Home > Consumer Reviews > Sharp Aquos LC32D43U 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

In my opinion, the Sharp LC-32D43U and LC-32D42U provide the best overall value for the money, when compared to comparably priced 720p native resolution LCD TVs.

I have owned the Sharp LC-32D42U for 4 months now and I couldn't be happier. The Sharp LC-32D42U and LC-32D43U 720p TVs are identical, with these exceptions: The 42U has a low-gloss frame with a silver base while the 43U has a high-gloss screen frame with a black base. (The 42U is a lower cost warehouse version and the 43U is a higher cost department store version.)

One downside to these Sharp TVs is that they reportedly do not do well deinterlacing or recognizing 3:2 pulldown when fed 1080i signals. However, when fed their native 720p signals, these TVs perform beautifully. Some reviews also mention subpar standard-definition 480i video processing (I rarely watch analog TV or VHS); fewer picture adjustments than many LCDs (this has not presented a problem for me); inability to change aspect ratios with HDMI sources (this won't bother purists who appreciate a movie director's intended aspect ratio). When fed a 720p signal from a cable or satellite box, HD reception looks great. (Sharp also recommends that the 720p output setting be used with Blu-Ray and HD players.) I have not experimented with the computer input, but most people report being satisfied with it.

In spite of its faults, the main attraction of these two Sharp LCDs is that they produce outstanding picture quality with 720p input: Deep blacks, vivid contrast, accurate colors and a very fast 6ms refresh rate which makes a big difference during fast motion scenes. When viewed next to comparably priced Sony, Samsung and Toshiba LCDs with 8ms refresh rates during fast panning and other fast motion scenes, the clarity of the Sharp TVs is vastly superior. This fast refresh rate is also the reason that many gamers prefer the Sharp TVs.

Unlike several other LCD brands, all of the Sharp digital processing (automatic brightness, enhanced picture contrast, black level expansion and digital noise reduction) can be disabled. The LC-32D42U can be found in the $700 range, making it a much better buy than its higher priced fraternal twin, the LC-32D43U. Also, the industry trend toward low-gloss LCD screen frames (such as the one found on the LC-32D42U) makes good sense, because black matte screen frames do not reflect room light or show dust and fingerprints.

Admittedly, the Sharp TVs do not have the greatest sound. However, the Sharp TVs can be configured to variable stereo audio output (simultaneously muting the TV's internal speakers) and the volume level of external self powered speakers (I am using an Altec Lansing 3-piece computer speaker system) can be controlled with the Sharp remote. Wireless headphones can also be used, with full volume control from the remote and the TV also has an optical output which can be used to direct digital sound to a surround sound receiver.

Make sure you carefully examine the picture using the actual unit you will buy, and if you are mail ordering it, make sure you have a good return policy that allows returns for screen defects. Sharp will NOT replace units that have even very noticeable flaws. I have a unit with a region of dim pixels the size of a pea, and they consider it to be 'within spec', and WILL NOT replace it. I made the mistake of taking it to the authorized repair facility, instead of returning it to the vendor immediately. It took them four weeks to finally shoot me down, by which time I could no longer return it to the vendor. Now I own a very expensive television that makes me angry every time I watch it. NICE JOB SHARP!!! They will definitely be at the bottom of my list for my next purchase. Too bad, I used to like their sets.

We have had our TV for about 3 weeks. At the time we made our purchase we thought we were getting a top of the line TV for considerably less than what we would have to pay locally. After installing it we had some issues which turned out to have nothing to do with the preformance of the TV. I was able to work out these issues by email. Sharp support via email is fast and to the point. They know their product and the issues customers are likely to face.

Shortly after our purchase I noticed the LC32D62U on the Amazon website which offered 1080p resolution. I had been told that the 1080p is quite a bit sharper. I tried hard to find the flaw in the LC32D43U but couldn't. I noticed the complaint of one reviewer about the time delay in going from a regular channel to a high definition channel or vice versa. I didn't see it. In the final analysis I have nothing to criticize about the LC32D43U. The picture is as sharp as any LCDTVs I have seen in the stores. The physical design is excellent. We use a component set up so do not depend on the TV speaker system. I have not seen a better deal for this quality anywhere else.

In terms of fundamental specs, the LC32D43U looks modest on paper compared to the 46" 1080p 120 khz monsters that the big box electronics companies want us to aspire to, but in the real world, this set provides a pleasingly vivid image that does serious justice to good sources. True, 32" looks deficient next to the monster sets on the Best Buy wall, but I was surprised at the great level of detail that this size gets you without squinting - as long as you're at an ideal distance (5-8 feet) you won't need to strain your eyes to see every whisker and wrinkle on a newscaster's face, every football player's number. Also, for those new to the HDTV shopping game, the 720p resolution is really indistinguishable from the more impressive sounding 1080p until you reach much larger sizes (and you have your hands on the rare media that actually takes advantage of such resolution). So while the basic specs don't impress, they should be more than adequate for 5 - 10 years of viewing without being leapfrogged by the Joneses... especially given the pleasing quality of this set's image.

Given high quality sources like a Blu Ray movie or fast-paced, high-res videogame like Burnout: Paradise City, I was impressed with how well the LC32D43U handled some of the more vexing issues LCDs face. With the fast pixel response time, fast action scenes didn't seem to cause any detectable blur. Black areas of the screen, while at times not quite as revealingly detailed as some of the most high-end sets, displayed a pleasingly deep shade of black. If you change the settings to the most mild color temperature, the color is impressively accurate, never begging the picky viewer to mess with the color settings... All in all, I have found it much more of a struggle to find images that do justice to my TV than the other way around.

There are a few minor let-downs. The speakers are useless for anything but low volume watching when you don't want to wake up spouses/kids/roommates. I plugged this TV's audio output into the line input of an unused Klipsch iPod dock and thought they made a nice match, doing justice to the image quality. As I mentioned, black levels are nice and dark, but the detail in those dark areas of the screen can fall somewhat short of the highest end Sonys at times (not nearly enough to be worth nearly double the price, at least for me). The remote is solid and functional (I especially like the customizable "favorites" buttons that let you quickly access 16 of your favorite channels), but not as intuitive as, say, your Tivo remote - common functions are spread out all over the 10-12" remote, forcing you to do a little bit more hunting and pecking to operate than would be ideal.

All in all, this is an excellent and attractively designed TV at a great price, producing vivid images, yet compact enough to not dominate a room. If you're not trying to be the neighborhood Superbowl destination (I'm sure there's someone on your block with a wall-filling Sony competing for that prize), you can't go wrong with this great set.

I put a good amount of research into this purchase and I can't say that I am surprised at the two flaws to this model that I encountered. Like others, I find myself very frustrated with the Auto-Backlighting feature that operates even when turned in the "off" position. It's the perfect of example of what happens when you take a decent, yet inherently flawed concept, and execute it in a poor manner. On top of that, building it into the system as a default rather than an option, and making it difficult to steer away from it, further complicates its ineffectiveness. For those who have not read anything about this feature, it basically attempts to adjust the relative level of light in a scene based on how much light is being shown in the current image. The problem with this is that it slowly (read: greater than one second) adjusts to the new level of brightness, and the effect is very annoying when watching a scene with shots of alternating bright and dark images. The feature dims and brightens and it looks as though your set has gone crazy. In short: I hate it.

In addition to this, I am dissatisfied with the quality of the sound that the small speakers attempt to project. I was not expecting much and nor did I receive it. I will be purchasing a receiver and a separate set of speakers to provide a quality of sound that matches the picture quality I am viewing.

Aside from those two details, I am a big fan of this TV. The picture quality is great, and using an HD DVD player, or even an Upscaling DVD player, image quality is spectacular through the HDMI ports. It being summer, I have yet to watch any HD programming but I assume it will look as clear and precise as the HD DVD content I have watched.

The price is unbeatable for what you are receiving, and the speaker quality should be excused considering the relative cost. I will likely not buy another Sharp Aquos again, even though I like this set, simply because I cannot stand the Auto-Backlighting feature. If there is a way to turn it off, I am absolutely unable to find it. As I said - even in the OFF position, it's still on! What could be more annoying than that?!