Sharp LC-42SB45U

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 9 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 8 stars

  Amazing picture quality - lack of customization sucks

  by moralmajority on November 10, 2008

  Pros: - picture quality - very little adjustment required
  - automatically
  - changes channels quickly
  - plenty of input choices (3 HDMI)

  Cons: - cannot relabel Inputs (TV, Input 1, Input 2, Input 3, etc.)
  - cannot remove channels (on a scan it picked up a lot of dead channels and some fuzzy ones)
  - only a single user setting for video settings (contract, color, etc)

  Summary: I bought this at the Best Buy in Vancouver, BC for $949 (It was on sale for $999 plus I got mine "open box") This TV is not branded with ...

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  Summary: I bought this at the Best Buy in Vancouver, BC for $949 (It was on sale for $999 plus I got mine "open box") This TV is not branded with the Aquos label and yet, when comparing the specs to another 42" Sharp sold there (LC42D65U) it is only different, that I saw, in two ways when compared:
  
  Sharp LC-42SB45U vs LC42D65U
  - Brightness: 500cd/m2 vs 450cd/m2
  - HDMI Input: 3 vs 5
  
  So really, as far as I could tell - it's an Aquos television without the branding - it could be that the menu systems have ways around the Cons I listed above.
  
  Considering the regular price of this was $1400 I got a smoking deal.
  
  The setup menu is pretty basic and doesn't have much by way of settings but the menu font size and colors are pleasing to the eye.
  
  Updated on Nov 29, 2008

  I ended up returning this tv and getting a Sharp Aquos LC46D64U instead (another open box deal at BestBuy - for $1199 CAD. I am much happier as the user interface is way better and allows for a lot of customization - locking out unused inputs and let's me add/remove channels (which was one of my biggest beefs).
  
  I was pretty pleased with the color settings suggested in this forum:
  http://www.highdefforum.com/flat-panel-tvs/62198-sharp-lc46d64u-settings.html
  
  My LC42SB45U was somewhat defective as there were these light spots in the top two corners of the screen - usually only visible when watching a movie with the black bars showing and it drove me nuts.
  
  My advice, spend the extra $200 and get the Aquos unless you really don't care about a more sophisticated settings interface.

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  6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  good tv for the price, nice picture and style

  by bbdesw on October 18, 2008

  Pros: bright, easy to set up, light weight, and good picture, all black body is nice, did I say it's 1080p too...

  Cons: remote not backlid or universal, limited controls on pics, not aquos screen, but it's 50 cd brighter

  Summary: when I got this tv, the store didn;t even have it on display yet, but the sales person at PC R...was kind enough to open a new one ...

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  Summary: when I got this tv, the store didn;t even have it on display yet, but the sales person at PC R...was kind enough to open a new one and hook it up to show. Picture is nice compared to all the tv around, black level is very good, details not bad, since this is a new and lowered price model, many features available on expensive sets such as extra video processing, backlight control are not there, but based on what I have read here on cnet, almost all the extra features are always turned off for reviews anyway. Nevertheless, it still has all the basic picture control such as brightness, contrast, color, tint, sharpness, color temp... and "on the fly" high contrast enhancement. Audio adjustments are more than adqueate, it has 5 band equalizer, but most will still use external audio equipments to handle the surround sound anyway. I know this is not the xbr or the new led powered tvs, but the price is right and simple to use, I certainly think this is indeed a good buy for the money, and I will wait for few years more to see whether led, or oled will actually make it to main stream market, popular enough that many inherent flaws will be corrected including the sky high asking prices. One more thing, I have not noticed any so called "banding" on this tv at all, but on my set, the upper corners are little brighter than the rest of the screen, only when watching in a complete dark room and on a black screen, I could not tell they are there under any other conditions, not a big deal since most of the screens have one little flaw or another, based on the few lcds I have owned.
  
  Updated on Oct 25, 2008

  the bright corners started to be more and more noticeable, PC would not take it back, it's my fault not to review their return policy before purchasing, now I have a TV less than a week old and needs to be repaired, live and learn, buy from stores that take care of the customers...

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  4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Excellent picture for the cost

  by kahuna81 on December 14, 2008

  Pros: Picture bright, clean and sharp. Color is vibrant for the SB series. Features for SB brand level includes a QAM tuner which you don't need a cable signal descrambler. Has Smart Stretch feature which up convert 4:3 TV signal to 16:9 w/o distorting pic

  Cons: 2 x 10w speakers are very tinny and quality of sound is barely satisfactory. You will definitely need to hook up an Home Theater Amp with some good quality speakers.

  Summary: For the money, the Sharp SB series is worth purchasing. The picture quality from Sharp has improved and I don't see the banding that has been an issue for ...

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  Summary: For the money, the Sharp SB series is worth purchasing. The picture quality from Sharp has improved and I don't see the banding that has been an issue for Sharp LCD products for a while. If you have a Home Theater System, then consider purchasing any SB unit if you're looking for an HD LCD TV in the budget category. For the money, the quality is very close to the higher level units with more bells and whistles and you will not be disappointed with your purchase.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 4 stars

  2 defective TVs

  by on May 29, 2009

  Pros: - Great picture for the price
  - Lot's of HDMI Inputs

  Cons: - Light spots in the top corners visible when TV has been on for a while
  - Sticker on front leaves residue
  - Speakers are way under powered

  Summary: I purchased this TV and noticed Light spots in the corners - I called Sharp and they replaced the TV (They have been great to deal with). They sent me ...

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  Summary: I purchased this TV and noticed Light spots in the corners - I called Sharp and they replaced the TV (They have been great to deal with). They sent me a new TV that has the same defect. I would be completely happy with the TV if they had not been defective - After reading other people have this problem too, I have a feeling they are all like this.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 6 stars

  Fair tv for fair price

  by FilledOut on September 20, 2009

  Pros: Low cost
  Well constructed
  Low glare
  Multiple HDMI connections

  Cons: Random signal drops
  Mid level resolution quality
  Limited menu options
  Minor corner light bleed on black backgrounds
  No screen guard, need care in touching screen

  Summary: On a tight budget and not looking for the best but a good tv from a known vendor, this LCD is a decent no firlls choice as either a starter ...

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  Summary: On a tight budget and not looking for the best but a good tv from a known vendor, this LCD is a decent no firlls choice as either a starter or a spare tv but if you're future proofing or want more choices and better picture quality, save up the extra cash for a different lcd.

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• 9 stars

  fantastic picture! great choice for the xtra room t.v.

  by tilemncmevle on August 16, 2009

  Pros: even w/out an hd box the picture still has hd quality

  Cons: dont have any. Not even white spots in the corners. I just checked.

  Summary: we bought ours at costco for $399. After reading CNET, I can't believe the actual retail is what it is. There is only me and my wife. So if ...

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  Summary: we bought ours at costco for $399. After reading CNET, I can't believe the actual retail is what it is. There is only me and my wife. So if she has the big t.v. going, I go to the xtra room and sit in front of a great 42" screen with good sound from 4 feet away. Can't beat it.

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• 10 stars

  Quality for low price

  by jazrobean on January 4, 2009

  Pros: 1. Super-easy setup 2. Easy-connect to computer to download free movies from netflix. 3. Plenty of hookups for games and other products. 4. Clear picture.

  Cons: Automatic setup does not allow for deleting analog channels from list - BUT, by March, that will be MOOT.

  Summary: Exactly what I was looking for. Low Price, good picture, ease of setup, flexible use options. I wired antenna for SECOND wireless mouse from my computer and ran it to ...

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  Summary: Exactly what I was looking for. Low Price, good picture, ease of setup, flexible use options. I wired antenna for SECOND wireless mouse from my computer and ran it to living room. I now control on-line movies from my easy chair. (I had run a 50' monitor cable from PC to living room. TOTALLY SATISFIED.

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• 9 stars

  Nice 1080P display, wish it has a better User Interface

  by ez2pilot on November 29, 2008

  Pros: - 1080P 42" LCD for less than $800
  - Great response time
  - 3 HDMI, 2 Components, 1 RCA
  - Crisp and clear, nice overall design
  - Great sound

  Cons: - no manual add/del channels?!
  - User setup too simplified.
  - No back light/glow in remote

  Summary: I have been using an older sharp 27" flat tube TV that had served me well for years.
  Bought the Sharp 42 LCD at Dell Thanksgiving sales (With EPP discount). ...

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  Summary: I have been using an older sharp 27" flat tube TV that had served me well for years.
  Bought the Sharp 42 LCD at Dell Thanksgiving sales (With EPP discount). Everything is great except a little disappointed with the remote and the user interface.
  
  Mold Sharp remote has "glow in the dark" buttons, it has PIP, Each favorite channel group could hold 4 channels, while the LCD can only hold 1 channel in each group and a very simple remote. What annoys me most is that for off the air channels I could not manually add/delete unwanted channels.
  
  Off the air HD is great. Component-in is good but RCA in from my PS 2 is at best fair. I have yet to find something to feed the HDMI in. I wish it has optical out since my receiver doesn't have a coaxial digital in.
  
  Overall I think it's a great display but since it's an entry level model Sharp has cut some of the less critical functions

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• 2 stars

  I think this product is the worst thing sharp made

  by zseduce on February 1, 2009

  Pros: It's light weight, The picture is beatuiful

  Cons: The screen makes a crakling noise or it also makes a humming noise

  Summary: I hate this product because its no good. When I first purchased this tv the screen made a crakling noise. I heard the noise to whole time me tv was ...

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  Summary: I hate this product because its no good. When I first purchased this tv the screen made a crakling noise. I heard the noise to whole time me tv was on. I exchanged it for the exact one and that tv made a humming noise even when the tv was on mute. I wishI never purchased the tv

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  0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

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