Why You Can Trust CNET Sharp Aquos LC-32GA4X review: Sharp Aquos LC-32GA4X
The Aquos LC-32GA4X is a solid performer, combining crisp, clean pictures and good overall performance.
Design
The Aquos LC-32GA4X is an all-in-one unit, with a detachable base and speakers which can be detached and used separately, depending on your requirements. The unit itself is a sleek black and silver of high-grade materials which don't look like the usual cheap plastic. In addition to using the LC-32GA4X on a TV stand, there is also a mounting kit available for attaching it to the wall.
Sharp Aquos LC-32GA4X
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The port configuration is horizontal on the right-hand side of the unit at the back and features easy access to the ports and cables. When wall-mounted, there is not too much space between the wall and the LCD unit, but most people should be able to get their hand behind it to add or remove cables. There is a power button on the top of the unit for easy access and all of the controls are well-positioned for use either as a stand-alone unit or as a wall-mount.
The included remote for the unit features a simple layout that is easy to understand and large buttons make using the remote even easier. An on-screen menu system featuring drop-down menus is equally as easy to navigate, with most features spelled out (just in case you aren't up with the latest acronyms).
Features
The LC-32GA4X has a native resolution of 1366 x 768, with an 800:1 contrast and a brightness factor of 450 cd/m2. This compares favourably to other LCD panels in the same size and class and the unit features a pixel response time of 16ms. This is the time it takes for a pixel to switch from "inactive" to "active" and anything slower than 16ms produces the ghosting effect when there is a lot of action on screen.
The unit features 170 degree viewing angles and we actually got out the old protractor from Year 7 Maths class and put this to the test. The claim is valid, as you can see the screen from both sides of 170 degrees, but the picture quality is best within a 130 to 150 degree angle from centre screen. This is fairly consistent with other LCD's we have tested and most people wouldn't want to be sitting at the 170 degree mark anyway.
The tuner on the LC-32GA4X supports PAL, SECAM and NTSC and the unit itself supports most features you would expect, including picture & picture, teletext, sleep timer, etc. and there are 4 inputs on the unit, 2 composite, 1 S-Video and 1 DVI-I and they are easy to get to behind the unit.
The unit also features two detachable speakers, with 20W of output and Dolby Virtual Surround (DVS) sound. DVS was originally designed by Dolby to deliver 5.1 channel surround sound from just two speakers. If you are an audiophile this may seem like heresy, but it was designed to produce surround-sound quality without the cost of buying additional components.
Performance
In our testing, the LC-32GA4X performed well in a variety of conditions. Fast-moving, complex images appear crisp and clean, with no ghosting or blurring effect and the unit provided consistent colouring across the spectrum, including rendering true-to-life flesh tones and achieving good colour balance. We tested the unit with a variety of inputs and conditions, including viewing free-to-air TV, DVD's, HDTV, gaming consoles, etc.
The default settings on the LC-32GA4X are best suited for DVD or HDTV viewing and some tweaks were required to achieve a good quality picture when viewing free-to-air programs. Again, this is fairly normal and the on-screen menus are quick to navigate. It did take a little time to work out the settings to produce the crisp, dark tone we were looking for in the colour settings, but again this was achievable with a little patience.
As with any new audio or video equipment, it will take some time to work out the best settings for your own particular application. For gaming, the LC-32GA4X provided a consistent, pixel perfect rendering on all of the games we tested and the combined speakers provided a nice match.
The speakers themselves provided crisp, clean sound and the Dolby Virtual Surround Sound performed well for TV viewers sitting directly in front of, as well as to the side of the unit. While it is no replacement for properly placed surround sound speakers, it does an adequate job of bringing Dolby Surround Sound out of the speakers provided. To get the most out of this LCD and true audio fidelity, we would recommend pairing it with a stereo and speaker system designed for home theatres.