Sharp LC-32GP1U
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Review By: Kimberly Child
Console-based video games--whether played on the Microsoft Xbox 360, the Sony PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Wii or something else--are a major reason why people buy HDTVs. So it stands to reason that most manufacturers have a game mode on their HDTVs, which usually involves brighter picture settings, claims of eliminating lag between the controller and onscreen action, and other hyperbole. Sharp has had a picture setting labeled "game" for quite a while, but the LC-32GD1U is the first HDTV it's marketed specifically toward gamers. The meat behind the marketing consists of a prominent Game button on the remote and 1080p native resolution. The latter feature is difficult to appreciate on a 32-inch HDTV, and despite the prominence of the button, it doesn't seem to have much effect aside from switching inputs.
As a gaming display, the LC-32GD1U doesn't offer any more than your typical LCD, and although its overall image quality is nothing to sneeze at, it's hard to justify the Sharp's relatively high price. Design Sharp dressed its best 32-inch LCD TV the same as its larger brethren, such as the 52-inch LC-52D92U, and we like the look overall. A squared-off frame of glossy black surrounds the screen, and along the bottom there's a strip of chrome that bows downward in the middle like a sly grin. Below the chrome is an area of microperforated plastic that hides the speakers, and a glossy, black stand that seems a bit large for a TV of this size. Including the stand, the set measures 31.4x23.3x10.8 inches and weighs 44 pounds.
Remove the stand, and you get a panel with dimensions of 31.4x20.9x3.8 inches. The company has been using the same remote for years, and the LC-32GP1U continues the tradition. It has full orange backlighting, the ability to command four other pieces of gear, keys that are nicely spread out and differentiated well, and a generally logical button layout. We say "generally" because the key to control aspect ratio is stashed clear at the top of the long wand, the one for freezing the image is given an unduly important spot near the main directional keypad, and the one for changing picture modes is hidden beneath a flip-up hatch.
At the top of the Sharp LC-32GP1U's feature list is 1080p native resolution, which surpasses that of any other 32-inch HDTVs we know of. All of those extra pixels allow the set to display every line of 1080i and 1080p sources, although you'll be hard-pressed to see the difference even from a close seating distance (see Performance for more). As always, all other sources, including 720p HDTV, DVD, standard-definition television, and computer sources are scaled to fit the available pixels.
We were impressed that the Sharp passed the HQV test for preserving all of the resolution in film-based 1080i sources, a test that many HDTVs we've reviewed recently failed. Screen uniformity on the LC-32GP1U was very good for an LCD. There was none of the "banding" that plagued this set's larger brethren, and differences in brightness from one area of the screen to another were slight and didn't show up on program material. We also liked the fact that off-angle viewing didn't wash out or discolor the image too much; the Sharp's image maintained about the same quality when viewed from an extreme angle as the Samsung's did, and it was much better than the Vizio's.
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