Sharp’s Top Rated Televisions

Sharp is one of the shorter poppies in the LCD television field. LCD TV brand comparison sometimes leave them out altogether, and television features guides often skim over the hype-heavy talk when it comes to Sharps. However, consumers often find that Sharp TVs are one of the best buys they make in their lifetime! If you are trying to decide between the big three S’s of LCD TVs – Sharp, Sony and Samsung – we have a look at what you get for your Sharp dollar. We’ll also give a couple of their more popular models and in-depth look.

Sharp and Sony
Sony is world-renowned for quality, and one of brands that television features guides often consider worth spending the extra money on. It is a little-known fact that Sharp actually supply Sony with their LED backlights for LCD television sets – they have just recently expanded the alliance and will actually be jointly producing the next generation. If Sony considers Sharp technology to be solid, reliable and high quality enough to use in their own brand, that’s a big pat on the back for Sharp.

The Sharp Aquos
One of their most popular models worldwide is the Aquos – several incarnations of this especially large, especially well-priced LCD television with good quality have made it to 4.5 stars on Cnet’s American user reviews. Consumers say that the Aquos is the best brand of LCD television available, and that the picture quality is excellent.

Sharp television reviews in Australia often say that while the sound quality is not up to Sony’s standards, for example, if you will be hooking your LCD TV up to a sound system anyway there is little point doubling up on sound features that you won’t use. Buyers with a separate sound system represent a good proportion of the market now – hence the Sharp’s popularity.

Popular Sharp LCD television models
SHARP LCD TV 42/106CM (LC42D77X) FREE XBOX PROMO* – $ 1,817
This model is renowned for its excellent picture quality, and surprisingly good sound, even without an external sound system. If you’ve been put off by stories of backlight clouding in earlier models, the D77X series has cleared up the issue completely. The number of features for the price is great – you get:

• 100Hz Motion Advanced
• 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
• Optical Picture Control
• 7 day program guide inbuilt
• Digital amplifier
• Swivel stand included

SHARP 40″/100CM LED(LC40LE700X)FREE XBOX PROMO* – $ 2,275.00
This LED television shows up in Sharp television reviews of the brand’s best models. This was among the most expensive models on the market when it was released in mid to late 2009, but good HDTV online stores are already offering prices like the one above, representing a discount of over 35% on some retail prices. When that ticket includes a free Xbox and an extended warranty of three years, there is simply no comparison! This LED television has quite low power consumption for its size – 160W in operation.

Sources:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4566-6475_7-0-2.html?filter=1000036_3808780&tag=mncol;page
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080904180712AASQn3w
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Sony’s Top Rated Televisions

Sony is widely recognized as the gold standard when it comes to quality, in television features guides. Their technology does what it says it will, the sets don’t break and generally don’t have bugs, the construction is solid and stands the test of time, etc. However, there are also a lot of people that say that you can just as enjoyable a television viewing experience at a much lower price! Here we check out what needs a Sony television meets, look at Sony television reviews and have an in-depth look at some of their best selling LCD television models.

Sony – A household name
Sony as a company is seen as an innovator and a standard-setter. They created Sony’s first hardware device in 1950, and marketing ingenuity of the founders helped make them a household name as much as the quality of their products. Have a look around on the forums and you’ll often find that people go with Sony when they want quality assurance and longevity, but are not necessarily looking for the cheapest priced model with certain features.

Common Sony features
Every LCD television brand has its own marketing lingo for the technology that has been developed in the industry as a whole. For Sony, here is some of the marketing speak you might see, and it’s real-world meaning:

• Picture in Picture, Picture and Picture: Watch two programs side by side, or with one in a smaller box inside the other
• Motionflow: a technology to reduce edge blur, similar to Motion Advanced in Samsung models. Especially useful for sports-lovers and those who play games on their LCD television.
• Live Colour Creation: A method of increasing the saturation of colours on screen to produce a more vivid picture
• Mpeg noise reduction: Better picture quality when watching mpeg movies, good for those who like to connect their computer to their LCD television

Sony has spent a lot of time working on their sound technology, and have trademarked quite a few terms for the way they do things. For people that don’t own a separate sound system, this is good news – the sound quality will match your awesome picture quality. You have several sound modes and surround modes, can enable voice zoom, and there is a twin 10W audio output engine, where many LCD televisions have a single 10W output power.

Popular Sony LCD television models

SONY LCD TV 22INCH/56CM(KDL22S5700S) – $ 763.00
One of the most budget-friendly ways to enjoy Sony quality is in the smaller sizes. This 22 inch model has the same attention to detail in the manufacturing process, but a shorter list of features – no ultra-high resolution, no additional colour, contrast and motion technicalities. However, you can still Bravia sync, still get the great audio, and have things like PIP/PAP. This model has great power consumption.

SONY LCD TV 40INCH/100CM (KDL40Z5500)FREE PS2 PROMO*  – $ 1,975.00
You don’t have to look far to find cheaper models for the same size as this LCD television – yet Sony television reviews rate it consistently as excellent. The list of features with this TV is to big to go through here – all of the technologies covered in the introduction are included, plus many more. These models are extremely future-ready – with the LCD television market looking increasingly to interact with computers, these Sony LCD televisions have HDMI, USB, Ethernet and HD15 PC input connections, among others. The Motionflow processor is a 200Hz, compared to other brands’ 100Hz standard processor.

Sources:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-tv-should-i-buy/1083541-sony-still-good-tv-brand.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/tvs/?filter=1000036_3808675_500961_113205_&tag=mncol;dir2
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/1079392.html
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http://www.buytvsonline.com.au/sony-lcd-40-kdl40z5500.html

Samsung’s Top Rated Televisions

Samsung won the Cnet Editor’s Choice award for HDTVs for three months out of 2008, and consistently get excellent consumer reviews for their televisions. Today we are looking at the LCD TV brand of Samsung, checking out what sets it apart from the rest, and what you can expect from a Samsung set. We are also checking out some of their top-rated television models in Australia.

Samsung = LED technology
Samsung is one of the brands most often associated with LED technology. Pop ‘LED television’ in Google and check the ‘Pages from Australia’ option, and you’ll find five of the top ten results mentioning Samsung as a brand. They are considered online to be equivalent in quality to Sony LED televisions, but much lower priced.

Common Samsung features
Every television manufacturer develops their own version of common technologies. In the Samsung LCD TV brand, you’ll often find features like:

• Mega dynamic contrast – ultra-high dynamic contrast ratios resulting in good picture quality for low lit scenes
• Colour Enhancer Pro – enhances the saturation of colours on screen to deliver more realistic pictures
• 100Hz Motion Plus technology to remove edge blur
• 40% lower energy usage compared to equivalent sized LCD models in the past. Make sure you compare it to other current models as well though!
• Crystal Design – this refers to the ultra-slim design of the television

Popular Samsung LCD television models
In order from lowest priced to highest priced, here are some of the Samsung LED and LCD television models that consistently make it into people’s favourites lists, and get excellent feedback.

SAMSUNG LCD TV 22″/55CM (LA22B450) – $ 591.00
One of the best priced Samsung models available, people love the model for the brand backing and range of features compared to the price ticket. This LCD television model includes:

• Dynamic contrast ratio (helps improve picture quality and clarity)
• HD tuner
• DNIe+ image processor – a slightly less advanced version of the Fine Motion Advanced and Colour Enhancer Pro features on their LED models
• Game mode – gives better picture quality in high-motion TV viewing situation like for sports, playing Xbox, and watching action movies.
• Wide Colour Enhancer 2

SAMSUNG LCD TV 32″/81CM (LA32B450) – $ 880.00
The cheapest 81cm television that maintains good quality in television features guides will usually be a Samsung. If it’s size you’re after, this LCD television model offers a lot of bang for your buck. It has the same features as the LA22B450 model – the screen size accounts for the difference in price.

SAMSUNG LED TV 32″ (UA32B6000)  – $ 1,655.00
The uninitiated often pass this Samsung model over in favour of it’s sister above, which is the same size but half the price. There is a massive difference in future-readiness represented by that single letter in their title – LCD versus LED. In this LED model you get all the Samsung-specific technology we looked at in the beginning of the article:

• Mega contrast ratio
• Motion Plus
• Colour Enhancer Pro
• Crystal Design
• The energy efficiency of LED

They are extremely easy to wall-mount, and won’t be superseded any time soon.

SAMSUNG LED TV 55″ (UA55B6000)BONUS LCD PROMO – $ 4,167.00
These LED televisions are mainly differentiated from those above by their size – one of the largest screens commercially available in Australia are these 55″ monsters. You get a bonus 22″-26″ LCD television when you buy this one – one of the best television features guide bonuses we’ve seen yet! Takes your total screen size for dollar to upwards of 77″ – plus all that hot technology from the UA32B6000 is yours.

Sources:
http://www.buytvsonline.com.au/products/?filter=31
http://www.buytvsonline.com.au/samsung-led-ua55b6000.html
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http://www.buytvsonline.com.au/samsung-lcd-la32b450.html
http://www.buytvsonline.com.au/samsung-led-ua32b6000.html
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What Size Television Do I Need?

Big televisions certainly look impressive. They help draw you into what you’re watching, making every movie an hilarious, heart-wrenching or terrifying experience. They are easy on the eyes at all ages, and as producers start designing their shows with finer details, they are definitely more future ready. However, size overkill for your LCD television is a real possibility – not every customer needs a 55″ screen. Our HDTV size guide explains the situations where each sizing range is suitable, and what other features you can expect along with that screen diameter.

How do HDTVs measure up?
HDTV size guides all refer to the diagonal measurement of the television’s screen – don’t measure from left to right, and then go yell at your retailer! This is the industry standard for size measurement.

How low can I go?
In standard LCD televisions (not portables or computer-connect screens), you’ll find sizes as low as 11 inches. When you consider that optimal viewing distance is between 1.5times and 3 times the diagonal screen measurement, though, you would want to sit around 16 to 33 inches away – between half a metre and a meter – to get the best out of your display. That’s little more than the distance from a desk chair to a computer monitor!

What size LCD television will be best for me?
As we just mentioned, optimal viewing distances with LCD technology are between 1.5 times the diagonal width of the screen, and 3 times the diagonal width of the screen. So the easiest way to figure out what size television will suit you best is to measure the distance between your planned seating, and planned TV placement. Multiply it by 1.5 to get the smallest LCD television that you can view optimally, and by 3 to get the largest that will suit your space. The ready-reckoner below helps give you a rough guide to viewing distances for common screen sizes.

What is the acceptable range?
This HDTV size guide isn’t hard and fast; people still managed to watch The Simpsons not that many years ago, on 10 inch cathode ray sets, and still laugh at all the jokes. If you will be sitting further than 3 times the screen distance you can afford, your television certainly isn’t a waste of money – you’ll understand things perfectly, and probably not be annoyed by loss of picture quality minute to minute. However, you do miss out on the immersive feel of widescreen and HDTV.

Other sizing considerations

• If your television will be placed inside an entertainment unit, don’t base your space calculations on the screen size. Look for total dimensions in the product information – if they aren’t available, consult the retailer.
• You will need to leave space for ventilation if placing inside an entertainment center, also.
• If you want to wall mount your television, make sure you look at the total weight as well as the total size. LED televisions are generally best for wall mounting – they are usually quite thin.

Price-Based Buying Guide for Big Screen TVs

If you’re buying a new HDTV, price will factor into your decision at some point … unless your address is in Beverly Hills, 90210! There is a huge range of factors that goes into pricing televisions; when it comes to the all important final number, bigger doesn’t mean you’re getting something better. Today we are looking at some of the best models in each price bracket in our HDTV price guide. All prices quoted are current at the time of printing, and in AU dollars.

Under $2000
PALSONIC LCD 15INCH/38CM (TFTV384HD) , $349
What a bargain for an LCD television! You wouldn’t be able to buy a digital set top box and a decent cathode ray television separately at this price – in that respect this television is great value for money. Buy an extended warranty (currently around 2 years for $119), and you don’t have to worry about brand and reliability issues, and can simply enjoy the extremely low price. Contrast ratio is not exceptional, at 400:1, but still good viewing quality in correct conditions.
SONY LCD 40INCH/100CM (KDL40W5500)FREE PS2 PROMO – $1869
We couldn’t go past this deal, even though it is not a standard price. Sony is one of the most respected electronics brands, and they are giving away a free PS2 with purchase of one of their 100cm LCD televisions. There is a bonus 3 year warranty with this model also. It is heavy and will chew the power, but has a host of awesome technology, including Bravia sync, USB and Ethernet connections, as well as Motinflow, LiveCOlour and Theatre Mode.

$2000-$3000
SAMSUNG LED TV 40″ (UA40B6000)BONUS LCD PROMO – $2575
LED televisions are a more advanced technology than LCD televisions, and won’t date as quickly. This is the most budget friendly of the LEDs – and when you are getting two televisions for the price of one, there is nothing to complain about! This Led model comes with a bonus 22-26″ LCD television, and also has an ongoing impact on your wallet – power consumption is up to 40% less than LCDs.

SAMSUNG LCD TV 55″/132CM (LA55B650)BONUS LCD PROMO – $2860
Size is one of the most important factors in television price, and this is the largest model in this price bracket in our HDTV buying guide. 132cm wide – plus you get a bonus 22″-26″ LCD, as with the model above. The 100Hz Motion Plus technology helps make for awesome high-speed viewing technology.

$3000-$4000
SHARP LCD TV 52/117CM (LC52D77X)FREE XBOX PROMO – $3135
Right at the bottom end of the price bracket in our HDTV buying guide is this Sharp LCD television, with a free Xbox valued at $749. It ticks all the techie boxes – 52″ wide, 50,000:1 contrast ration (dynamic), and 100Hz Fine Motion Advanced System. Can be power hungry, though, at 269W operating power.

Over $4000
SAMSUNG LED TV 55″ (UA55B6000)BONUS LCD PROMO – $4167
At this pricing level, budget minded folks are best sticking to the bottom end of the HDTV price guide. This is a huge, well-made television, with the more advanced LED display so is less likely to become obsolete in the near future. You get the power consumption advantages of the LED television, as well as concepts like Wide Colour Enhancer Pro, removal of picture-edge blur and mega contrast ratio.