[Fikse]

I've been looking into purchasing a 29" -32" flat panel TV....


I saw the Sharp LC-30HV2U and Sony KE-32TS2 side by side and I was very suprised by how much better the Sharp LCD looked compared to the Sony 32 plasma.


The Sharp's LCD was brighter and had more detail than the Sony plasma. When I looked closer at the Sony plasma, I could see what looked like moire patterns, similar to what you see when you scan a magazine print into a computer. The Sharp LCD didn't have the patterns like the Plasma...


I thought I was ready to buy the Sony, but after seeing them side by side, I think I'm leaning towards the Sharp.....


I would also like to see the Samsung LT295W, but need to find a store in South Florida that has one in stock....

 

[rogo]

You should try to see the Sony again to make sure it wasn't just something in the setup, i.e. another store. Still, if you like the Sharp, buy the Sharp. A long-time member here has one and likes it a lot.

 

[markrubin]

I have the Sharp LC-30 and love it- its brightness is its strong point- see a review here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=189037


I also have a Sony KZ-32TS1- good set but I like the Sharp better: both have very quiet fans (the Sony fan goes to max RPM on power-up, then slows down)


the Samsung just started to appear in stores- Harvey Electronics has one on display in store by me


note the Sharp will look the best displaying an HDTV picture, but is not as good displaying SD (like compressed DSS SD signal)


Mark

 

[Iaen Sullivan]

I have the Sharp 30". Mostly, it is superb. Three things bother me a little.


1. Viewing angle is nowhere near 170 degrees. This varies with the signal source & channel. The move from AT&T cable to Directv satellite made a huge difference for the better. If your viewers are spread out, this could be a problem. Suggest you walk around in the store a bit for viewing wide angles. Mine starts to wash out around 4 feet off center screen at a distance of 6 feet.


2. The A/V control box gets really hot. I have a laptop fan running on it any time it's on.


3. The remote is slippery, huge & poorly laid out. I use a Samsung satellite receiver box remote for volume, etc. The Sharp has settings for Movie, Games, Dynamic, Standard & User. The User setting allows you to change brightness, sharpness, hues, etc. The others are static but seem about right for nearly any feed.


I cannot hear the fan. I haven't even seen HDTV on it yet. The local channels look great with an old antenna, some are better than via satellite.

 

[neomoz]

That moire effect you describe isn't moire but in fact it's dithering artefacts. All plasmas since the can only display 256 levels of grey internally process at a higher colour depth level, most are 9-10bit digital image processing, problem is when you sample at a higher bit rate but need to display it on a medium that has fewer bits you need to half-tone the image to simulate those extra colours. Most plasma's on the market do this and it can be bothersome when you very close to the unit, but at normal viewing distances your eyes blend the dithered regions together giving the impression of smoother colours.


I'm not sure whether the sharp does more than 256 native greyscale colours, but I half noticed a lot of lcd's seem to process images internally at 8bit and don't really use half toning. I have heard of newer lcd's that can display 10bit colour natively, not sure if the sharp is one of them.

 

[Fikse]

thanks for the feedback..... I went to another store that had both today, and the sharp looked better again.... sound advice wanted $5,000 for the 30" Sharp.... and then they told me it doesn't come with the side speakers... I'm pretty sure it does...


as for the viewing angle.... that does worry me a little..... does anyone have the sharp mounted on a wall? I plan on mounting either the Sharp 30", or the Samsung 29" on my bedroom wall....


It looks like the Sharp has a standard VESA mount on the back... anyone know for sure? if it does, then I can use an articulating wall mount so I can rotate the unit slightly towards the bed when we're watching it... also how long is the special cable they use from the tuner box to the TV?


the Samsung 29" appears to only use Samsung's wall mount... which doesn't rotate, just tilts....


lastly, anyone know where I can get a good deal on the Sharp 30"? The best price I could find online was ~$3800....

 

[markrubin]

the Sharp 30 does come with side speakers standard (I took mine off)


$3800.00 is a very good price for the LC-30(I think there is a $500.00 coupon from Sharp)


Mark

 

[Fikse]

wow... $500 coupon.... any idea where I could find it? I looked through www.sharpusa.com, and found a $100 rebate on Aquos TV's but it only goes up the 20".....


$3800 - $500, would have me buying it right away... its a little difficult explaining to my wife why this 30" TV is going to cost more than our 65" widescreen HD set....

 

[markrubin]

wait a minute-


I think the coupon would already be reflected in the $3800.00


last time I checked, the dealer cost was $4300.00


Mark