The Sharp AQUOS D92U series, including the LC-52D92U, LC-46D92U and LC-42D92U, is a premium LCD HDTV offering from Sharp. All models are Full HD 1080p resolution and have enhanced black levels with an Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 15,000:1. Being 1080p consumers can enjoy movies on Blu-ray and games on PlayStation 3. In line with the FCC mandate, the AQUOS 92U models all come with analog (NTSC) and digital (ATSC) tuners. They also have a QAM tuner for digital cable channels.

Response Time

Sharp dominates the competition with the AQUOS series very fast 4ms response time. Response rate refers to the time for a pixel to change colors in milliseconds. A faster response time reduces the risk of motion blur effect (streaking or ghosting) LCD televisions are suspect to.

Viewing Angle – Multi-Pixel Technology

For viewing flexibility a wide viewing angle is desirable and most LCD HDTVs achieve 170 degrees or over – 176 degrees in the case of the AQUOS 92U series. The dimming and color washout of the image on an LCD screen as you increase you viewing angle from the centreline of the display is due to the physical structure of the LCD pixels. Sharp’s proprietary Multi-Pixel technology improves viewing angles by up to 60%. Multi-Pixel Technology divides each pixel into two sections and adds an advanced driving system for improved color reproduction at wide viewing angles. Sharp believe that the technology gives better color saturation and brightness in the horizontal viewing plane up to 176 degrees.

Unfortunately, there are differences in how manufacturers measure viewing angle so it is something that should be checked out in-store.

Generation 8 Sharp LCD

Sharp’s AQUOS 92U Full HD LCD TVs are being advertised as Generation 8. This industry term refers size of the glass sheets from which LCD glass screens are cut (doubling every 1.5 years since 2000 according to Corning). Generation 8, introduced by Corning in 2006, is typically 2160 x 2460 mm (approximately 7 feet by 8 feet). There are economies of scale savings that come with the larger glass sizes of each generation.

Corning has had a long-term supply agreement with Sharp since 2006 and is the largest glass substrate supplier for Sharp’s Generation 8 at Shizuoka, Japan. Corning’s EAGLE XG glass used at Shizuoka is the first LCD substrate to contain no added heavy metals (arsenic, antimony and barium) and is also free of halides. Corning touts it as the most environmentally friendly LCD glass presently on the market.

Viewing angle technology sensitizes the image to different glass thicknesses so tight control of thickness during production is essential. Other glass characteristics sought for LCD production are low density, high chemical durability, advanced thermal properties, and a pristine surface. Corning forms their glass sheets in air (proprietary fusion process) producing surfaces flat enough that no grinding or polishing is required.

Five Wavelength Backlight System

Previously Sharp have used a four wavelength (four color) backlight system so five is a step up in color mixing capabilities. Having previously added a crimson to the primary colors (blue, green and red) Sharp has now added a deeper green. Sharp emphasise that the Five Wavelength Backlight System enhances the dark red and dark green parts of the color spectrum so that the viewer will see more realistic reds, even off-axis, and also realize more accurate black levels. A greater color gamut to work with delivers more realistic colors on-screen.

LCD Motion Blur Reduction

LCDs are prone to motion blur primarily due to LCD pixels remaining lit between frames unlike the rise and fall of pixel lighting with other display technologies. As well as reducing pixel response time, LCD manufacturers have moved to combat motion blur through a doubling of the refresh rate to 120Hz. To produce the faster refresh rates the video processor creates an interpolated frame between each existing frame making motion appear smoother for the viewer. Sharp simply call technology 120 Hz Frame Rate Conversion and other LCD manufacturers have their version with Mitsubishi having Smooth120Hz, Toshiba – ClearFrame, LG – TruMotion Drive and JVC – Clear Motion Drive II.

Contrast Ratio

The Sharp 92U models have excellent contrast ratios of 15,000:1 (dynamic) and 3,000:1 (static). Static contrast ratio refers to the ratio of the luminosity of the brightest and the darkest color a display is capable of displaying simultaneously at an instant in time. Dynamic contrast ratio is the maximum ratio of the luminosity of the brightest and darkest colors a display is capable of displaying over time.

While contrast ratio is commonly considered the most important aspect of picture quality, it should still be balanced by other factors such as color saturation, color accuracy and resolution.

Connections

Sharp AQUOS 92U models have a good range of available connection with 3 HDMI (for 1080p signals from devices such as PlayStations), 2 HD 1080p component video inputs, 1 DVI-I and an RS-232 for PC input.

Other Sharp AQUOS Models

The latest release, premium AQUOS LCD HDTV models are the Special Edition SE94U models which have the latest display panel technology from Sharp. Among other improvements the latest display panels boost the dynamic contrast ratio from 15,000:1 to 27,000:1. The headline feature of the SE94U models is the delivery of customized Internet content and live customer support via Ethernet, viewable in full-screen, split screen or sidebar format. Distinguished by an attractive new Cornerstone design these models also have an extra composite video connection.

The Sharp AQUOS D64U models don’t have the latest Sharp Advanced Super View (ASV) panels and have a 4 rather than a 5 Wavelength Backlighting system which means a lightly narrower color gamut and less true-to-life images. There is a drop in dynamic contrast ratio from 15,000 to 10,000:1 and static contrast ratio from 3,000 to 2,000:1 which blacks might not be as deep and some of the detail in darker scenes may be harder to see. There is an extra composite video input.

The Sharp AQUOS D62 models have one more HDMI port but drop the PC Input and RS232 connection for custom installations from the D64U models.

User Reviews and Price Comparisons

Visit the following online retailers to find competitive prices, user reviews and product ratings.

Sharp Aquos LC52D92U 52″ 1080p LCD HDTV

Sharp Aquos LC46D92U 46″ LCD Flat Panel HDTV

AQUOS LC-46D62U 46″ LCD TV

Extended Service Plan

Sharp AQUOS LC52D92U 52″ 1080p LCD HDTV LC52D92U

Sharp AQUOS D92U 52 LCD TV – 52 – Active Matrix TFT – ATSC, NTSC – 16:9 – 1920 x 1080 – HDTV

Resources

LC-52D92U | LC-46D92U Operation Manual (PDF 2.7MB)

Specifications for Sharp AQUOS LC-52D92U, LC-46D92U and LC-42D92U 1080p LCD HDTV

Technorati Tags: Full HD, Generation 8, Corning, Five Wavelength Backlight, LCD Motion Blur Reduction, Static contrast ratio, Dynamic contrast ratio