Review of the Sharp Aquos 70-inch LED TV

Among the growing family of Sharp Aquos TVs, the newly released70-inch LC-70LE732U LED TV is the largest yet. It is also the largest by a fairly wide margin; the next largest Sharp Aquos TV (by diagonal length) is 60 inches. As mentioned in the TV ads, the 70-inch screen in 62 percent larger than the 55-inch class of TVs. While at only 3.5 inches thick, the TV is a bit hefty for an LED display; the 60 inch displays are about 1 9/16 inches thick, while some of the 40 inch models are just over an inch thick, not including the base stand. The LC-70LE732U weighs about 100 pounds, which surprinsingly is about the same as the 60 inch models. Considering that similarly-sized CRT displays would weigh hundreds of pounds more and offer a much lower picture quality, 100 pounds doesn't sounds unreasonable. You'll just need some help getting it home and (if desired) mounted on the wall.

With the extra weight and thickness comes the benefit of a magnificent 70 inch LED display that renders every last bit of detail from HD programming to blu-ray video. The LC-70LE732U has an excellent 8,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 1920x1080 HD resolution that produces crisp, rich colors and details. The TV uses and LCD display (as most "LED" TVs) do, but uses LED backlighting. LED stand for light-emitting diodes; they run coolor than standard CCFL backlighting and therefore more energy efficient. They also require less space (making TVs thinner) and provide greater brightness and enhanced contrast.

While the LED backlighting has become almost standard among new LCD-based TVs, the LC-70LE732U, like all Sharp Quattron Series TVs, has a unique feature that seperates it from the crowd: the color yellow. Instead of the standard RGB (red-green-blue) color filter, the Quattron TVs use RGBY, which includes the color yellow. The addition of yellow expands the range of colors the TV can display, and particularly enhances certain shades of blues and yellows. Sunflower yellow, carribbean blue, and sparkling gold are a few of the colors Sharp claims are rendered much truer by the RGBY color filter. The RGBY filter does in fact make a noticeable difference. We suggest comparing the Sharp Aquos to any other LED TV in the store - yellows appear much richer on the Sharp.

While 3D TVs have managed to capture only a small portion of the HDTV market, Sharp has decided to include the 3D option on many of its new TVs. The 70-inch LC-70LE732U, however, is not one of them. The lack of support for 3D on this model was a bit surprising. After all, if you are going to get a 70-inch TV, you'd probably expect all the bells and whistles - even the ones you may never use. One of the more practical features the TV does have, however, is the AquoMotion 240, which is designed to reduce the blur associated with quick-paced action, particularly during sports games. Improvements such as this help narrow the performance gap between LCDs and plamsa displays when it comes to fast-motion video.

Sharp's LC-70LE732U has some other desireable features worth mentioning, such as built-in Wi-Fi, a USB viewer with music player that allows you to listen to digital music files and browse pictures, 4 HDMI ports, and one ethernet input. Just a few additional technical details: the TV has a standard 4 ms response time, a viewing angle of 176 degrees.

The Sharp Aquos LC-70LE732U LED TV currently retails for about $3,100 on Amazon.com. While this price will surely drop over the current months, it is not expected to decrease quickly. The TV is one of only a few to break the 70-inch barrier and, as an LED with quattron technology, is truely in class by itself. If you are looking for one of the best - and surely the biggest - TVs on the market today, the Sharp Aquos LC-70LE732U LED TV may be the one for you.