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Picture-frame thin yet still housing both standard NTSC and digital ATSC (HDTV) tuners, Sharp's 26-inch LC-26GD6U Advanced Super View LCD television is perfectly suited to deliver high-quality entertainment and in living rooms, kitchens, apartments, dorms, you name it. The set has all necessary input and output jacks for home theater and TV use, so there's no need for supplementary connection or receiver boxes; the 1,366 x 768-resolution television is ready to go right out of its box. A member of Sharp's stylish AQUOS line, the LC-26GD6U offers a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio to match your favorite movies, and compatibility with high-definition video sources up to 1080i. The set includes 2 detachable, high-aperture aluminum speakers powered by 10 watts per channel which affix just below the screen to conserve space on either side. At just 4 inches deep without its detachable stand, the set is as unobtrusive as a big-screen TV can get, and it's versatile enough to handle wall or table placement. A handy PC Card slot lets you record still images and video on a PC Card and view them on the TV, and Sharp's proprietary Quick Shoot video circuit ensures a lightning-quick response time of less than 16 ms for smooth-as-silk video and gaming graphics. The set's authorized CableCARD ability means the set will also receive digital cable television systems services directly from the cable operator without requiring a bulky, external cable box. LCD screens offer a number of benefits over CRT monitors and televisions, including general ease of use, freedom from eye strain (no screen flickering or radiation emissions), quiet operation (no high-pitch "flyback" noise, an issue with CRT TVs), accurate image geometry (no curvature distortion or susceptibility to magnetic interference from, say, speakers), long screen life (no risk of image burn-in), space savings, and light weight/easy positioning. They also tend to be cheaper and, to some eyes, slightly more natural looking than their plasma flat-panel counterparts, which usually "spec" higher (higher brightness, higher contrast ratio). The LC-26GD6U's Advanced Super View/black TFT (thin-film-transistor) screen offers exceptionally wide (170- by 170-degree) viewing angles and an extraordinary contrast ratio of 800:1 for super-black blacks. Its high brightness (450 cd/m2) ensures wide dynamic range for vivid colors, great depth, and realism. You can place it anywhere--near windows, doors, or other light sources--and its picture will remain vivid. And, with its 60,000-hour lamp life, the backlight life is long enough to give you viewing pleasure for many years. Connections consist of 2 high-definition component-video inputs, 1 DVI-I (Digital Visual Interface-Integrated) input, 1 HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) input, 3 composite-video inputs, 1 S-video input, and 1 RF input (HDTV reception may require an antenna). An audio/video output (composite- and S-video with stereo analog audio) facilitates hookup with a surround receiver, DVR, VCR, or other destination. DVI-I is a direct-digital DVI terminal capable of transmitting both analog and digital video data. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV or monitor. HDMI supports standard-definition (SD), enhanced definition (ED), or high-definition (HD) video, plus multichannel digital audio--all using a single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports up to 8-channel digital audio, with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements. What's in the Box
LCD TV, detachable speakers, table stand, and a user's manual. |
The picture of this unit is amazing, particularly when connected to a digital cable feed. Unfortunately, the built-in software has problems - so don't buy the first version of this, but wait a few months until they have fixed the Firmware! I contacted Sharp's customer service about my problems, along with detailed instructions how to reproduce the bugs. Note that these are reproducible bugs, meaning they happen every time you follow the same sequence of events. Sharp asked me to drive 50 miles and bring the brand new device to an authorized service center. Instead, I just sent it back.
If software glitches don't normally bother you, consider this: This unit has a fairly noisy built-in fan. The fan probably won't bother you while you are watching TV with sound on, but on this TV with the version of the software that mine had built in, the TV's fan will spontaneously turn on in the middle of the night (the TV itself stays off). The fan then just stays on until you pull the plug or turn the unit on and back off. And when you turn it off, about 30 minutes later, the fan will turn back on again.
This happens when the TV has a CableCard inserted and is connected to a digital cable feed.
It is normal for the CableCard to contact your cable provider several times per day to exchange cryptographic keys. But there is absolutely no reason for the TV's fan to turn on while this happens, as the rest of the TV should stay powered down during this transaction. This is a major software bug, and it makes it impossible to place this TV in a bedroom.
If you are watching only analog TV, or if you don't use CableCard, this problem will not affect you. But you may regret the purchase if you later upgrade your cable.
Sharp is completely unresponsive and their technical support people obviously don't understand the technology they are selling. I am an Engineer myself with a Ph.D. in computer science, and I don't expect a customer support person to be an expert, but they should at least have a high-level tech support person to whom calls could be escalated. In Sharp's case, there was no such person and the "technical support" people I interacted with (multiple phone calls and emails) had the technical knowledge of a 12 year old (and I know 12 year olds that understand a lot more about technology). |
