Sharp Aquos LC42D64U 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Absolutely fantastic picture - blows away my 5 year old Hitachi Plasma and is 1/3 the cost. I wish it would turn on a little bit quicker (seems slower than my other HD TVs), but I can manage. I'd like to see a little better "stand by" timing setting. The factory default is 15 minutes to go to stand by after lost of signal - that seems like 14 minutes too long to me. (Allow consumers to set the time value, Sharp) Would also like it to automatically turn back on when it detects a signal. Here's an idea for the TV makers - how about allowing the speakers on the TV to be the center channel speakers on a 7.1 system? The TV is obviously the center of most AV system so why not allow for that?

Way to go Sharp!

I will start out by saying I first purchased a "62U" but it had some burned out pixels so the 64U is a replacement. In a weird sort of way I'm sure glad I now have the 64U. It is certainly thinner and a bit better sound quality and the picture is fantastic.

Having now done this twice the main piece of feedback I want to give is regarding using Buydig.com. I checked the AMZ site for more than a month and read reviews and jumped in. I had read several positive reviews about the buydig delivery process. On the AMZ site about every third day bugdig showed up as the lowest price so that sealed the deal. I totally agree that the shipping company they use (Manna) is very efficient with great communication throughout the process. Unlike FebEx or UPS, they call first and schedule a time within a 4 hour window (nice). Then I received another call when the driver was about 10 minutes out which was very cool.

I paid $1389 which included std shipping. It took about 7 days but hey...that was part of the deal. I decided not to upgrade since I wasn't in a hurry.

And oh...the first Sharp was purchased at Costco. Great company and the return went fine but one thing I learned that once they sell out...they are out. No more Sharp 42's until this model goes away I suppose which could be several months.

Great Value! Picture is outstanding and thin size of LCD screen very appealing. I highly recommend this HD TV.

Could not be happier with this purchase, especially after agonizing over the decision for months. Was trying to decide between the Sharp, the Sony and the Samsung, also looked at the Westinghouse as I have one of their 32 inch sets and have been happy with it.

Eventually chose the Sharp due to the small footprint for the screen size, and that I got 2 extra inches of screen for essentially the same price or less (Sony and Samsung are 40"). Also, I'm a gamer, and the Sharp accepts the 1080P signal through the component inputs on the Xbox 360 just like it says it does. The others may as well, but I couldn't find any literature documenting it, and good luck with the salespeople at electronic stores.

I clearly made the right decision, the picture is outstanding after some tweaking of the settings. Bear in mind you might not be happy with the set out of the box; give it a chance, you will be rewarded. I have looked for the banding everyone talks about, and as yet have not detected it, and I have been REALLY looking for it.

As for the comparison with the Westinghouse, this TV is a clear step above it in quality and contrast. I still love the Westinghouse, but this set is definitely worth the extra money. This is a very easy product to recommend.

I spent a lot of time reading reviews and specs (including here on amazon) searching for the right lcd. I'm glad I selected this one. Everything about it is great, the picture, the sound, the thin size. I couldn't be happier. Couple that with amazon's great shipping that not only was free, but the delivery guys unboxed, assembled, and placed it for me. Oh, and did I mention that buying through Amazon saved me about $650 off the price at two local, chain stores. If you're looking for a 42" lcd, BUY THIS ONE.