Sharp LC60E78UN [No Price Talk] - Page 4

Glad I found this thread, i'm looking at some Sony 60" options and this seems like a gem for the price. I may pick it up now and just sit on it for a bit (for my basement that's being finished). Just incase they sell out and with hopes the price goes back down (at $1499 now, for $1299 i'd definately go get it).

After reading so many reviews before buying a new TV, I stumbled on AVS forum and read these. I purchased this from Best Buy in New Westminster, BC as it was on sale for $1399. I orginally bought online for $1499 but cancelled and bought in-store. They even made a mistake and didn't charge me for special delivery....saved $55!!

First, let me say that this TV is awesome, especially on bright colours. I had a 5 year old Hitachi 42" ultravision plasma, which cost me $3500 before but still retains great picture quality and smoother colours with better darker colours. It was time to upgrade but let me tell you the benefits of this LCD TV first.

1) Great, vivid colour for brighter scenes
2) Good features, including the 120Hz technology that CAN be turned down or off by choosing in the Film Mode. The High setting causes the "soap opera" effect but turning it off, as mentioned before in this forum returns the picture to a movie-like mode. I use this mode for live TV, reality shows because the frames per second are greater than that of movies, but I turn it off for movies so it doesn't jutter as much as pictures can get distorted when panning quickly.
3) Awesome for sports games
4) Such a large display and so clear


The one thing that really bugs me, still, is the darker colour scense, especially hd movies. LCD is known to be more blocky (pixelated) during darker scenes and this is no exception. The very dark colours and blacks are good but the slightly dark scenes, in the yellow/orange/brown/red colours get very blocky when there is no brightness in the movie scene. It gets worse when panning left and right, get so distorted that even dark bluish colours are blocky and the tv looks like something is wrong.

This is a minor gripe because when the lighter scenes come back, the video pops again, as clear and vivid as ever. I am not sure is the contrast ratio has anything to do with it but I hear that Sharp is very truthful about advertising their contrast ratio based on their results, without inflating numbers. I think this LC60E78UN has 15000:1, but that's from the Best Buy website. I though new TV's were over 1M now, but even with this non-inflated number of 15000:1, the darks are dark and brights are bright.....just the mid-dark colours.

Using 1080p video eliminates some of the blur and blockiness. This TV has a very complicated processor and by turning off extra functions, distorteness can be reduced. For movies, I turn off the active contrast, fine motion, and film mode. Use low or off for dynamic noise reduction.

for live TV including realty shows (hurting, I know), news, and especially sports, I turn on the Fine Motion to High and leave DNR to low. The rest, leave off so the internal processor doesn't work too hard or play around with the settings.

Here are my settings:

Color Temp: Medium -- Red Gain +6, Blue Gain 0, Green gain -5 (this setting normalizes the whites...some people like low setting but I want it more vivid)

Brightness: -9 to -12, depending on the programming. For HD movies...I use these settings but for live tv, I use -4 for brigher more vibrant pictures. Use Film Mode in High to get the best clear and vivid results....doesn't blur much because live tv frame rate is greater than movie.

Contrast: +36

Color: +1

Tint: +1

Sharpness: -1 (greater sharpness can distort)

Backlight: +5 to +6

OPC: off

CMS Hue: For live tv, I crank all of them up to +28; for movies, I increase to +8 or so

CMS Saturation: For live tv, I crank them up to +26 to +30, for movies + 5

CMS Value: For live tv, I also crank this up to +30, for movies, + 5



So if you are planning to buy this, buy it for the size first of all...yes, the nice matte finish, and the vivid colours as well as dark blacks. TV is so much more fun to watch now especially with my new 5.1 precision acoustic speakers and Yamaha receiver!!

The only drawback are those darn mid-dark colours that turn a clear picture into blocks. Other than that...it's really not so bad anyways and I hightly recommend this tv for the price! If you want smoother dark colours, go for a plasma but feel the heat from those tv sets...mine gave me so much heat before I sweat in the same room!

One more tip is to make sure you are at least 6-10ft away for clearest pictures. I am about 6-7 ft and notice the clarify when I go back to 9-10 ft.

Hope this helps.

Does anyone know if Sharp LC60E78UN has independent settings/memory for each of the 4 HDMI inputs? Thinking of purchasing this unit if it has. If not can anyone recommend any other 60" LCD sets that have this independent settings/memory feature?
Thanks

can someone push me over? This set is so tempting but wary due to lack of conrifmed information on the set. You guys seem to like it for PQ and even gaming. Right now I'm between this and the Sony 60ex500 and Sony 60ex700. The price is just so tempting! Help convince me to pick this one up!

This does have independent memory settings for each HDMI input, which is why I have different settings from live tv and others for my movies/tv shows which I play from my media player (mkv's).

This is really a great price for a flatscreen of this type. Even compared to other flatscreens, it is rated higher for PQ and Gaming, when calibrated properly. There is no other tv in the market that is of better value, and I have been shopping for many months. Actually, I didn't even think about buying it, even after seeing it in Best Buy until a few days later and conducting a bit of research....I just thought, why the heck not? It's the best decision I made! Buy it but do your due diligence first!

Although I hated the "soap opera" effect with movies using the Highest Film Mode (120Hz), now I like to sometimes toggle back and forth to see the difference in clarity and knowing I can turn it off makes me appreciate it that much more! It makes the image more clear by inserting more frames between the original ones to make the images smoother. The only thing is that when objects move, you may see a bit of a trail, but that is only during watching movies and you can turn it off. On live tv, it's the bomb!

Just a quick update: I noticed that the blocky scenes may actually have been more due to the quality of film because some of the 720p material I viewed vary in quality. On this big screen, it shows the imperfections more than a small one and so the source is a big factor. I am still playing around with the controls and I sometimes use a brighter setting, especially for live tv (-4) and also more colour for tv (+12). I use a Shaw PVR and my media player on my othe input also has different settings that can alter the tv's settings.

It's still a learning process but I have notice big improvements with my settings. Also, playing with the Film Mode, sometimes even low setting is good for certain shows.

Since I have figured out why some dark scenes are very blocky in the red/yellow/brown/even bluish purple, is largely due to the media source. I suspect satellite dishes may even be better. Shaw provides 1080i compressed and some movies on the movie channel are better quality than others....so also the original type of film used also varies.

I love this lcd tv....play with the controls and you will find what suits you.

First this TV is amazing! A massive upgrade from my 46" Sharp Aquos from 2006.

Currently I have my Bluray player setup at 24fps and I have the 120hz feature on. I do see trails sometimes, etc and also watching TV shows looks strange with this feature on.

Should I leave it on for Bluray movies and not for TV? What do you guys recommend?

I feel the 24p motion characteristic to be an integral part of the film-watching experience. The 120hz smoothing feature completely kills the experience for me as it drastically alters the source material. Personally I find it gimmicky and distracting and leave it off at all times.

I almost bought the ex500 for a similar price at another big furniture/electronics retailer on boxing day, but my wife didn't like the look of the Sony. We then saw the Sharp at FS on sale. I immediately grabbed my iPhone and started Googling the 78UN model number looking for reviews, or anything I could find. I too was a bit worried when I couldn't find much info. I bought it anyway figuring I had 30 days to return it should it not meet my expectations. Once I figured out how to tame the soap opera effect, I would have to say this TV has surpassed my expectations. I use this set primarily for gaming and watching Bluray movies. No complaints, only praise.

Has anyone tried to apply the firmware update available on the Sharp site? I downloaded it, but have not bothered to install it yet. Just curious if it is the same version that shipped on the TV.

nope, my TV already had the updated firmware already installed U1009151. You can check your tv's installed firmware # by putting TV on "TV input" (must be on TV input for some reason), menu, digital setup, identification. My old saying on firmware, if it isn't broken, then don't try to fix it. Unless it's a very important firmware, for example, gives 5.1 surround output rather than stereo.


http://www.sharpusa.com/CustomerSupp...Downloads.aspx


This Firmware Update improves performance of the audio curve during volume increase and decrease.
This update includes all previous fixes and improvements.
Version U1009151
Date: 10/15/2010


Elfy

I am waiting for my tax return to pick this monster up but I have one question that I still cannot find even here. Does this tv pass through 5.1 audio from all hdmi inputs to the optical out. I have xbox360, ps3 and hddvr all with hdmi and a reciever with only 1 input. If it has been answered I am blind as a bat. Thanks all.

Sorry, cant help ya there. All of my inputs go thru receiver. Can say TV tuner pumps outs 5.1.


Elfy

I am really hoping this TV drops to $1,299 again soon. What days does BB post it's new ad?

Hi,

If just read that a few of hesitate. I jumped in and bought it at FS and I do not regret.

One question that I see many other post on, Temperature Color.
I am just comparing with a white sheet of paper in direct sunlight(TV is close to a window), and the best setting is NORMAL..period.

I do not understand that people are setting it to low. It is so yellow! If the white on my screen is supposed to be the white that the sunlight is showing me now on white piece of paper, then NORMAL is the closest.

Am i the only one finding this LOW setting(supposed to be close to D65), really Yellow on this TV.

If anybody had professional tuning with this TV, settings would really be appreciated by all.

Tx

that's what i'm waiting for too, at that price it's a no brainer.

bb ads post @ 2am sunday morn.


Elfy

I'm thinking of getting this tv calibrated by ISF Certified employees at Best Buy. After reading lots of posts...not sure if it will do good but there are those good and bad experiences. Depends on the experience of the person you get, is what I heard. Has anyone gotten any calibrations done professionally?

I may be able to get it done for $100 instead of the normal $300. If I go for it, will let you guys know the results!

I wouldn't even pay $1 just to have my TV calibrated. IMO, once you get the brightness and contrast set, the rest is just personal preference.



Elfy

Thanks for the feedback Elfy. I really am not sure about that calibration either. I've spend 2 weeks since I got the TV to finally get the settings that suite each type of program I watch but they aren't perfect. I was told that calibrating will help eliminate some of the noise or pixelations (artifacts, as I've heard they are called)that appear during mid-dark scenes, which just bugs me for some reason, although I'm more than happy with the purchase.

Hmmm....I may just gamble and pay the $100 to the calibrator and see what happens. Better than $300 that other people pay. I was told I can just reset to factory default settings after if I don't want it. Might be a waste of money but I'm just so curious as to what they'll do with it. Shoot me if I'm wrong but I'm going to let my curiosity decide.

First, many thanks to all who've taken the time to post, sharing info on this TV set!!

Would greatly appreciate any comments from owners of this set on the pic quality when displaying non-HD content. (anything at 640x480 or lower)

Some cable channels we watch regularly are still only in SD and we often play content from a media player (WD Live or Asus O!Play), encoded at lower resolutions.

TIA!
DH

I Also thanks everyone for posting on this forum when there is very little other info (except for the lc60e77un which is similar) on the Internet. I use a shaw pvr and the sd channels are actually good. They are actually sharp for sd quality. I have a Seagate Theatre media player and I just blame some of the compressed quality of certain downloads but 720p and definitely 1080p are great. I can see the difference between the two.

I am going to get my tv calibrated on Feb 3 and will post my results as well. Not sure if the AV modes on the tv actually make a difference but I adjusted the settings on "movie" mode recently instead of my user Mideast and I think it's more clear for some reason. Not sure if its just me though.

Sorry. Typo on Mideast. It was autocomplete. I meant "user mode".

1199 in the Best Buy Ad today. 1200 bucks for a 60 inch TV of this caliber. I am buying it when I get home this morning.

I tried to order online but the payment page keeps getting messed up when I add my RZ certificates. Will have to stop by the store tomorrow after work and hope there's still some in stock as I have to leave soon for the Pats game (GO PATS!). I was hoping for 1299, was phsyched to see 1199!

$1199 sounds like a real steal for a TV of this size and caliber.

wow!!! 1199!!! that's crazy! going to BB to get my 100bucks later today. nice! Don't forget to get your free 15" hdtv!!! Such an awesome deal!


elfy

Don't forget to get your free 15 inch colby hdtv with the sale. I just picked mine up and the free 15 inch hdtv is not online only. They honor it in the store. Quick 20 minute review...out of the box the image is nice. There are tons of settings to get your image right. I'll post a better review later today. Oh and this thing is HUGE!!

I just bought mine. I don't have a truck though so I have to wait until Wednesday to get it delivered. They gave me the coby t.v for free. 1199.99 for a 60in Sharp AQUOS is a great deal.

If I go online BB (Montreal area code) it's still on sale $1,499.99 until Jan 20.
how did you guys get $1199, can't find it online anywhere

Just want to find a proof of $1199 since I just bought it $1499.99 for a price reduction that's why