Sharp Aquos LC-32LE340M

As part of outfitting our hangout destination I’ve spent the day scouring about appliance centers and testing possible tv systems for integration. Now I was working within a general budget and had found a 39” TCL panel that looked to be a perfect candidate with its price… the bezel was too thick however and so after switching malls, I chanced upon this particular Aquos model at the Robinsons Appliance Center which had a nice frame and an enticing tag as well which eventually ended up in a box which I took to camp.

At home we have a Samsung Smart TV as well as 2 LG Plasmas, theres also the LG LCD in the province so this would be my first encounter with a Sharp panel; The Aquos branding has been long in existence and this screen apparently is already a tenth generation panel.

There are two models from Sharp that is very similar with the prime difference being the ability to read video data from a media storage along with a 600Php additive (which really is a no brainer considering the ease of use that the particular feature provides.

The bezel around the TV is quite manageable, unlike the TCL one that I was looking at whose bezel is almost twice the width of this one… it isnt the thinnest but its certainly thin enough to be discreet.

One major consideration I had for picking this one out was the overall thickness of the profile. Most of what is available now has forgone the thin body for something more robust which really is a mystery to me; It’s good that some manufacturers still create these: they’re light on the eyes and generally light in overall weight.

There isn’t much articulation with this model as it can’t be rotated or tilted at all. It just stays in an upright position all the time so unless it is mounted on a tilting and swiveling mount, the best way to view content from it is generally head on. Viewing angles are very wide so there wont be any problems when looking at it from the side to accommodate plenty of viewers.

There isn’t plenty of connectivity options with this model as well: just an RGB (PC Analog), one HDMI, AV and Component ports, one USB port, an audio out, and a headphone jack.

Above you can see it running a USB3.0 Terradrive which is very convenient as opposed to changing sticks and loading content unto them. It seems, for the short time that I’ve been acquainted with this screen, that the best resolution to watch on it is at 720p; of course that doesn’t mean you cant play higher resolutions on it, but 720p is more than enough to deliver wonderfully sharp and detailed content. In the documentation, the screen resolution is just 1366×768 but when you plug a computer in and set the resolution it goes up to 1080 but isnt exceptionally sharp especially the text and icons.

Special features include the ECO modes which lessen the power consumption and a  visual color calibration which is almost like setting a camera white balance, you do this while whatever is on the screen is frozen. At first I thought the panel was a bit dark and reddish but eventually I got it to somewhere very pleasing and vibrant.

If there’s anything wrong with the way this panel behaves I would have to say that upscaled resolutions tend to seem muddy and isnt the best viewing experience as far as I’ve tried… it might be a different case now that I’m at ease with how the colors appear. And the remote control… completely forgotten with regards to design language.

All in all its a neat little package and a very nice entry into large screens if there ever was one. The interface is simple and straight to the point; the UI is very visible, and above all the power consumption can be mitigated. Here’s to better translations of ideas with the help of this panel!

This can be had for nearly 19k retail at the Robinsons Appliance Center and probably most other hubs where TVs can be purchased.