Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. Reviews

Sharp LC-60LE820UN Review

By
sharp lc60le820un review 60le820un g5
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Sharp LC-60LE820UN
MSRP $1,499.99
Score Details
DT Recommended Product
“Sharp's LED-backlit Quattron LC-60LE820UN takes its place among the best LCD televisions we've ever tested, with superior black levels, contrast and hyper-accurate colors.”
Pros
  • Excellent video quality
  • Good onscreen menu system
  • Low energy use
  • Netflix capability
Cons
  • Relatively expensive
  • No Wi-Fi connectivity or SD card slot
  • Remote should be better
  • Sound system just O.K.

Sharp LE820UN series information: Our review of Sharp’s 60-inch LC-60LE820UN is based on our time spent with the 46-inch LC-46LE820UN. The observations do apply to the other TVs in Sharp’s LE820UN series. This includes the 40-inch LC-40LE820UN and the 52-inch LC-52LE820Un. According to Sharp, the LE820UN TVs have a identical specifications (except for dimensions and weight) and the performances should be similar.

Recommended Videos

Introduction

3D TV was all the rage for awhile this year but with a lack of movies and TV programming, it’s basically loud background noise for the near term. More important are straight-ahead HDTVs that deliver good quality video at a reasonable price. The new Sharp Quattron may not be the cheapest set on the block but what a picture! Let’s see just how good it is—and whether you should buy one.

Features and Design

The 46-inch LC-60LE820UN uses an edge-lit LED backlighting system. Because of this technology it has a very thin panel—in this case 1.6-inches thick. It may be runway-model thin but it’s still pretty hefty, weighing 52.9 pounds for the panel, 66.1 including the stand. Overall the Quattron is an attractive HDTV but without the distinctive flair of Samsung, LG or the radical monolithic styling of Sony’s new LX900 series. It has a nice silver trim around the entire screen and the clear glass accent on the bottom matches the stand. Personally we’d like the silver mount of the swivel stand to be black but that’s just us. Even though the design doesn’t make a huge statement, it’ll fit right into your home. Quattrons are available at 40-, 46-, 52- and 60-inch sizes.

Although the design story for this HDTV is nothing out of the ordinary, what helps it stand apart is Quad Pixel Technology. Rather than use standard RGB (red, green, blue) Sharp engineers added yellow (Y) to the mix. Sharp has extensive white papers on this topic so we won’t bore you. Suffice it to say, the addition of yellow widens the color gamut so you’ll see more natural images on screen. In fact, Sharp claims the panel can display a trillion colors compared to the mere billions of normal HDTVs. Personally, we didn’t care what they called it and or how many colors it was capable of creating because the picture is so good.

The front of the new HDTV has a black bezel with silver trim and just a few low-key logos. Along the lower bezel are sensors for the remote control and ambient light. Like many quality HDTVs, the Sharp adjusts brightness to match your room. This set also has a cool feature you’ll never use. When you power up there are lighted indicators for volume up/down, channel up/down, input, menu and power. These are touch screen controls and you can make those adjustments when you’re two inches away from the TV. Obviously you’ll use the remote to make these changes but it’s a nice accent.

The LC-60LE820UN has a solid complement of inputs/outputs. On the right (facing the back) are four HDMI, USB and an Ethernet connection so you can head to the ‘Net and stream Netflix movies. There are also various A/V ins/outs as well as one set of component video and an RS-232C for a laptop. It’s a solid grouping but an SDHC card slot/reader would be a good addition as would Wi-Fi connectivity. The USB input lets you play back JPEGs and MP3 files but not motion video. Too bad…

What’s In The Box

The display, stand, various screws to attach them together, a cable clamp and 68-page (in English) owner’s manual. French and Spanish versions are also in this tome. A remote and two AAAs round out the package. We keep expecting higher-quality remotes with expensive HDTVs but alas that’s not the case here—or anywhere for that matter. Sharp supplies a classic candy bar-style controller with no LCD displays. It accepts the codes of three additional devices.

Performance and Use

Initial set-up of the LC-60LE820UN is a breeze as you choose between home or store setting and go on your way. With the home option, the AV mode is set to Standard rather than Dynamic (Fixed) which will burn your eyeballs, it’s so bright. Other options include the usual such as Movie, Game, x.v. Color and User. While not an ISF or THX certified HDTV, you have loads of picture adjustments at your fingertips. We used Standard, Movie and User with tweaks during our viewing sessions. We connected a FiOS cable box and Panasonic Blu-ray player to get the festivities underway.

Football season is rocking so it was only natural to see how the set’s 120Hz frequency response handled spirals and running backs in brightly colored uniforms. The Iowa/Arizona gave the Quattron a good challenge as both teams scored about a million points. We never saw any motion blur during the contest. The same held true for sprint car racing and anything else ESPN and the various sports networks had to offer. HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” also looked terrific. Run-of-the-mill programming matched the source (some good, some bad) which is what you expect from a quality television.

The Dark Knight is still a favorite test BD disc; the Panasonic player and Sharp HDTV combined for an exhilarating experience. The blacks were very deep which creates great contrast and realistic colors. We even got really close to the screen to see if the annoying LCD screen door effect was evident—it wasn’t—so the video was very natural-looking. As noted we couldn’t count a trillion colors but what we saw was quite appealing.

Sound quality was just O.K. as it has a 10 watt x 2 speaker array with a 15-watt subwoofer. The set has an ersatz surround setting but it’s not nearly as pronounced or good as SRS TruSurround. Sharp should’ve gone for something better. In either case, this HDTV really needs a complementary sound bar or true 5.1-system to match the top-notch picture.

Conclusion

The Sharp Quattron HDTV is among the best LCD HDTVs we’ve tested. Although still not as good as a top plasma, the edge-lit LED LC-60LE820UN has good blacks, deep contrast and very accurate colors. We love the fact there is hardly any “screen door” effect and the Ethernet/Netflix capability is a plus. And don’t even think the $2,399 MSRP is anywhere near reality; we’ve seen it for between $1,300 and $1,500 at legit online retailers. That’s more than a solid 120Hz, 46/47-inch edge-lit LCD HDTV but it’s a worthwhile investment.

Highs:

  • Excellent video quality
  • Good onscreen menu system
  • Low energy use
  • Netflix capability

Lows:

  • Relatively expensive
  • No Wi-Fi connectivity or SD card slot
  • Remote should be better
  • Sound system just O.K.
Topics
David Elrich
David Elrich
Former Digital Trends Contributor
David has covered the consumer electronics industry since the "ancient" days of the Walkman. He is a "consumer’s"…
Beats Studio Pro hit a low price ever during Cyber Week
Beats Studio Pro, folded, in front of case.

The Beats Studio Pro are a great set of noise-canceling headphones. I liked them enough that even at their regular price of $350, I gave them a 3.5/5 in my full review. But with a wild Cyber Monday deal that seems to be sticking around for Cyber Week, that drops their price by 42% to just $200, I'm sorely tempted to give them a much higher score.

If you're already a Beats fan, you don't need me to tell you that the Studio Pro look great. The sleek, fully integrated headband gives these cans one of the lowest profiles in the headphone world. It's not just for show -- the Studio Pro offer an excellent balance of comfort and stability. I'm not a big fan of using full-size, over-ear headphones at the gym or while running, but if that's your bag, the Studio Pro are probably the right way to go.

Read more
Get a portable HD projector for only $300 from Amazon’s Cyber Week sale
The Xgimi MoGo 2 portable projector placed outdoors.

If you're thinking about getting a projector instead of taking advantage of Cyber Week TV deals, but you don't want to handle a big and bulky device, the good news is that there are portable models like the Xgimi MoGo 2. It's on sale from Amazon with a 25% discount, which brings its price down to a more affordable $300 from its original price of $400. You'll have to act fast if you're interested in this offer though, as there's no telling how much time is remaining before you miss out on the savings of $100.

Why you should buy the Xgimi MoGo 2 portable projector
Xgimi has several entries in our list of the best projectors, including the Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro as the best portable 1080p projector. The Xgimi MoGo 2 is its more affordable version, and while it's not as powerful as the Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro with 1920 x 1080 resolution, it's still a pretty worthwhile purchase, especially with Amazon's discount. The Xgimi MoGo 2 is capable of up to 1280 x 720 resolution, but at the same maximum brightness of 400 ISO Lumens as its cousin, and it also offers Intelligent Screen Alignment and Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance, which makes setting up the projector much easier.

Read more
Bose QuietComfort headphones are down to only $199 for Cyber Week
Woman wearing Bose QuietComfort Headphones in green.

Best Buy is offering a huge discount on a fantastic pair of noise-canceling headphones: the Bose QuietComfort, originally sold for $349, are available for a more affordable $199. They're made by one of the most trusted brands in the audio industry, so you won't regret taking advantage of this bargain, but you're going to have to hurry with your purchase because there's no telling when this chance at $150 in savings ends. It's one of the most attractive headphone deals in the market right now, so we won't be surprised if it disappears soon.

Why you should buy the Bose QuietComfort wireless headphones
Bose pioneered the development of active noise cancellation technology, so it's not a surprise that its current flagship model, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, sit on top of our roundup of the best noise-canceling headphones. The Bose QuietComfort cut certain features, but if you just want wireless headphones that will reliably block the sounds from your surroundings so you can focus on the streaming shows that you're watching or the playlists that you're listening to, then they're going to be more than enough. They also have an Aware Mode that you can activate if you want to hear what's going on around you without taking them off, such as when you're crossing the street or giving your order at a café.

Read more