Official 2012 Sharp LC-XXLE640U/XXC6400U

try the dagamepimp's settings from the 632 thread and see how they work
I was going to buy the 632 and was waiting for a big sale when the new models came out and they didn't have one, so now I'm thinking about the 640 myself.

Me and a friend went to Best Buy yesterday and he ended buying one of these. The store demo looked pretty good on this set. He gets it delivered tomorrow and will definitely being checking it out when I get time.

Using settings from a previous model is not a good idea. It could potentially (and very possibly) make it look worse than the best preset.

Give these settings a shot - they are for the 60inch version of the same panel:

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-19410_10...ateThreadPopup

Review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...-35123266.html

Related products:
Sharp LC-52LE640U
Sharp LC-70LE640U

Calibration report using these settings:
http://scr.bi/wNRiT3

Below you'll find the settings we found best for viewing the Sharp LC-60LE640U in a dim room via the HDMI input. Your settings may vary depending on source, room conditions, and personal preference. Check out the Picture settings and calibration FAQ for more information.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9996461-1.html

Calibration report:

Calibration notes: The best preset, Movie, measured too blue with a too-dark gamma initially, while primary and secondary color points were pretty far off. The available controls solved nearly all of those issues. I especially appreciated that the CMS behaved well and allowed plenty of improvement. It's not as good as I've seen on the best Samsungs, but it did allow me to achieve similar color accuracy as the best LGs.

--Picture Settings menu

AV MODE: MOVIE
OPC: Off
Backlight: STD [0]
Contrast: +30
Brightness: +2
Color: 0
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 0

--Advanced sub-menu

C.M.S. -Hue
R: -4
Y: +3
G: +4
C: +1
B: -13
M: +3

C.M.S. -Saturation
R: +3
Y: -5
G: 0
C: 0
B: 0
M: -8

C.M.S. -Value
R: 0
Y: 0
G: -2
C: 0
B: +3
M: +3

Color Temp: Low
R Gain (LO): 0
G Gain (LO): +3
B Gain (LO): -7
R Gain (HI): -5
G Gain (HI): 0
B Gain (HI): -6

Motion Enhancement: 120Hz High
Active Contrast: Off
Gamma Adjustment: +2
Black Level: [grayed out]
Film Mode: Off
Digital Noise Reduction: Off
Monochrome: Off
Range of OPC: [any]

Note: This post was edited by its original author added link to calibration report. on 03/13/2012 at 7:41 AM PT

I don't usually trust CNET settings but if those actually are accurate then the 640 is not the same as the 632 regarding calibration.

The obvious variances with the CNET settings are...

Contrast = 30 (could have some color shift to it at the upper IRE range)
Brightness = +2 (this is higher than the 632 calibrates at with either 0 or +1)
Red Hue = -4 (this needs to be pushed + on the 632 to correct flesh tones)
Red Saturation = +3 (this + can cause issues on the 632 which has an issue with Red)
Color Temp = Low (the 632's greyscale is not that accurate out of the box with any preset, Low is the most accurate OotB-632 but requires more adjustment than the CNET settings show)
120 Hz = High (no way, nuf said )
Gamma = +2 (on the 632 this would result with a roughly 1.6 to 1.8 gamma or possibly worse)

-----------------

GMAN 19030,

Red HUE should be shifted + on the 632 but you can try to lower the setting a little and see if that helps your skin tones (we have evidence of set to set variables within the 632's but there are likely even more going from a 632 to a 640).

Best of luck on the 640 (I dig the new top bezel, like it better than the 632).

Jason

I have been eyeballing this tv for a couple of weeks now at my local Costco. The price seems right and the features appear to be what I need. I am curious what your thoughts have been on this tv over the last week or so since you purchased. Is it a good buy? Are you happy with it? Any pros and cons would be appreciated.

Anyone with a 640 care to comment on the DSE (if there is any?) and if it is reduced from last year's model?

Couple questions about this set:

1) Does it support ARC? And if not, will the optical out pass 5.1, or downmix to stereo?

2) How is the adjustable dejudder? I am big fan of smoothing. Currently I am watching a Sony 46hx729 and it can do some very nice smoothing if you don't go too far with it.

3) Is lip sync issue still present in 2012 Sharps (with enhancements on)?

These arrive at BB tomorrow, and for the size and price it might be worth it for me to exchange my new Sony. 46" is a little small, but I am hoping the overall pic quality and slight motion enhancements I am digging with the HX729 won't be missed.

Regarding your question #2 all I can say is this is not something you want to be advised on by anyone else, your own eyes have to tell you when it comes to motion. We can comment on most everything but motion, some are more susceptible to motion issues than others (much like RBE with DLP) so only you can make a choice on that one. As an example I can see phosphor trails on many plasma displays where the vast majority of the population does not see them.

I suggest going into BB and asking for the remote.

Sorry, not much help there.
Jason

I was going to buy the 632 and was waiting for a big sale when the new models came out and they didn't have one, so now I'm thinking about the 640 myself.

No, that's OK. Going there tmorrow and asking for the remote. Any thoughts on Q 1 & 3?

Well I can only guess based upon the 632 that I own so I would have to say you may not be able to pass 5.1 through the tv via ARC and that you may indeed have sync issues when motion enhancements are enabled. Obviously the sync can be corrected with AVR/Blu Ray player but this seems to be luck of the draw with some having it on the 632 and others not (seems to vary by other gear in use).

I have seen the 640 in action and it looked better out of the box than my 632 looked out of the box, I didn't adjust anything on the 640 though so not sure how telling that is.

What I can tell you is that based upon the 632 these sets are tough to beat in their sale price range once properly calibrated. I scored my 60" 632 for under $1K and nothing in that range could touch it at the time, at MSRP/MAP it certainly has some stiff competition but I don't think anyone will buy the 640 at normal price.

Best of luck,
Jason

The optical out will support Dolby Digital 5.1 to your AVR for over the air content.

Whether or not the lip sync issue has been fixed is unknown at this time - waiting to see what users say once the new 640, 740, and 840 series users report once they are installed...stay tuned.

I pulled the trigger on the 60" today. Initial impressions are very good. I'm gonna keep watching for a while and report back with more details. Some quick observations...

1) Biggest TV I have owned. Very happy with the size.

2) No flashlighting, clouding, dirty screen effect. The most uniform LCD panel I have seen without a doubt.

3) Very nice motion handling. I like just a little soap in my image and the adjustable "film mode" slider lets me dial this in nicely.

Things could change, but so far I am glad I swapped my 46HX729 for this for roughly the same price.

Any chance of posting some pictures? That is good news about the quality of the panel. How is the off axis viewing?

I'll try and post some pics soon.

The off-axis viewing is about what you would expect I suppose. Nothing like a plasma, but within my expectations. I might try shimming the stand to angle down a bit. My TV stand is not a short one, and my ceiling light just catches the top of the screen for a bright, albeit diffused, reflection. That's another thing I am very happy with while I'm on the subject. I love the matte finish. I've got big windows with vinyl blinds and a lot of natural light throughout day. Definitely the right TV for the room.

I'm thinking about picking up this tv from costco. Main use will be xbox and sports in my office. How are people with this tv liking it so far?

So far I am pretty happy with it. It could be better in some areas, and worse in others. For the price I think it is good value. My most recent gripe is the black level. I was watching the season finale of Walking Dead and the night time showdown at the farm was a little hard to follow.

On a positive note, we watched Monsters Inc on DVD for family movie night tonight, and the wow-factor was very high.

Picked up a 60" model from costco a couple of weeks ago... been using the CNET settings for about the past week. It's my first LCD TV, finally moving up from a 32" HD CRT. I'm very happy with the color and picture quality. Not so thrilled about the quality of HD content available, most of what I've watched so far has had distracting macroblocking... OTA, blu-ray, Netflix streams.

My TV has noticeable clouding in the lower left hand part of the picture. It doesn't show up often while watching most content but I keep looking for it when the screen gets dark, so right now I'm finding it very distracting. It appears to be a problem where the minimum brightness for that part of the screen is a little brighter than the rest of the screen. It's only noticeable when that part of the screen is intended to be less than say 5% bright.

I'm attaching a picture taken during the day when the screen was picking up a lot of reflections. You can see the clouding in the lower left part of that picture, it's the blue-ish spot. That's about how bright it looks during viewing. The clouding looks worse as I move to the right.



I've also attached a picture taken in the dark that shows up a lot more flaws that are nearly invisible to the naked eye.



So I'm thinking of exchanging the TV, but that a PITA because I'll have to borrow a friend's truck and I'll need to figure out how to safely secure the old box back together once I drop the top back on. But before I go through all that... how much clouding should I expect? If I exchange the TV am I likely to get one with less clouding? I've never run into this on my LCD monitors, so I have no frame of reference.

I'm thinking about getting a 70" 640U, but was wondering how the new panels compare to last years since the new ones are edge lit and last years models were full backlit. Can anyone speak to the differences between the two?

Also looking at the 70 inch, but most likely the 6400U from Costco to take advantage of the extra 1 year warranty.

Looks like it comes in about $200-300 more than the 70 in 732 which is still at Best Buy. Not sure there has been enough feedback yet on the new models to compare to the 732 accurately, but Overscan's pictures and feedback above is really disturbing regarding clouding. However that argues for Costco as its relatively easier to return if you get a really bad dud.

Any thoughts on this new series compared to the 732?

I'm really trying to like this set. The 60" size is very immersive. The black levels are really beginning to wear on me though. I am about 50/50 at this point on wether to exchange for another set (possibly plasma) or not.

You think a professional calibration could help fix the black level issue?

My best guess is no. Right now, as silly as this seems, Dynamic mode is the only way I can get a show like Walking Dead (with a lot of night scenes) to not seem completely blacked out. I might keep this set, I might not. 60" is very nice and most people will say get the biggest size you can afford.

I originally purchased a Panasonic 55GT30 about 10 days ago but in the end after trying every adjustment, I couldn't get it bright enough. It was sitting in a bright room and being used day and night with kids during the day and me and the wife at night. We returned it and just today, picked up a Sharp AQUOS LC-60C6400U at Costco AKA the Sharp AQUOS LC-LE640U. The 1st thing I did was put in my copy of Avatar bluray from my PS3 via HDMI. WOW! What a picture! I'm very happy with the picture in our bright room and the mat screen is perfect with no reflections. With the Costco 2 year warranty and the larger 60" screen, this is a much better match.
I'll be making a few adjustments from here for a starting point: http://forums.cnet.com/7723-19410_10...ateThreadPopup

Have you tried controlling the PS3 with Aquos link + the TV remote? If so, do all of these functions work and map to something on the remote?

1. auto turn on/off
2. d-pad up/down/left/right for menu nav
3. symbol buttons: X, circle, triangle, square
4. PS button in order to quit an app or bluray
5. play, pause, FF/REW, stop

How is the Netflix app compared to the PS3 Netflix app?

No, I haven't had time to do all that. I just got the set about 4 hours ago. I'll post as soon as I can.