Sharp Aquos Quattron LC-46LE830U – GarageHP.com previously wrote articles about JVC Everio GZ-HM320, Gateway ID49C08u, and Nokia X2 slate. Now we are talking about Sharp Aquos Quattron LC-46LE830U, Ability to Handle Bright Rooms Well. Although it’s blessed with a solid feature set, the picture quality of Sharp LC-LE830U series falls short of most LED-based LCD TVs we’ve tested.
Last year Sharp made a splash with ads featuring Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu–George Takei–comically extolling the virtues of a technology called Quattron. With the memorable “Oh, myyy” tagline, the spots attempted to convince TV buyers that the technology, which adds a fourth yellow subpixel to the standard array of red, green, and blue, improved color fidelity. Despite covering the launch in-depth we never reviewed one of those 2010 TVs, but after spending some time with the 2011 version, represented by the Sharp Aquos Quattron LC-46LE830Useries, we’re a bit less impressed than Sulu was.
Sharp Aquos Quattron LC-46LE830U Television
If you calibrate the Sharp Aquos Quattron LC-46LE830U series properly–something we do with every TV we review–the yellow pixel has no major impact, positive or negative, on picture quality. What will have a negative impact for critical viewers are the set’s lighter black levels and subpar screen uniformity. We appreciate some aspects of its performance, as well as a feature set with Wi-Fi and best-in-class product support, but in the end the LC-LE830U does little to stand above the tough competition in the edge-lit LED-based LCD TV category.
Series information: We performed a hands-on evaluation of the 60-inch Sharp LC-60LE830U, but this review also applies to the other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality. Most of the picture quality comments can also be applied to the LC-60LE832U, which is identical except for having a 240Hz refresh rate instead of the 830U’s 120Hz.
While admirably compact with its thin bezel and panel, the Sharp Aquos Quattron LC-46LE830U looks a bit generic. Its design consists of rounded corners, a glossy black frame, and a silvery bar below the frame on the bottom edge. One accent is provided by an illuminated ^ directly below the Sharp logo–it reminded us of the Star Trek insignia–that can be set to turn on or off depending on the TV’s own power-on state.
Thinner and longer than most clickers, Sharp’s wand is plagued by lack of backlight and insufficient differentiation between the mostly too-small keys. One great feature, however, is the trio of programmable buttons that provide instant access to your favorite apps.
Sharp Aquos Quattron LC-46LE830U Design
Sharp’s 2011 menu system had been redesigned to appear above and the right of the live image. Unfortunately for calibrators, the menu design can interfere more than normal with center-screen measurements, making setup more tedious than it needs to be. On the plus side, the menus are clear and respond quickly, and we appreciated the full manual–a carbon copy of the PDF version, complete with table of contents–available in the Aquos Advantage help section along with a glossary and FAQ.
Sharp’s main differentiating feature is Quattron, a proprietary modification of the panel design used by nearly all LCDs (both LED-based and otherwise), plasmas, monitors, projectors, smartphones, and so on. All 1080p TVs have 1,920×1,080 pixels, which are typically composed of three subpixels, one each for red, green and blue, that combine to form color. Quattron adds a fourth subpixel, yellow. You can check out our “Oh, myyy!” slideshow from 2010 for more information on the technology, which is largely unchanged this year, and the Performance section of this review for detailed tests.
Beyond that the LC-LE830U is outfitted like a typical LED-based LCD, with an edge-lit LED backlight and 120Hz refresh rate. 3D is available on the company’s step-up LC-LE835U series. One feature the LC-830U has over step-down models like the LC-LE831U series is Quad Pixel Plus, another Quattron-derived mode said to improve apparent resolution and smooth diagonal lines.
A couple of other extras are unique to Sharp. IP control is designed to interface with custom installation remote control systems, such as Control 4, AMX and Crestron, that can operate over Ethernet as opposed to RS-232. Aquos Advantage Live is Sharp’s excellent live help feature, which we described in 2009.
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