21. The Sharp Aquos LC32D6U Is The World's Fastest TV Set

If you're looking for a fast TV set for animation with total fluidity, you can consider the LC32D6U.

If you're familiar with our test method, you know that it doesn't coddle the panels we test with it. Well, the LC32D6U achieved a latency score of 6 ms in the best cases. And we're talking about a real 6 milliseconds, and not some ersatz gray-to-gray latency measurement. That result makes the LC32D6U the fastest TV set ever tested by THG!

Here's a little tip for taking full advantage of the speed - don't adjust the contrast beyond 52. Beyond that point, latency increased.

Video Quality

(Score: 3)

The LC32D6U has excellent video qualities. First of all, the image has impressive fluidity, leaving competitors far behind. The colors are good, if a little cold by default and viewing angles were perfect.

But on the downside, video noise was quite discernible here and there. On color masses, a vertical-line effect was quite visible. That's very unpleasant, since noise in the form of lines or columns is particularly bothersome because the human eye detects geometric shapes more easily. Note that you may not necessarily see this effect, depending on the player you use to play DVDs.

Interpolation

The quality of the interpolation was good, but no more. The contour of the images was a little soft. That was especially noticeable in video games.

PC Mode

The PC mode worked well but suffers from poor ergonomics. Once you switch to PC mode, you lose a lot of adjustments, including color-temperature. That can be a problem with certain movies. It's a shame that Sharp didn't take more care with the PC mode.

Sound Quality

(Score: 3)

The sound quality was quite decent, with the speaker bar running across the lower part of the panel doing its job well. The sound was well balanced, with good separation. But you will need to limit the volume to enjoy it, since at high volume, distortion was audible and the highs began to hiss.

Conclusion

(Overall score: 3.5)

As you've no doubt gathered, we were a little disappointed in this set. Personally, I expected more (maybe too much?) from it. Ergonomics is the area where the shortcomings are hardest to overlook from an audio-video giant like Sharp. Still the LC32D6U is a good TV set, and if you're a gamer, it may be what you're looking for due to its unmatched responsiveness.

Conclusion

In the end, which TV should you buy to start off the new year? The answer to that obviously depends on your budget. For general-purpose use, we recommend the Samsung LN-R328W. Its video qualities, at low as well as high definition, are impressive and its price is really affordable for a TV this size.

But, if pure performance is what you're after and you can spare the extra cash, the Philips 32PF9630 will make you very happy. For $1,600 you'll have the best LCD TV set currently available and probably the best 32 inch set we've ever tested!