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Sharp Aquos LC37RD2E: Making jerky things smooth

Sharp's new 37-inch LCD TV offers a way to remove motion blur and film judder -- sadly the engineers at Sharp haven't yet created a mode to lessen the impact of <em>The Jeremy Kyle Show</em>

Ian Morris
2 min read

It's always good to see a new Sharp TV. They rarely disappoint our keen eye, in either looks or picture quality. But the new Aquos LC37RD2E has caught our eye for a different reason -- it has a new 100Hz mode. These are all the rage at the moment and can make a huge difference if you want smoother motion on your LCD TV.

Most importantly, the LC37 is a 720p screen with a response time of just 4ms. It has a contrast ratio of 2,000:1, which Sharp claims is dynamically increased -- with electronic jiggerypokery -- to 10,000:1. We're very keen on the 100Hz TruD mode though, which auto-detects what you are watching, and aims to eliminate film judder and motion blur.

There are the usual inputs: the RD2E has a pair of HDMI sockets, which is one less than we would ideally like on a 37-inch screen. There's component too, but it's still via Sharp's crazy VGA-to-component converter, which is weird but means you can have a PC and a component device plugged in at the same time. Obviously there are a pair of Scart sockets too, for hooking up your older kit.

There are also built-in digital and analogue receivers so you can pick up Freeview, or regular TV signals if you don't live in a digital area. There's also the ubiquitous CI slot, which enables you to subscribe to services from Top Up TV, should the mood take you.

The RD2E range is finished in the ever-popular and reflective piano black. While it's not a huge jump from previous Sharp designs, there isn't any point in fixing something that isn't broken. The speaker system is hidden beneath a thin grille, which we think is really rather cool.

If you're planning on hooking a PC or games console up, you'll be pleased to know that this Sharp TV supports inputs of 1,360x768 pixels -- although we think this is 6 pixels less wide than it should be, we doubt it will make a huge difference. -Ian Morris