Sharp Aquos LC-30HV4U 30-Inch LCD Flat-Panel HD-Ready TV
Great View
I've owned this TV since mid July, with VOOM satellite TV service as my primary television provider and a digital tuner for local stations. I knew the picture was going to be good even with the resolution at 720, but when I watch high-definition programming like Discovery Channel HD, I feel like someone has improved my eyesight! Sporting events like Monday Night Football are especially, remarkably clear. One can adjust the color to be brilliant as you like to make the picture even more dazzling.   <br /> <br />This TV handles a lot of formats (standard TV \\"box\\" to widescreen DVDs) easily with its options for zooming, sidebars, etc., which is great for the many movies and TV series I watch on DVD. I often have friends over to watch movies and they all love the screen size, it's like having a movie theater in my living room. Also, it's very lightweight -- probably half as heavy as my old 27\\" glass tube TV -- so it's easy to lift and move. That isn't necessary often since the screen tilts up and down and side to side when you need it to. The side views are pretty good, but still just not quite as good as full-on; the absence of glare from lights or windows is a bonus. <br /> <br />Down sides? Poor source material (old movies not cleaned up) and regular resolution channels don't come across as well, mainly of course because you can't make fuzzy material better -- you have to start with quality images to begin with. Some channels are better than others, and some people may be slightly disappointed. But that isn't a huge or very noticeable thing, and certainly still quite viewable. A purist may be unhappy that this doesn't display at the full 1080, but if they can tell the difference between that and 720, they've got better eyesight than most of us. The stretch format cuts the bottom off subtitles from DVDs... but I already knew what Jabba was going to say anyways. :) <br /> <br />Never had to call tech support, setup wasn't difficult, loved it ever since. If you have thebucks, consider this one.