Sharp LC52LE700UN / Sharp LC46LE700UN / Sharp LC40LE700UN Review
Sharp’s LC-52LE700UN is a recent entry into the midrange HDTV market. Part of the AQUOS LED series, I found most of the review criteria put forth during my testing of this set to be adequately satisfied, with one rather significant exception that I will get into shortly. Competitively priced, as well as sporting some exciting new futures for HDTVs, the LC-52LE700UN is quite a bold undertaking for Sharp. It is touted as being an eco-sensitive set, with reduced power consumption that does not come at the cost of viewing angles or color quality.
LED backlights are a welcome addition to HDTV sets, and the LC-52LE700UN’s is no exception. They greatly reduce power consumption, resulting in savings for individual consumers while being better for the environment as a whole. The picture quality on this set does not suffer at all by being backlit, and can give even plasma HDTVs a run for their money. The LC-52LE700UN is capable of automatically dimming itself based on the surrounding light and brightness. An environmentally friendly and green consumer will want to keep this at a fixed, low setting, and it can fortunately be toggled on and off through the menu.
The displays produced by the LC-52LE700UN’s backlight are surprisingly crisp and bright. One aspect which I found especially pleasing was the deep levels achieved by the blacks displayed by this set. Prior to achieving good picture quality, I had to spend some time calibrating the set, but this is to be expected from most HDTVs. Once the LC-52LE700UN was calibrated, the gamma and colors looked great. One feature which I found particularly useful was the automatic brightening and dimming of the backlight in relation to what was being displayed on-screen. This is one of the first examples of a “smart-TV” display that I have seen, and it is a welcome addition to modern HDTV technology.
When viewed off-angle, the LC-52LE700UN has far less distortion than many other similarly-priced sets. Any distortion is only apparent at the far sides or at the bottom of the picture screen. My main complaint would have to be that certain important shades of colors can be very off-putting. Skin-tones look very weird due to the set’s red hues. Attempting to calibrate the colors in order to fix this solution leads to an oversaturation of reds within the set, meaning that there is no choice but to deal with people on screen looking somewhat artificial. This will undoubtedly be a deal-breaker for many consumers looking to purchase a new HDTV set, and it is something that should be examined by prospective buyers prior to buying a LC-52LE700UN.
- 52” (LC-52LE700UN), 46” (LC-46LE700UN), 40” (LC-40LE700UN), 32” (LC-32LE700UN)
- 1080p
- 1920x1080 Resolution
- 240hz
- Energy Efficient EcoHD
- 4 HDMI
- 2 HD Component Terminals
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