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Sharp D64 Aquos Series LCD Discussion

44K views 52 replies 29 participants last post by  SkyYYZ 
#1 ·
Sharp Electronics today announced immediate availability in Canada of the new AQUOS D64U series of full-HD 1080p LCD televisions which feature Sharp's proprietary Advanced Super View (ASV) / Black TFT Panel with Multi-Pixel Technology.

The AQUOS D64 series features an innovative re-engineering of the internal circuitry and a reduced number of parts, to create the thinnest large screen flat panel television in the industry(*). The body of these new TVs is approximately 25% slimmer and almost 20% lighter than previous AQUOS models.

The D64 series also features a thinner bezel, and close-contoured hidden speakers, maximizing the screen size possible within the available space. This revolutionary design improvement, coupled with easily accessible side terminals, provides much more flexibility in wall-mounting applications. The new AQUOS models are available in 42-inch (LC42D64U), 46-inch (LC46D64U), 52-inch (LC52D64U) and 65-inch (LC65D64U) screen sizes.

"By making the AQUOS D64 series smaller, we've effectively made them bigger," said Kevin Andrews, Display Product Manager, Consumer Electronics, Sharp Electronics of Canada. "With this elegant, space-saving design, consumers can now fit a 42" screen into about the same space that a 40" TV would previously have taken up."


The D64 line also comes equipped with a host of connectivity options including: three side terminal inputs: one HDMI(TM), one component, and one composite. In the rear, there are two additional HDMI(TM) inputs, one component, two composite, one S-video, a dedicated PC input and RS-232C for system control. The HDMI v1.3 and component inputs are compatible with 1080p signals from Blu-ray and advanced gaming devices.

Manufactured at Sharp's state-of-the-art Kameyama LCD factory, the company's ASV panels feature decreased colourshift and improved LCD performance; Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 10,000:1; Sharp's 4-wavelength backlight system for improved black levels; 176 degree viewing angle and 4ms response time.

All new models are Energy Star qualified and feature reduced power consumption compared to previous AQUOS models.
 
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#27 ·
Hmmm, banding is a panel issue has nothing to do with Component or HDMI feed. If the panel has banding it will be there from day one, its not something that will appear at a later time nor is it something that will go away at a later time.
As far as returning the TV it just depends on how much the banding bothers you and how picky you are.
 
#28 ·
Banding issue - NOT

With some input from 57 and some further investigation it turns out that the problem was a ground fault loop on that outlet.

It appears that the ground wire came loose from the retaining screw in the outlet box. I reattached it and the banding (which in this case was horizontal and not vertical) disappeared.

Thanks for your help
 
#29 ·
Bought the LC42D64U at Future Shop on Boxing Day and have had it for a few days. I love it so far, then again, I had a JVC 27" CRT for the last few years :) Still on SD as Novus ran out of the HD/PVR units.

I was worried about the sound without external speakers, but its just fine for my small living room.

I was joking with friends that watching a movie was so theater-like, I turned off my cell phone!
 
#30 ·
Sharp AQUOS D64U Firmware Update?

How do I know whether I need a firmware update? My Sharp is brand new and the update is from October 07. I know that I can download on a USB, and go through the software update option on my TV.

This is the updated firmware AQUOS D64U Series Version U0709111 Firmware

Thanks
 
#31 ·
My D64U experience so far

Happy to share my experience. I had been considering the 42" D64 along with the 40" Samsung 69 series LCD. I saw both sets side by side at a local dealer (in Markham) on Boxing day and both looked amazing with Chicken Little playing on blu-Ray. The Samsung was definitely brighter with deeper contrast, but the picture looked almost "too 3D" (perhaps the 120hz technology?). Also the Samsung cost $350 more. After some negotiation, I picked up the Sharpe for $1550 (tax incl) and got same day delivery. So far I've seen no noticeable banding issues. The NHL winter classic in HD looked fantastic. I've also been using it as my pc monitor with no issues. My only criticism is that it seems to be somewhat slow when flipping channels.
 
#32 ·
Follow Up

I've been using the TV for a little over 3 months now. Picked up an HD Rogers box (Pace 551) and set it up with an HDMI cable. The picture looks pretty nice. I do notice a jitter when I watch sports broadcasts, particularly the players in a hockey game. I seem to not really notice it much anymore, but a buddy came over to watch a game and it bothered him. I'm pretty happy with it so far though. I've been running it as a PC monitor (and yes the fonts are a bit small), but it is outstanding - almost too bright. I've been playing some Call of Duty 4 on it at 1920 x 1080p resolution with all settings maxed out. WOW :eek:!

Just wondering if anyone knows about the software update that was released on Sharp USA's Website? Any idea of what updates/additions it has?
 
#33 ·
Ok, so I found a list of fixes for the D64 series on another forum:

Issues addressed with latest firmware (U0709111) from Sharp USA for the LC-XXD64U series of LCD Televisions.

1) Fixed issue where some analog channels are lost when channel search is performed.
2) Fixed issue where SAP might not be detected when the audio reception from the tuner fails.
3) Fixed issue where the component signal might not be detected when a DVD playback signal is present.
4) Optimized the picture parameter to improve picture noise.
5) Corrected the LVDS timing so that the Fine Motion function corresponds to 50 Hz.(For LC-65D64U)

Symptoms which are also corrected:

• While viewing Analog TV, the Analog TV picture will become muted if the HDMI cable is unplugged and plugged it in again.
• While viewing DTV, picture flickering may appear if the picture position is shifted.
• During the fine sync adjustment on PC input, a vertical line may appear at the right side of the screen.
• When a RF signal without a colorburst is input, the color system is not detected correctly.
• When the system software update has finished, the “System software was successfully updated. Remove the USB memory device.” message will be displayed. At that time, if any channel change or AC power off/on is performed, the OK button will be displayed without highlighted.
• When the signal input was set to INPUT6 (HDMI) and Analog sound input is selected in user menu, if the signal input is changed from other another HDMI input to INPUT6, the HDMI digital sound comes out.
• When a DTV channel without EIT (channel information) is selected, a narrow character appears on CC (Closed Caption) for a moment.
• When the 3D-Y/C setting was set to either of Low and High, if the channel is changed during the viewing of Analog TV broadcasting, the 3D-Y/C setting will be returned to Standard.
• Color detection (NTC/PAL-M) takes a time. Or no color appears on PAL-M.
• Screen may flash in green if no Analog TV signal is input for a while.
• When the picture freeze is performed during the viewing of DTV, if the sound mode is changed by the audio button, the picture will be muted after the picture freeze is disabled.
• When a VCR picture is input, the picture may flash.
• While in the brightness adjustment, the picture may flash.
• With a HDMI equipment, which is compatible with CEC, is connected to the set, if the power off/on is done, one of operation keys for AquosLink becomes disabled.
• Picture may become dark for a moment at the time of the first scene when the picture scene is changed.
• The surround setting becomes enabled by pressing the surround button even when the AQUOS AUDIO SP is set.
• Picture color becomes faint on an Analog TV channels below a certain chroma level.

Read the instructions carefully and decide for yourself if this is something you need or want to do.

I make no claims or accept any responsibility if you mess up or kill your TV.

Once you do a "firmware update" there is no going back if you don't like something. It's not a magical fix and won't do anything for "banding" or "stuck or dead pixels".

If it isn't broke, don't rush to fix it. Evaluate your set and see if you would benefit from the update.
 
#34 ·
I tried to do this update (from UO708071 to UO709111) and it seemed like it was doing it, but the version remained at 071. It did the checking, showed me my current version and the update, the screen went blank and then live TV came on. No message about successful update.

Any ideas?

Thanks



Ok, so I found a list of fixes for the D64 series on another forum:

Issues addressed with latest firmware (U0709111) from Sharp USA for the LC-XXD64U series of LCD Televisions.

1) Fixed issue where some analog channels are lost when channel search is performed.
2) Fixed issue where SAP might not be detected when the audio reception from the tuner fails.
3) Fixed issue where the component signal might not be detected when a DVD playback signal is present.
4) Optimized the picture parameter to improve picture noise.
5) Corrected the LVDS timing so that the Fine Motion function corresponds to 50 Hz.(For LC-65D64U)
 
#35 ·
OK I am new to TV's that do everything under the sun so be gentle with me..lol I purchased the new Sharp 42" on boxing day. 1) I have noticed with hockey for 1 that I did see a jittery effect, but it was not on the game play but a side camera near the boards after the play. I found it a bit annoying, is this a problem with the set?

2) I have a high def box hooked up and I also have my wifes beloved PVR non high def hooked up on a different input. (I bought it 6 months ago so we are stuck with it for the time being) It all works fine. I do experience one problem though, on switching the inputs from high def to the pvr box sometimes the screen goes nuts and you get a green collage of pixels. If I try to go back to the original input I came from it happens in there too. I found the way to solve it was to turn the set off and wait to hear a click from within the set, then everything is OK to go again.


3) Just how do you hook up a laptop to the TV. What connection do I use to go out of the computer and which to go into the tv. Is it any good for lets say a golf sim game?


Look forward to your help here. Remember be gentle I am getting to old to learn new stuff lol
 
#40 ·
Hey Gabagoo,

Resonses to your questions:

1) What HD box do you have? Do you only notice the jitter on the hockey with the handheld in the corner? I don't get this all the time myself. Some shows are prefect and using my PC to game is perfect. I have a Pace 551 receiver using the HDMI out.

2) Not sure about the green flash. Usually a green flash with a digital signal means it's lost the signal (i.e. the TV isn't seeing the signal). Try power cycling the PVR (turn it off, then back on).

3) There are several ways to hook your laptop up the the TV:
a) if the laptop has a VGA out (a 15-pin connector, usually blue colour, female sex) use that into the VGA input on the TV (I think it's marked PC/Input 7).
b) Use an S-Video cable (it's round with 2 sets of 2 pins and a keyway on the bottom middle) and plug that into one of the inputs on the back (can't remember which input number it is).
Either way, you need to enable "Clone" mode on your monitor (right-click on your desktop -> Properties -> Advanced tab -> Click on 2nd display -> check "extend monitor") You'll then need to click on the "Properties" tab and enable the "Clone" mode in the video card driver. Consult the manufacturer of the laptop for help on that.

One thing about the laptop - most have mediocre video cards, so you won't be able to play games at full 1920x1080 resolution. You may only get 1024x768 out of it. It will still look pretty good. The golf sim will be great because of the size. Play around and enjoy.
 
#36 ·
I called Sharp support. The customer rep told me to try to load the unextracted firmware update file. That did not work and froze the TV. I was able to power down, remove the USB and continue viewing. I then called Sharp support back and they could not figure it out, I have to call Sharp Canada Support and get a tech out here.

Has anyone else had the update not go through from when the screen goes blank? It seems that it can see the updated file, but cannot go through the update process.

Any ideas?

I tried to do this update (from UO708071 to UO709111) and it seemed like it was doing it, but the version remained at 071. It did the checking, showed me my current version and the update, the screen went blank and then live TV came on. No message about successful update.

Any ideas?

Thanks
 
#37 · (Edited by Moderator)
I found these instructions on the AVS Forum. The key is to Format the USB Drive as FAT and not FAT32

Here are my quick instructions (updated with how to check if the update applied)

1) Formatted my USB drive to FAT not FAT32
2) Extracted the firmware update to a folder on my hard drive.
3) Copied the extracted firmware directly to my USB flash drive (not the folder)
4) Safely removed the USB drive using the safely remove option on windows XP
5) With TV on, placed the USB drive in to tv.
6) Went to the software update menu
7) Followed the instructions and installed the update.
8) To check, change the input to the TV input, Press Menu on the remote, go to digital setup and select identificiation. (Thanks to Dango and JRN23)
 
#42 ·
Sharp Aquos LC37D62U or LC37D64U

I have been looking for a while for a 37" LCD TV that can accept both NTSC and PAL inputs. After some searching and testing in stores I concluded that the Sharp Aquos LC37D62U fitted the bill. I was planning on picking one of these up at the end of this week and then came across Sharp's press release announcing the introduction of a 37" TV in their D64 range (LC37D64U). This model, compared to the D62, increases the contrast ratio to 10,000:1, goes from a 3-wavelength to a 4-wavelength backlight system, adds PC input and is thinner and lighter. Of these features it is only image quality that is of interest to me.

I've heard of lots of issues with banding on the larger D64U units. Is this likely to be an issue on the new 37" or have Sharp now resolved these problems?

The 37D64U started shipping to Canadian dealers at the begining of February but hasn't hit the high street in Calgary yet. I've only found one Canadian seller advertising them. Compared to the D62U the D64U is around $300 more expensive.

So is the D64U likely to be worth the extra $300 (in terms of image quality) or should I just go for the D62U?
 
#43 ·
I have been looking for a while for a 37" LCD TV that can accept both NTSC and PAL inputs. After some searching and testing in stores I concluded that the Sharp Aquos LC37D62U fitted the bill. I was planning on picking one of these up at the end of this week and then came across Sharp's press release announcing the introduction of a 37" TV in their D64 range (LC37D64U). This model, compared to the D62, increases the contrast ratio to 10,000:1, goes from a 3-wavelength to a 4-wavelength backlight system, adds PC input and is thinner and lighter. Of these features it is only image quality that is of interest to me.
Actually, both LC32D62U & LC37D62U models also utilize 4-wavelength backlight.

Please have in mind that RGB PC input of 64U series does not support native panel rez (1920x1080) :(
 
#45 ·
So is it worth even worrying about this difference on a 37" TV that will be used mainly for day to day watching in our living room from around 10 to 12 feet away?
I wouldn't think so.
 
#46 ·
It's amazing the difference a week makes. Now both Best Buy and Visions have the 37D64 in stock in my local stores. I had come to the decision that, with a $300 price differential, I would go for the D62U - that is until I rang my local Visions, to confirm that their price was also $300 more, and found that they had it on sale until Sunday at only $118 more than the D62U. I also took a trip to my local Best Buy and found that they had removed all signs of the D62U and had replaced it with D64U's. So, it certainly looks like some dealers are dropping the D62U in favour of the D64U.

With the potential loss of the D62U from the market place and the much lower price differential I had available to me I decided to pick up a D64U from Visions. Having had it home now and in use for a day I must say that I do prefer it's physical appearance and size to the D62U (the narrower bezel really looks good and is far less imposing than most other makes and models). My entertainment centre has just enough width for a 37" TV - with other models I would have been barely able to get my fingers around the sides of the TV to adjust it's position, turn it to get to the side inputs, etc. With the D64U I have good clearance all round.

I had previously trialled an LG 37LB4D (exclusive to Future Shop) based on good reviews. I had tried to calibrate the screen using DVE but really struggled and could not get the Color and Tint settings to achieve a good match with the DVE RGB filters. As I later found out that the LG didn't accept a PAL signal input it went back to the shop - boy am I glad.

So far I have barely started to calibrate the D64U, with only first pass settings for Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness, Color and Tint through component input. Firstly, the Colour and Tint settings barely needed moving from the "Standard" defaults to achieve only slight deviations from perfect based on the DVE RGB filters. Overall, to my eye, the image looks far more natural to me on the D64U than on the LG.

Another stark contrast is on SD analog channels. On the LG the images were extremely grainy and there were no options to adjust this - this made it very hard to watch. On the Sharp the SD analog channels are much less grainy - this is likely due to Sharp's noise reduction option which defaults to High for analog cable.

Yet another difference between the LG and Sharp stands out in the menu system and the image adjustments available. Suffice to say that the Sharp has a bundle of advanced image adjustments available that the LG does not.

So far I am extremely pleased with the D64U ............. apart from one nagging intermittent problem. I have an international Pioneer DVD/PVR connected to the TV by component cables. Occassionally, when displaying the DVD/PVR recorded programs screen, the top and bottom of the screen streak and judder. Turning the TV off and on clears the problem. The difficulty is that this is not repeatable and has only happened three times so far. It doesn't happen when displaying/watching anything else from the DVD/PVR or when watching any other input. I'm going to see how it goes over this coming week.
 
#47 ·
To buy, or not to buy....Sharp Aquos 1080p 52" LCD HDTV (LC52D64U)

I'm hoping that some Sharp owners in here can give me a push in the right direction, either to buy this LCD, or run. I have been reading a bit about the banding issue, but haven't seen it firsthand, but it has me a bit worried, as we have had our current DLP tv break down 4 times in 3 years, and don't want another tv with "issues".

The tv is on sale with a yamaha low end receiver+ 6 speakers... We were looking to buy a new tv in the $1000-$1500 range, and was guessing it would be in the 40" range, although I wanted a bit bigger.

I was going to buy a receiver and speakers separately, to complete the home theatre, but then saw this tv on sale, with the surround sound too... I realize the receiver + speakers are low end (they will be going down to the DLP next year, so I can buy a better receiver, but the wife doesn't know that yet) but I am on the fence with the TV because of these banding issues. If anyone wants to throw their $.02 I would love to hear it.
Thanks
 
#48 ·
I have the 42' model and i'm not expert, but i'm happy with my choice. I have had the 37' as my second TV and i'm using the 42 on my theatre. Out of watching the two TV's I think there has only been one real time when I noticed a scene where I actually noticed the banding. I haven't had any issues with either. For the price it's a decent set in my opinion. That's my 2 cents. Keep the change. :)
 
#49 ·
We just bought the LC52D64U in September and are loving it so far. PQ is great. I'm still playing around with the calibration but am very happy so far.

It appears that I do have banding on my tv. It only appears when I calibrate my tv using AVIA, there is one test pattern which causes short vertical lines to appear out of nowhere. The pattern in question has different colored bars with blinking boxes in those bars. The vertical bars show up beside the blinking boxes. I haven't noticed it during normal viewing so it doesn't bother us.
 
#50 ·
I have to chime in on another issue I noticed. The screen flickers at certain times when you use Component cables. Since my Digital Cable TV and XBOX 360 use component, this is very annoying. Especially when you're playing videogames which usually requires split second decisions. IF the screen flashes for 2-3 seconds it can become quite the piss off. It happens a lot with COD5. Not so much on GTA4. But It seems to happen more in some games than in others.
 
#51 ·
Not sure if my problem is the same at all but I occasionally get horizontal tearing/shaking at the top of my screen when playing certain games (via composite input and when the game has a large area of a single colour displayed) and also when switching between my cable box and PVR when they are displaying their TV Guide / Disc Navigator graphic screens (component and s-video inputs).

The above aside I do love the TV and am very happy with it.
 
#52 ·
AQUOS U64 Firmware Update

Anyone updated their AQUOS U64 firmware?

I see that the Canadian site has issued two firmware downloads, D64UA116.UVP and D64UA118.UVP but don't say how to update or what they fixed.

Also, I use Macs but I can format a USB card so is MS-DOS FAT format? Apparently this is required for the tv to see the software.
 
#53 ·
I just updated my firmware to S08010151 from S08004171, thanks to a guy on another forum who received it from a Sharp Tech. There was no word on what exactly it addressed, but to me it made the "judder" much less noticible during a panning scene between two mountains in Planet Earth. It could just be coincidence now that the set is broken in. I really do think the set has improved though since I installed the new firmware revision. I'm connected HDMI from a PS3, and HDMI from a HD cable box. I've heard that even with the latest firmware, people who use component inputs are still having some blackout issues, but that Sharp is aware of it and hopefully even newer firmware will correct it.

Regarding your Mac. I believe that even if you format your USB drive to FAT, the OS still inserts hidden files that the TV sees, and therefore it will not allow you to update the firmware. You'll have to borrow a friend's PC for loading the file if you can't make it work with the Mac. Also, be sure that you only include the file itself, and not the folder it came in, when transferring it to your USB drive.

And yes, I noticed the Canadian site lists the firmware as different file names and without dates, so unless you try out the 118.UVP, you won't what firmware revision it really is. You can go through the motions and at one point, before it does anything with the firmware, it will tell you what version you have, and what version the above is.

Hope that helps a little.
 
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