ref sharp 42xd1e

[admin_exported]

i bought this tv because of its 1920x1080 native res. I have just become the proud owner of brand new bouncing baby boy, so i wanted a futureproof sceen. The tv in question replaced a hitachi pd7500 and dosent seem to be as good. I run sky hd, a media pc and the denon 1930 dvd player. I have calibrated the screen using digital video essentials, but the picture is still very soft. At the heart of my system is a n onkyo dv-s555 reciever running a mission speaker set up. The amp is old but sounds fine. Would replacing it with the new onkyo 875 with HQV help my screen at all?. or should i sell the tv buy the new amp anyway and go back to a plasma screen. If you think i should stick with my system as my technophobe wife dose, what else could i do to improve the picture quality? Oh i never skimp on cables so the problem dosn't lye there. How ever if i should go back to plasma what would you buy? samsung,panasonic,or pioneer? 42 or 50 inch? hd or full hd ready.

I know its a lot of questions but it will be my last upgrade for soom time. Oh yea old my soon will soon need a killer system in the nursery lol.

cheers and all that kev

 

[Clare Newsome]

Hi Kev,

Sorry to say you've fallen victim to buying a set on resolution/specification rather than quality. We've found Sharp's most recent range distinctly underwhelming, i'm afraid - it's not an LCD vs plasma issue, as we've seen plenty of impressive Full HD LCDs, just a below-par set.

With those sources, you should be getting a decent picture, so the receiver won't help.

I'd suggest - if you can - swapping the set for one of the new-generation 40-42in sets we're currently testing (issue out 20th September): there's a mix of LCD, plasma, HD Ready and Full HD, from all the big brands. I would drop you a hint, but we're still testing.

I'd get that sorted before you worry about the sound, as you're reasonably happy with your set-up.

 

[Anonymous]

This is why it's so important to get yourself down to a shop for as thorough an audition as possible I guess. It's quite ironic though that one particular 'WHAT' magazine has this TV listed in it's Top 10 LCD Displays.