has a few useful dedicated buttons letting you quickly change the viewing modes, activate the backlight, etc. From time to time pressing a channel number button sends the signal twice, for example pressing the button 7 switches TV to channel 77. Even though it's annoying, for me it doesn't matter much since I use the universal remote control from the cable box.<br /><br />If you shop for a sub-1080p LCD TV, Sharp is the one to seriously consider.hannel 77. Even though it's annoying, for me it doesn't matter much since I use the universal remote control from the cable box. <br /> <br />If you shop for a sub-1080p LCD TV, Sharp is the one to seriously consider.