"Pros: Sharp Aquos LC42D62U has Great HD picture quality with most HD channels; Nice black finish; Easy to setup

Cons: Non-HD picture quality is so-so; Some noise or artifacting during basketball games

Summary: After much research, I decided on the Sharp over the 40' Sony XBR2. There might be a slight picure quality edge to the Sony, but in the store I thought they were comparable and the extra 2 inches offered by the Sharp helped make my decision. Overall, the picture quality is very good on the HD channels, with one exception. During basketball games on ESPN, TNT, or even CBS, there seems to be some noticeable noise at times or artifacting when the action is moving quickly. When the action slows, or there are close ups, there are no issues, and the picture is great. I've heard this is more likely a broadcasting or satellite feed issue vs. TV quality issues, but I'm not sure. What's odd is I don't see any of that when watching NASCAR and that is fast action. If you are debating on this TV, ask some questions around this issue when comparing your TVs. That aside, I can't imagine the Sony or any other comparable LCD would have a much better picture than this one. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on my one issue."

    "Strengths: The Sharp Aquos LCD 42D62U is a great tv. This is my first purchase of a flat screen tv and I think it's great. The black sleak design is appealing. I bought a black frosted glass tv stand that accentuates it's form. 2 HD outputs. Superior clarity with HDTV cable connection. Exceptional movie graphics and color when combined with my HD DVD player.

Weaknesses: No HD cable included.

Overall Evaluation: Superior recommendation from friends and other Sharp Aquos owners. Glad to have it as part of my entertainment center with my new Bose sound system.

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    "Purchased Sharp Aquos LC42D62U slightly over 2 years ago. Product appeared great initially. Then horizontal bands appeared accross picture. Took TV to authorized repair facility. Verdict was that the main board was toast. A new board would cost as much as a new television and then there would be labour charges extra. Sharp seems to have a policy to charge atrocious amounts for replacement parts. Therefore TVs are only good to throw away. What a shame in this supposedly new era of ecological concern.

For the main board to burn up there has to be a design flaw inherent in the original design. Have heard of other people having the same problem and no satisfaction from Sharp.
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    "I took about 6 months, 3 magazines and tons of online info before choosing this 1080p. I wanted to spend no more than 2500 for all i needed (1080p LCD, 2-12' HDMI, wall bracket, installation, and entertainment center and Grrr TAX!) and I almost did ($2560 in 2006). This was a little better than the Samsung, and 2" bigger (42" vs 40"). ESPN kicks butt. I love everything about this LCD. The one draw back...if I sit pass 60 degrees to the side, it gets brighter (check it out for yourself)...like if you push the brightness level on your TV up high. Don't spend more than $2000 on this. Be warned, if you mount it on the wall yourself, all warentees are VOID! Have a company do it. Be prepared to buy HDMI cable and ask for one half off...at the least. Best Buy will do it, if not, get a manager next time you go in, before making a purchase. "

    "I've owned Sharp Aquos LC42D62U set for approx 3 weeks. I work in the electronics field and would classify myself as " geek ". When the time came that I wanted a tv and saw 1080p sets come down to a affordable price I started my hunt.

First off let me educate those out there who don't know the deal with DPI.Most tv we watch is in 480i that's standard analog tv in 4.3 aspect ratio. 4.3 In laymans terms means a square picture where 16.9 is rectangler. 480i on most flat screens will always look grainy and fuzzy some more than others. This sharp and the Sony xbr2 series in my opinion has the best 480i viewing. 480p is really not much better then 480i. Now we get to digital 720p or as tv's were being sold until recently 1080i. There is no real 1080i but is really 720p. 720p is what we watch and think is HI-Def nowadays through our cable and satalite companies. It does look like H-Def because it's such an improvment over our 480i that we're use to that we believe it is Hi-Def. True Hi-Def is 1080p and the only way you'll see that now is through a blueray or Hi-Def dvd. No station yet transmits in 1080p yet. They will by Febuary 2009 when the goverment rule goes into effect.

Having tried to educate those who didn't understand we'll get back to the tv. You could buy the Panasonic Plasma px60u in most stores for around 1,200. It's a 1080i set or should be called a 720p set and it will play anything out today and look great.But it's a old technology and since TV's last an average of 8-10 years it will be with you awhile.The jury is out on how much better 1080p will look over 720p since those who have seen 1080p say it's only marginally better.

This is where the sharp LC-42D62U comes into play. It's ready for the future whether we will se the difference or not and it's priced where the 1080i sets where just a few months back. The picture quality is as good as I've seen on any set. I have NO BANDING as some others have mentioned and don't see any viewing angle issues either. The set is a work of art and has the classiest design of any falt screen made today. It doesn't have all the bells and whistes some have but who really uses them anyway. I had Picture in picture on my old set and never used it. Why pay for something you'll never use.

I highly recommend this set to anyone in the market for a 42 inch tv. It's an LCD and even though some will disagree plasma tv's days are numbered. LCD is the future of all tv's.

Best set for the best price.

FYI I paid 1,799 for this set. Very Happy in every way. "