HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality is excellent. Though we ultimately got the picture to display excellent HD detail, adjusting the picture settings is not a straightforward process (see ease of use). Color accuracy is very good, with flesh tones in particular, looking natural. Contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--is good, so images have some depth. Black levels are acceptable, though not the deepest, so dark scenes won't look hazy (though quality does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle). Image brightness is good (with the backlight control turned up), making it a suitable choice for all but the sunniest rooms. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model does a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. There is slight display non-uniformity that creates brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). Severity can vary from model to model. The deinterlacing and film mode operations are excellent on HD content; there is little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
UHD PICTURE QUALITY. 4K UHD picture quality is decent and HD-to-UHD upconversion falls short. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, have image detail that falls short of 4K resolution, and is no better than HD, when played back via the TV's HDMI input. On the other hand, high-resolution photos are displayed in full 4K detail when played via the TV's USB port. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing falls short, revealing some visible jaggies along the edges of diagonals when playing HD content.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. HDR performance has very limited effectiveness. The display's lack of high peak brightness capability (by HDR standards) limits its ability to show the benefits of HDR on 4K content. There is no significant contrast revealed between moderately bright and very bright highlights within a scene, while the brightness levels in the mid-to-lower tones, like those in an indoor scene, are preserved. It does a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail from black to white, with no obvious banding on areas of the image that have subtle shade variations. There is no visible loss of detail within the highlights of the brightest areas. Brighter colored objects remain nicely saturated.
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 view the TV from the sides image quality degrades significantly. The picture shows a strong loss of color, so flesh tones look very washed out. Black levels visibly brighten, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle is good. The picture shows only a slight change in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. This Sharp TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. This model does not include a blur reduction feature.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has good sound quality; about average among the models we've tested. When watching a blockbuster movie, a concert, or TV show, it delivers decent performance but falls short of the better performers. Bass is somewhat lacking in depth and a bit in definition, treble lacks detail, and the overall sound is a bit closed in. The speakers can play at a fairly loud volume level and without obvious distortion. All told, most people would find this sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The HD picture has aggressive noise reduction processing turned ON by default (UHD picture was fine), a feature we could not access in the settings menu with the supplied remote. However, via a Roku app downloaded to your personal mobile device you can adjust both the noise reduction and gamma settings. Noise reduction should be set to OFF by default. The remote has a simplified design with a reduced set of buttons that support on-screen navigation. It also provides convenient direct button access to streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, Sling, and DirecTV NOW. Consider the TV's stand is 41 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on.
INTERNET FEATURES. This Smart TV provides Internet functionality via its "Roku TV" portal with access to a library of applications. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and HBO Now. Claimed support for external voice assistants (not built in to the TV) include: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant.
CONNECTIONS. This model has three HDMI inputs-- one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one composite input, and no component input. It also has one USB port, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port, WiFi wireless networking; DLNA, to access files within your home network; Casting, which allows you to send streaming content from your mobile device to the TV via your home network; Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A quick start guide. An electronic user guide via the TV's menu. A remote control with batteries. A detachable power cord. No printed manual is included.
