Hi All,

Let me thank you in advance for any advice you give!

I went to a local store and I've select two HDTV and I hope I can get some smart opinion on my selections:

Both cost $999 -Which would you pick?:

Sharp Aquos C55U 46"1080p 6ms 4HDMI LCD HDTV - Item # 460550
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Contrast Ratio: 2000:1 (native), 10,000:1 (dynamic)
Brightness: 450cd/m2
Response Time: 6ms
Viewing Angle 176°H / 176°V
Tuner: NTSC/ATSC/QAM

Panasonic VIERA Plasma 720p HDTV with New Anti-Reflective Filter, Deep Color Technology, Game Mode, Built-In SD Card Slot/GalleryPlayer® Ready to View, 2 HDMI Inputs and VIERA Link® HDAVI Control

Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Contrast Ratio Up to 15,000:1
HDTV Compatibility: 1080p/1080i/720p/480p
Tuner: Integrated ATSC
Progressive Scan
480Hz Sub-field Drive
24p Playback(2:3)
Deep Color
x.v.Color
Motion Adaptive 3D Y/C Digital Comb Filter
3D Color Management
Sub Pixel Control
Motion Pattern Noise Reduction
VIERA Link™
Game Mode
Pixel Shifter (Anti-Image Retention)

I have 2 Sharps and enjoy them very much. I do think that you will get a bunch of people who will warn you about Sharp and "Banding", this can be an issue, but it is really spotty, some have it and some don't.

On the Panasonic, I might go for it just for the fact that it is a good set and it has the built in SD card and media tools that it has. If the Sharp has this feature, it would be closer.

All things considered, go with the Panasonic.

You'd probably be happy with either set.

1080P vs. 720P? This is a no brainer for the size you are looking at. If the set was under 37" then the 1080P wouldn't be that big of a deal.

Can anyone give me quick information about the Sharp Aquos 52 LCB55U. I wasn't shopping for a television that large but for the next 48 hours there is a store in my area selling it for what appears to be a Super Low price.

Please I need help fast! What are the pros and cons of this unit?

Thanks for helping me out. Time is short!

Sharp Aquos 52 LCB55U? Advice - Review - Please help

I'd get the Panasonic w/o hesitation. I've never been impressed with the Sharp LCDs. They just don't seem to be in the same league with the Sammys and Sonys. Blue-ish blacks come to mind whenever I think of Sharp. :)

I'd get the Panasonic w/o hesitation. I've never been impressed with the Sharp LCDs. They just don't seem to be in the same league with the Sammys and Sonys. Blue-ish blacks come to mind whenever I think of Sharp. :)
Funny how we think differently. When I read your post, my thought was I own two Sharps and yes the blacks aren't as black as the Panasonics. But I know this, but I've owned both and I wouldn't get rid of the Sharp.

But my Sharps I still love. There very nice TV's. I don't think you know what you're saying from not owning a Sharp.

But I'm done buying TV's till a new tech emerges.

i'd get the panasonic w/o hesitation. I've never been impressed with the sharp lcds. They just don't seem to be in the same league with the sammys and sonys. Blue-ish blacks come to mind whenever i think of sharp. :)

+1

I wont bash the Sharp, but I think that if it were me I would probably go with the Panny because of the media hookups. I love my Sharps but there is no provision to display my digital pictures that I take on my trips on the big screen.

I also think that 1080p is over rated in some cases.

Funny how we think differently. When I read your post, my thought was I own two Sharps and yes the blacks aren't as black as the Panasonics. But I know this, but I've owned both and I wouldn't get rid of the Sharp.

But my Sharps I still love. There very nice TV's. I don't think you know what you're saying from not owning a Sharp.

But I'm done buying TV's till a new tech emerges.

Yea our opinions do differ.

I like brightness as much as you do but if black levels don't hold up it can ruin an image. When you are talking lower end LCDs they typically just don't compete with the upper end LCDs(at least from my in store viewings). And let's not forget that if the OP views in even a semi-darkened environment he's probably going to see horrible flashlights in dark areas of the screen and possibly motion blur as well(but don't quote me on the motion blur comment).

But I do confess that my opinion is based off of in store viewing only and I've not spent much time with those TVs. I also confess that I really dislike matte screens. The Samsungs have glossy screens while the Sony's are semi-gloss so I'm sure this is partially why I favor them the most.

...I also think that 1080p is over rated in some cases.

I agree as well. Unless someone is playing PC games or something there's not as much of a difference going from 720p to 1080p as most think.

And let's not forget that if the OP views in even a semi-darkened environment he's probably going to see horrible flashlights in dark areas of the screen and possibly motion blur as well(but don't quote me on the motion blur comment).

What happens here on the AVS its trendy to follow and go with the "buzz" words. But the Sharp banding issue and yes I think its for real but overblown. But not to the ones that are suffering from it, there irritated for good reason. My LCD's date back before all the complaining.

But in the plasma forum theres always someone new discussing about Panasonic flicker. If you went through this like I did you wouldn't be touting a Panasonic plasma. Funny thing I have read about some of the so called "fanboys" changing there tune of late. Starting to complain about flicker.

But I know that all plasma owners don't go through flicker just like not all Sharp owners go through banding.

Its all about what each of us experience and been through. My experiences differ from alot and I know I irriatate others with my experiences but I do have empathy for those who have had bad experiences no matter what tech it is.

What happens here on the AVS its trendy to follow and go with the "buzz" words. But the Sharp banding issue and yes I think its for real but overblown. But not to the ones that are suffering from it, there irritated for good reason. My LCD's date back before all the complaining.

But in the plasma forum theres always someone new discussing about Panasonic flicker. If you went through this like I did you wouldn't be touting a Panasonic plasma. Funny thing I have read about some of the so called "fanboys" changing there tune of late. Starting to complain about flicker.

But I know that all plasma owners don't go through flicker just like not all Sharp owners go through banding.

Its all about what each of us experience and been through. My experiences differ from alot and I know I irriatate others with my experiences but I do have empathy for those who have had bad experiences no matter what tech it is.

All of us who regularly visit AVS are picky in one way or another. I did own a Panasonic 58PX600U for about a year and I never had any issues with flicker and I always noticed flicker on PC CRT monitors when the refresh rate wasn't high enough. Obviously several year old models may differ from todays so I cannot comment on current issues with Panny plasmas. I can only go by my experience (which was an older model) and what they look like in store.

And the flashlighting issues no LCDs are something that would bother me as welll and most likely because it's similiar to the clouding issues I had with my SXRD. You won't notice them in store but in a darkened environment the worst comes out.

i just purchased the panny 50px80u for a grand 3 weeks ago and couldn't be happier. Unless being able to say that you have a 1080p is that important to you, i don't think you'll be unhappy with it. The TV des a good job of downscaling to work with the higher resolutions on HDTV at 1080i and my upconverting pioneer dvd player at 1080p. SD card slot is a nice feature too and it made it really easy to run the break-in pictures too instead of using a dvd. I haven't had a single issue of IR or posphor trails that i have seen either.

I have heard some good things about the sharps but I can't speak to them as I have not seen them anywhere but a showroom floor. I personally wouldn't get an LCD unless it was a 120hz one just because i watch alot of action movies and sports. Plasma negates that issue.

You should keep looking though for the px80u models though and not the one you have listed, that one is a black friday stripped down model and has a few less inputs. I know mine has 3 hdmi, not 2.