Sharp Aquos LC46XL2E review

Performance
We liked the sound on the Sharp. We didn't struggle to hear dialogue and we didn't have to crank the TV up to maximum to get more noise out of it.

Freeview performance was actually good. We had to spend some time adjusting the picture settings -- reducing the backlight and such -- but we're pretty used to this now, although we'd prefer manufacturers set up their TVs for home use, rather than for looking good in shops.

Although we had our player set to 24p, we weren't convinced about the TV's ability to handle motion. There were times when moving shots looked blurred and lacked the fluidity that we're becoming used to on modern TVs. Setting the HD DVD player to output regular 1080p seemed to improve the situation slightly, and HD output looked good.

Upscaled DVD fared well too, with our Mission: Impossible test disc showing impressive enough quality. Of course, 46-inches does show up a lack of detail in standard definition, but that's to be expected.

We also had to adjust the sharpness to get the detail to where we wanted it to be. While we were content with the picture, we don't like the sharpness controls on TVs as a rule because they tend to introduce halo effects around the edge of the picture. The TV did do a good job de-interlacing TV material though, something we've criticised Sharp TVs for in the past.

Setting up the TV to look good with all kinds of material took time and patience, but we did manage to get some colour settings we were happy with.

Conclusion
If value is a driving force in your purchasing decisions, you might like to consider that at the time of writing, Sharp is giving away either a free home install or floor standing mount, both of which it values at £200. More interestingly, you can also get the Sharp Blu-ray player for £200 off the retail price, making it £200. If you don't have a high definition player, this could be an excellent package for you to consider.

Still, the Sharp doesn't perform as well as we would have liked on HD material, although it is curiously competent with Freeview material. Its slick design and ease of use might well make it a good choice for someone who doesn't have any real interest in HD.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday