Sharp Aquos LE700 (LC46LE700E) review

It's important not to forget about all the other strengths of Sharp's new LED engine, such as a frequently excellent black-level response, exceptionally vivid colours, and good HD sharpness when images are relatively static. These are enough in themselves to ensure that the LC46LE700E is never less than a good TV. But the fact the TV has these strengths doesn't invalidate our disappointment that the 100Hz processing doesn't bring more to the party.

We also have to take serious issue with the LC46LE700E's picture presets, which, for the most part, are almost spectacularly bad, requiring extensive manipulation of everything from colour, contrast, backlight-level, noise-reduction and motion-processing settings before you get a picture that's anywhere near the best this TV is actually capable of.

One final disappointment is provided by the LC46LE700E's audio. It fails to produce levels of volume, bass and dynamism that do justice to the size and vibrancy of its images. If you end up going for this TV, you'll probably also want to factor in the cost of a separate audio system.

Conclusion
In many ways, the Sharp Aquos LC46LE700E is another fine example of the advantages LED backlighting can bring to LCD TV technology, with pictures that are occasionally downright spectacular. But, even with its 100Hz processing, the LC46LE700E isn't immune to quite noticeable motion blur, preventing us from being able to give it the unbridled recommendation we hoped we'd be able to.

Edited by Charles Kloet