Sharp Aquos LC37D64U 37 Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Sharp Aquos LC37D64U 37 Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
The Aquos D64U Series fits a large screen size into incredibly small footprints. The depth of the D64U series is reduced by 30% by changing the layout of the circuits inside the LCD panel. Advanced Super View/Black TFT Panel is utilized to provide 10,000:1 Dynamic-Contrast Ratio with Enhanced Picture Contrast Technology and 4ms response time. Place the TV practically anywhere in the room with a 176 degrees wide viewing angle. Enhanced Black Level provides the deepest, most accurate black of any flat panel TV. Aquos engine with ASV technology provides high performance video processing for the brightest, most vivid colors and images. 15 W + 15 W Audio System Tuning System ATSC / QAM / NTSC Tuning System 10,000 - 1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio and 4ms response time produce spectacular picture quality 2000 - 1 Native Contrast Ratio 2000 - 1 Aspect Ratio 16 - 9 4-wavelength Backlight System AN-52AG4 Optional Wall Mount Brackets Input Ports - 2x HDMI (2 rear), 2x HD Component (1 side, 1 rear), 1x 15-pin RGB PC, 1x S-Video, 3x Composite Video (1 side, 2 rear), 1x RS-232C 9-pin and 4x Audio (L/R) Inputs All inputs are compatible with 1080p sources Approximate Unit Dimensions - 35.7 (W) x 25.2 (H) x 10.75 (D) with stand
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A good choice
I’ve had the LC37D64U for almost a month now, and I am very pleased with the TV. The TV’s relatively light weight makes it simple to move around when wiring things up. The picture looks good right out of the box, and after some tweaking using a couple of picture calibration DVDs, it looks even nicer (there are a lot of picture control settings if you want to dig in). I get HDTV channels over an antenna and the 1080i broadcasts look amazing if the broadcaster hasn’t compressed them too much. I don’t have Blu-Ray yet, but my DVD player upconverts to 1080p and makes the movies look terrific. My Xbox 360 games look better than ever. The best part about this TV is that it is the narrowest 37-inch LCD on the market, which means it can barely fit into my entertainment center with a whisker to spare. I was almost resigned to buying a 32-inch until I happily discovered this model just in time.
I send all the audio to my 5.1 surround receiver, so I can’t comment on the quality of the TV speakers.
One important thing you should know if you are sending 1080p signals to this TV via the COMPONENT inputs: the screen would occasionaly ‘black-out’ briefly when playing some content on my Xbox 360. Scouring some user-groups, I discovered that I was not alone, but there is a fix. Check the version number of your firmware in the menu. Mine was S0804011 or something similar. Sharp has another version on its website (version S0801101) that you can easily download, put on a USB stick and update your TV. The manual explains how to do it. Once I updated, the problem was solved.
There are a couple of very minor things that could make this TV a bit more friendly:
1. You can set it so the title of the TV program you are watching appears when you change channels, but there is no way to check the title again unless you change channels again. Ideally, this should appear whenever you press the ‘Display’ button on the remote.
2. Channel changing is a bit sluggish.
3. You can only name inputs to the preset names they have chosen. Unfortunately, they didn’t see fit to put ‘Game 1, Game 2,” etc. as presets, so my game systems just get ‘Input 1′ and ‘Input 2.’ A minor annoyance, but it would help the members of my family figure out which input is which.
Overall, this is a very nice TV with a great picture. Just put in Pixar’s ‘The Incredibles’ and you will know what I mean. I did a lot of research before buying this model, and I have no regrets. Amazon had a very competitive price when I bought this, and with free shipping and their excellent ‘white-glove’ delivery service, it was a no-brainer purchase.
4 Stars Very good, some issues
This TV excels where it counts most, the screen. Out of the box it looks pretty good and with a little adjusting it looks fantastic. It’s a shame most stations are still broadcasting the majority of their programming in SD but I guess it’s only a matter of time before that changes. I was worried most about dead or stuck pixels but the one I recieved had none, the color reproduction is excellent and the contrast is very good, though not the best in the LCD world. All in all I can’t really find any faults with the picture quality. Similarly, I love the elegant design of the case and it’s one of the slimmest TVs available. I did quite a bit of research before I bought this and it seemed to offer one of the best screens around for the price, plus I just liked how it looked.
There are, however, some areas I think Sharp could have done a better job on. I do not like the included remote, it feels cheap, it’s unnecessarily long and doesn’t utilize space efficiently plus the buttons are small and stiff. It’s also lacking the ability to easily enable/disable some features which are only available by going through the menu such as individual sound input selection for those of you planning to hook your PC up to it. The TV is also fairly slow at changing channels and the menu for customizing them is cumbersome and lacking compared to my Sony tv.
There’s also no picture in picture or HDMI port on the side from which I understand the earlier models had, why were these removed? So while most HDTVs have at least 3 or 4 HDMI ports, this one only has 2. It would also be nice if they changed the VGA DSUB to a DVI, I don’t understand why this isn’t common place nowadays with everything going digital and the drive for communication between devices.
If not for those mostly minor issues I would have given it 5 stars. Now blu-ray prices just need to drop.
5 Stars Sharp LC37D64U
OK I’ve been holding out longer than most to acquire my first flat screen LCD television. I’m glad I waited until now as prices seem to keep dropping like a rock and quality improving far beyond the early models I’ve seen. After doing a lot of online research and seeing recent models I finally decided to take the plunge and picked up the newly released Sharp LC-37D64U. As I unwrapped the set from its packaging I realized that it was major leap forward aesthetically. Most noticeable is the thin black frame surrounding the screen that maximizes the amount of screen space and the slender width and depth dimensions making it perfect for wall hanging. I wasn’t disappointed when I finally fired up the set for the first time and tuned into the HDTV National Geographic Channel. The images were just a stunning thing of beauty. I’m still putting the set through its initial paces but can’t wait to get my new Blu-Ray player hooked up. I’ve also seen complaints on other forums about the sound quality with some of the Sharp LCD’s but found this one to be more than adequate although not audiophile quality for those home theater enthusiasts out there. I would highly recommend this product to someone wanting a top notch but smaller footprint LCD.
3/15/08 Update - Well I finally hooked up my Sharp BPD-HP20U Blu-Ray player via an HDMI cable and much to my dismay I cannot seem to get the output set to 1080p. Right now all discs playback in 1080i. When I attempt to set the player to 1080p I get the error message “the attached equipment does not correspond to this format”. I’ve got a call in to Sharp customer service to see if they can clarify the setup procedure for me. I’d be curious to know if other users have had the same issue or not. Funny thing is that when I hooked up the Blu-Ray player to my 19″ Magnavox it outputs in 1080p just fine.
3/21/08 - Well still no response from Sharp with regards to my 1080p issue. Also, I have noticed at least 3 “stuck” pixels (not too bad with over 2 miliion) one of which is bright green and a bit irritating but only up to a viewing distance of about 3 ft. I don’t know how common these are since this is my first large LCD but I only hope that more do not start to appear. I’m taking my rating down to a 4-stars. I’d still recommend this set but can longer say it’s perfect. Is anybody else buying these?
3/25/08 - Bought a PS3 player. It plays 1080p just fine.
5 Stars Excellent LCD
We purchased this set for my dad for Father’s Day. The set was delivered exactly on time by CEVA who brought it in, set it up, and moved the old one for us. When we set it up, we were impressed right away. Very easy set up using the auto feature. We connected to the DVR HD box via an HDMI cable, set the box up for this, and we were off and running.
The picture both on standard and hi def were impressive. Probably one of the best looking standard pictures I have seen on an LCD. As my dad said when we went to hi def, “it looks like you could peel the picture right off the set”. Overall he said it was one of the two best sets he has ever had (the first being their first set in the 50’s…a 10″ black and white!).
This set is highly recommended. Great picture, good sound, easy menu’s, and nice settings. So far no con’s at all. A definite winner!
5 Stars Beautiful TV. Amazing display quality and great sound.
Choosing a new TV is not an easy task. There are so many of them these days. This one jumped out at me mostly because it looks nice. From the aesthetics standpoint I zeroed in on this Sharp, and one of the Samsung models. What about the size? I wanted something larger than 32 inch, but due to space limitation 40 inch was already too big, so this is why I settled on 37.
So how did I break the tie between Sharp and Samsung? Well, it’s the reviews about the quality of speakers. Samsung supposedly had weak sound. I wasn’t planning on setting up a bunch of speakers in my living room, so I wanted the TV to have adequate speakers. I have to say the sound is very nice, so I’m happy with my choice here.
By the way, since the pictures on Amazon are not the greatest quality, I actually went to Best Buy to get a better idea of how the TVs look. I recommend that you do the same. But then make sure to buy the TV through Amazon, because it will be $300 cheaper. If you don’t want the extra $300, then you can send it to me :).
The picture quality is amazing. So far I’ve been only watching cable, but am really impressed with where technology has gone. The colors are vibrant, and the viewing angle is really as advertised. Initially I was afraid that LCD on a TV might be somewhat like LCD on a laptop, where a slight deviation in viewing angle makes the screen invisible. TV is completely different, and the video quality rocks.
I’m not a gadget junkie, so I can’t give you too much detail here, but the bottom line is that I’m happy with my choice so far, and I recommend that you get this TV.
Filed under: Electronics
