Sharp LC42X20E Review

42in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

Good all round performer let down by a few minor glitches

HD Ready:

yes

Resolution:

1920 x 1080

Rating:

86%

Reviewed: 02 February 2008

Design

Sharp's trademark silvery wave makes the LC-42X20E instantly recognizable as a member of their Aquos ranges. Add ultra glossy black finish with matching pedestal, and while Sharp have not exactly created a style icon they have certainly produced a panel which stands out from the crowd.

Features

The Sharp's LC-42X20E loses the 100Hz processing and 10-bit panel found on the higher spec LC-42XL2E, otherwise the two panels are very similar in terms of their specifications.

Screen: 42in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Contrast Ratio: 2,000:1

Brightness: 450cd/m2

Other Features: TruD, RGB plus, TruSurroundXT.

Sockets: 3 HDMI, 2 Scart, S-video, component video, composite video, PC input.

A 'Full HD' native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 on the LC42X20E along with Sharp's 'Underscan' mode enables 1080-line sources (Sky TV, 1080i etc) to be shown in their pure, native fashion, which means a one-to-one pixel mapping rather than any downscaling to fit a lower resolution screen.

With some tweaking designed to remove the smear effect or jerkiness on fast moving images, Sharp's TruD picture processing engine adds to its traditional detail and contrast enhancing strengths.

A four-wavelength background lighting system (RGB plus) ensures that colours are reproduced more accurately.

The on-board SRS sound system is powered by a digital amplifier and two 15-watt speakers.

The LC42X20E has the ability to display films at their intended 24fps (frames per second) rather than the standard (for TV) of 25fps. LCD TV's without this feature will automatically speed up a film very slightly to compensate.

Performance

Very good contrast on the LC-42X20E contributes to an excellent black level performance. It is true that these days we expect LCD TV's to perform well in this respect, but blacks are notable in that they are truly black, with good detail visible on even the darkest scenes.

Like its bigger brother the LC-42XL2E, the 42X20E is an excellent choice for displaying High Definition (HD) material. Sharp have built a solid reputation for producing some of the most capable LCD TV's in this respect, with picture sharpness and fine detail a match for any flat panel

Sharp are not known for producing panels that excel with Standard Definition (SD) sources. Although the LC42X20E puts in a good SD performance, with very little on-screen noise there are some concerns with fast motion scenes. There is an element of juddering on fast pans, more so than on the LC42XL2E which has the benefit of 100Hz processing.

The other concern we have with the LC-42X20E's is the screen's colour handling capabilities. No amount of tweaking could produce a colour that we were truly happy with. Whatever the setting, colours seemed over saturated or a little washed out. Although the 8-bit panel does not seem to lose much spectrum over the 10-bit equivalent on the LC-42XL2E, tricky detail such as facial close up do lose a little detail.

Conclusion

The LC-42X20E is a good all round performer, but the lack of 100Hz processing and the 8-bit panel are detrimental to its performance. For very little extra outlay, these features can be found on the LC-42XL2E ....