Sharp, the inventor of the LCD, proposes its new line of Full HD televisions, the AQUOS XD1Es which range from 37 to 46 inches.

We selected the 46 inch equipped with the latest generation of panels with a 4ms response time and typical contrast ratio of 2000:1. These are the current highest specifications for this type of technology (see box).

First off, let’s take a look at connectivity. There are two 1080p compatible HDMI inputs, however, there is some slight disappointment from the fact that the VGA also serves as a YUV input which comes with an adaptor. Either way, there is still the integrated digital TV tuner.

Starting with SD sources like digital television, we noticed a comb effect typical of poor scaling. We continued with DVD playing and the conclusion was the same with stair-like curves.   Tru-D electronic processing is indeed here to add more depth, however, it doesn’t make any corrections. 

Moving on to HD shows us the true potential of this TV. All the defects previously encountered disappear making room for a large quantity of detail.   There is a stable image without shimmering nor marked video noise – and this was really appreciable!  In certain sequences, our test model nevertheless showed banding (horizontal bands darker than the rest of the image).  In order to remedy this, Sharp reviewed its product and has ensured us that the problem was solved for production lines.  Otherwise, it is covered by the two year warranty found on their website. 

Connected to a PC, the screen is immediately recognized in "Sharp HDMI".  The only snag is that part of the image is missing in the Windows tool bar.  Luckily, Sharp has planned on including an "Underscan" function directly accessible with the image format button found on the bottom of the remote.
This brings us to colors by default which are once again set beyond 10000°K in dynamic  mode.  We can only suspect this was done to flatter the eye of the potential buyer. 

We then went into the OSD to try and correct colors. Sharp went the sober route in this area, because there aren’t too many options here. We can only recommend going into standard image mode to set the color temperature to low.  This allows you to attain 7000°K, which is much more reasonable, and an average deltaE of 5.2 instead of 8 (keeping in mind that our LG LB1R remains unbeatable with 2.4).  

Concerning the panel’s response time, we found the "Action" button and thought it might have been for games. However, upon its activation the screen started to shimmer noticeably and we haven’t really been able to understand its actual purpose because reactivity remains unchanged.  As for noise, absolute silence fanatics may be a bit disappointed with the power source making a light noise. Nevertheless this becomes inaudible for those using a fanned HD player such as the Xbox 360.  Finally, note that a distance of at least 2.20m is necessary to fully benefit from this screen.  

One last word on dead pixels…This Japanese manufacturer will exchange the panel with a single dead pixel, something rather rare and which deserves to be mentioned.