PICTURE QUALITY. It did a very good job displaying fine detail. Color accuracy was very good, with image content, and flesh tones in particular, looking natural. Color temperature was slightly on the cool side, lending images a bluish tone. Contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—was good, so images had depth and dimension, typical of most models we test. Brightness level was only fair, dimmer than most, best-suited for a darker room. Black levels were generally good, though not as dark as better performers on the darkest scenes. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model did a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. The deinterlacing and film mode operations were excellent on HD content; there was little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Sharp has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs for this attribute. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. When we viewed the TV from the sides image quality degraded significantly. The picture showed a strong loss of color, so flesh tones looked very washed out, along with a moderate color shift. Black levels visibly brightened, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was good. The picture showed some change in color, contrast, and black level.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE. Overall, very good. This Sharp UHD TV delivers full 4K picture detail, along with very good HD-to-UHD upconversion. All native 4K content we played on this model, including movies and test videos was presented in full detail with excellent image fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input using various 4K source players. Though we had no trouble playing 4K test videos from our Sony media player, we couldn't get any picture at all from our Samsung UBD-K8500 4K Blu-ray player, a problem we haven't seen with other 4K TVs. This model supports video streaming of 4K programs via Netflix and YouTube, with images that were clean and finely detailed with no visible over-sharpening. Using the TV's USB port, we were able to play back 4K videos stored on a flash drive which were encoded in the MP4 and VP9 formats, but no support for HEVC encoded files. High-resolution photos were a mixed bag, with images showing full 2160 pixel vertical resolution, but horizontal resolution was cut in half, showing compromised 4K detail on our test images. This TV claims support for HDR (high dynamic range) but only for files played through its USB port. We didn't see enhanced performance on HDR content, nor did we see any extended color capability. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing was very good, with edges along diagonals of image content showing slight jaggies, just short of the best we've seen. Only two of the TV's four HDMI inputs (HDMI 3, 4) comply with the latest HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 specifications that support play back for 4K video at 60Hz, and copy protection, a requirement for compatibility with 4K movie play back devices such as a 4K Blu-ray player.
MOTION BLUR. This Sharp TV has only fair motion performance, with significant blurring on our motion tests. This is typical of LCD TVs with the basic 60Hz frame rate. This model does not include a blur reduction feature. The visibility of blurring on typical program content is often subtle and may not bother most people, but keen-eyed viewers may detect some loss of texture and detail on scenes with movement.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. The screen is dark so it does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast even in a bright room.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has fair sound quality with below average performance. It's acceptable for typical programming, but shortcomings become obvious with movie soundtracks and music. With movies, dialog was generally clear and remained well balanced with respect to background music and other sounds. Bass was lacking as was treble detail, and the overall sound was closed in. The speakers produced a good volume—so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments without obvious distortion. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE. Overall, it was fairly easy to setup and fairly easy to do routine things. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The remote's major function buttons were sufficiently large and have high-contrast labeling, making them easier to see and navigate.
STAND ASSEMBLY. The TV's base does not come pre-attached, so some assembly is required. Mounting the support stand to the TV is straightforward, though the stand requires the assembly of one part before mounting. The TV's stand extends to the far ends of the display, which means the table top you'll be setting the TV on will need to be at least as wide as the display itself.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides advanced Internet capabilities via its "Not Stated" portal with access to a library of applications, and a full Web browser. Movie streaming services include: Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, YouTube.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs—one supports MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time). It also has three USB ports, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port. WiFi wireless networking. DLNA, to access files within your home network. Casting, to control the TV from a smartphone that has the suitable app installed. Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV. Note: HDMI and other cable connections made to the rear-facing panel will protrude beyond the panel's slim depth.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries. No printed manual is included.
