Picked up a sharp LC-60LE640U - not happy

you bought an entry-level edge-lit LED. unless you get an LED backlit set any led or lcd set that large will exhibit clouding. you can try and alleviate this by pouring some more money into a set with better motion processing and pseudo dimming like a sony 60nx720, or just get a plasma with a good AR filter (samsung 7000/8000, panasonic st/gt/vt)

True, backlight homogeneity has the potential to be better on CCFL-backlit models, but they are not perfect. A couple years ago, I bought a 46" CCFL Toshiba LCD and it still suffered from mild flashlighting in the corners and middle of the screen. Also worth mention: aside from a single model by Sharp (LC-60E79U), no major manufacturer produces CCFL-backlit LCDs in a 60" size anymore. The 60E79 also (to me) only has "decent" picture quality. I have not seen it in a dark room but don't expect uniformity to be perfect.


The Sony NX720 is kind of in-between set, it's not full-array but edge-lit with a software-controlled form of local dimming. It never works as well as a real local dimming set, as there are only 12-16 "zones" on the screen, but it helps. IMO Sony sets have some of the best picture quality currently available and the NX720 sets have the best picture I've ever seen from a local dimming set. They are seem to suffer a bit less from clouding vs. brands like Samsung. Of note, the NX720 series was recently discontinued so stock on these models is thin.

Full-array sets offer real local dimming, with clusters of LEDs behind the panel being dimmed independent of one another. The "chunk" clouding you may be referring to in a full-array model might be "blooming," an artifact found in full-array sets when light from an LED cluster behind a very bright on-screen object spills over into a zone that is switched off, or very dark. Proper set-up and seating distance can attribute to the severity and notice-ability of blooming, so an in-store setup may not be representative of what you'll see when the TV is set up properly. The number of controllable zones in a full-array set can also alleviate the instances of blooming. For instance, I've read here that Sony XBR models have a zone count somewhere in the mid-to-high hundreds, while the Sharp Elite models have around 330 (someone correct me if I'm wrong here).

2011 Models with Full Array + Local dimming: Sharp Elite PRO-X5FD (60" and 70"), Sony XBRHX929 (55" and 65"), LG LW9800 (55"), and a Vizio model which I don't know the model of.

2011 Models with Full Array without Local Dimming: Any of the 70" non-Elite Sharps (LE632, LE732, LE733, LE734, LE735) and the 80" LE632.

LG has an upcoming LM9600 model for this year that will feature local dimming, and Sharp will release an LE945 later this year that is also backlit with local dimming.


High-end plasmas tend to have very good AR filters that hold up well against light, although it should be kept in mind that it's still glass and isnt going to work miracles. A big window directly behind you is an environ in which I'd avoid a plasma. Burn-in is very difficult to get these days but is still a possibility.

Plasmas look best in dark or light controlled environments, but feature perfect uniformity as there is no backlight and look great during dark and mixed-contrast scenes are usually much cheaper than an LED that offering a similar level of performance.

A note on reflectivity: Aside from lower-end Sharps and already-discontinued 55" 2011 LG sets, most midrange and high-end LED sets feature a glossy panel and will reflect light to some degree.

With regards to glare and being a degree or two pointing up, put a few half inch thick shims under the back of the stand so that it will make the screen point slightly downward. This will eliminate the glare and actually produce a better viewing angle while seated from top of screen to bottom of screen. I did that with my 70 inch screen that sits on a 27 inch high stand. A proper stand height for tv's greater than 60 inches should be about 18 inches, so that center of screen is more in line with your eyes while seated. The higher the stand, the greater the angle that top of screen should be angled downwards.

Hi Jason:

Would you please post some pictures? Thanks.

When I got my 632 it initially had some clouds but in a week or two they greatly diminished and completely dissipated after a month or so. Give it few days and see if they get weaker. Not sure what menu options does 6400 have comparing to 632 but here we mostly use User, Movie, or Game settings for viewing. If your TV has advanced color controls then you can try settings posted here for 633/632 series otherwise try 6300 settings.

I have this exact same set and I have no problems with clouding at all. That or I'm blind! I picked mine up at Walmart and I'm quite happy with it. Their is a post for the 632 model which is very similar here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1376737
Also CNet did a calibration of this set in Movie mode here: http://forums.cnet.com/7723-19410_10...message5300479
Personally I'm using game mode setting by DaGamePimp for his 632 and I like them pretty well. But I wouldn't write this set off. I'm extremely happy with mine, maybe he just got a bad set?

Bill

I've got a 640u, and I'm having serious lag problems when I play xbox, even in game mode. Any advice?

Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with my set.

Was in thebrick store and me and another guy thought of all the sets that the sharp tv looked the best.i thought I checked price and it was about $1800.looked on the Internet and seen The 60 inch version of this tv is $1800.i would say there was a high probability that the tv picture settings were adjusted better than others.