Bought the Sharp AQUOS LC-32GP1U **UPDATED**

[Nightmare225]

Originally posted by: Imyourzero
OK, I haven't gotten to experiment with OneOfTheseDays' suggestions yet but I just now received this email from a Sharp:

"Thank you for contacting Sharp Electronics Corporation.

Unfortunately there is no way to turn off the Dynamic Contrast. Sorry for any inconveniences."

My original email to them:

I was wondering if there was a way to disable the dynamic contrast feature
on the LC-32GP1U or any other model that has this feature. I'm sure it's
a nice feature for television and movies, but I bought this display for
use as a PC monitor. The contrast adjusts itself as different websites
are displayed which causes variations in what should be a constant color
(e.g. the Windows taskbar will go from bright vivid blue when a white
background is displayed to a darker, flatter blue when a dark webpage is
being displayed).

Is there a way to disable this feature so that the contrast stays constant
until adjusted in the menu by the user?

So maybe they don't know what they are talking about... I don't know, I'll play with it when I leave work and see how far I can get.

Well, that's kind of bad news.

Update us ASAP once you try the suggestions!

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

ImyourZero read the manual. It talks about it in there.

 

[Imyourzero]

Originally posted by: OneOfTheseDays
ImyourZero read the manual. It talks about it in there.

I did skim thru the manual; I guess I missed it the first time around... Sad that Sharp doesn't even have the correct information on their own product.

 

[Imyourzero]

OOTD, I have made all of the adjustments that you said, and it does look better. It's pretty close to my previous calibration (I already set the backlight to 0 and decreased the color value) but I cannot find where to select the AVMODE. Also, my Film Mode setting is greyed out, so I cannot turn it on or off.

I just skimmed the manual again and can't find any mention of the AVMODE so this thing is still dynamically adjusting the contrast as it sees fit. Can you assist?

Pictures coming soon, BTW...

 

[Nightmare225]

Originally posted by: Imyourzero
OOTD, I have made all of the adjustments that you said, and it does look better. It's pretty close to my previous calibration (I already set the backlight to 0 and decreased the color value) but I cannot find where to select the AVMODE. Also, my Film Mode setting is greyed out, so I cannot turn it on or off.

I just skimmed the manual again and can't find any mention of the AVMODE so this thing is still dynamically adjusting the contrast as it sees fit. Can you assist?

Pictures coming soon, BTW...

Yes! What games you gonna try on it?

 

[Imyourzero]

Originally posted by: Nightmare225

Originally posted by: Imyourzero
OOTD, I have made all of the adjustments that you said, and it does look better. It's pretty close to my previous calibration (I already set the backlight to 0 and decreased the color value) but I cannot find where to select the AVMODE. Also, my Film Mode setting is greyed out, so I cannot turn it on or off.

I just skimmed the manual again and can't find any mention of the AVMODE so this thing is still dynamically adjusting the contrast as it sees fit. Can you assist?

Pictures coming soon, BTW...

Yes! What games you gonna try on it?

Well, I already tried Far Cry, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and Max Payne. I attempted to try F.E.A.R. but thanks to nVidias drivers it doesn't want to run without crashing. A reinstall might help since I was able to get it working on previous drivers that way...

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Originally posted by: Imyourzero
OOTD, I have made all of the adjustments that you said, and it does look better. It's pretty close to my previous calibration (I already set the backlight to 0 and decreased the color value) but I cannot find where to select the AVMODE. Also, my Film Mode setting is greyed out, so I cannot turn it on or off.

I just skimmed the manual again and can't find any mention of the AVMODE so this thing is still dynamically adjusting the contrast as it sees fit. Can you assist?

Pictures coming soon, BTW...

Hehe, well I didn't even know about it either until I got curious and opened up the latch on the bottom of the remote. It's a little ridiculous that they would put something so important completely out of sight.

So open that latch on the bottom, and there should be an AVMODE button there. Also set your contrast to +30, this was key for me. With contrast any lower the picture looked very washed out and dull.

My current settings:

OPC: Off
Backlight: +5
Contrast: +30
Brightness: +0
Color: -5
Tint: 0
Sharpness: -5
Color Temp: Medium Low? (not lowest, but the one above it)
Enhanced Blacks: Off
Film Mode: On

Keep in mind these settings look good on MY set, but your set could require a different calibration altogether. I would say use my settings as a reference and adjust from there to your liking. I dialed things in to be neutral to a wide variety of sources.

 

[Imyourzero]

Man, how silly....anyway I switched the AVMODE to "USER" and it still adjusts the contrast. It's much less noticeable when browsing the web than the factory defaults, but it still does it. Ga-run-teed...

On the upside, I've got the Sharp looking very nice now. Probably a bit better than my previous settings, but as it's been a couple of days since I've had the Sharp on my desk it's impossible for me to make a direct comparison between your settings and the way I had it before..

I will say to ANYONE though, the settings provided by OneOfTheseDays provide a marked improvement over the factory defaults. But as far as I can tell, even though it's possible to minimize the shifting contrast, it's always gonna be there. I tried every mode and could always detect a change in contrast when going from a white screen to a dark screen.

I'm very happy with both displays, but I still think the Westy will reside as my primary monitor. I haven't even begun to calibrate it yet, and honestly the blacks on the Sharp aren't THAT much better. In fact, I played with the brightness and backlight levels on the Westy and got it to probably 99% of what the Sharp displays. And to me, the colors on the Westy are more vivid (but again, that's probably because I reduced those values on the Sharp and left the Westy alone).

Those are my impressions. I can say with certainty that if I didn't have both to compare directly, I'd be VERY happy with either one. Pics and a comparison thread should follow soon -- maybe tomorrow as I've been doing so much testing tonight that I haven't gotten a chance to PLAY!

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

You make good points Imyourzero. I've been using the Sharp as a HT display, and not for PC purposes. I don't think it was ever intended to be used for the PC to be honest. The Westy no doubt was, with its dual DVI inputs and lack of tuner.

My advice to someone looking for a new PC monitor would be to get the Westy at its ridiculously low price. If your someone who needs a monitor for HT and light PC use, then the Sharp would be a better choice IMHO. And I'll do some more investigating on this shifting contrast issue, I definitely noticed it when I first got the set but now that I have it set to USER mode I can't say I've seen it.

 

[liquid51]

This whole monitor thing is driving me nuts... Finally someone releases a monitor that looks so promising; all the necessary inputs, nice response, not too big, and a built in hd tuner to boot. "Hey, I know, let's put a nifty little feature in there that automatically screws with the cr whether the user wants it too or not. That sounds like a great idea!"

Maybe by the time the r600/8900 dust has settled sharp will realize what they've done and make some sort of revision correcting this issue. Otherwise, I think I'm still going to have to side with the Westy.

 

[5150Joker]

Originally posted by: OneOfTheseDays
You make good points Imyourzero. I've been using the Sharp as a HT display, and not for PC purposes. I don't think it was ever intended to be used for the PC to be honest. The Westy no doubt was, with its dual DVI inputs and lack of tuner.

My advice to someone looking for a new PC monitor would be to get the Westy at its ridiculously low price. If your someone who needs a monitor for HT and light PC use, then the Sharp would be a better choice IMHO. And I'll do some more investigating on this shifting contrast issue, I definitely noticed it when I first got the set but now that I have it set to USER mode I can't say I've seen it.

How would a display 5" smaller be better for HT use? Imyourzero has both side-by-side and notes the difference in PQ is minimal so logically, the Westy would also be the better HT display since it's 5" larger. Seems to me the Westy is the all around better display since it's larger, cheaper and has IQ on par with the Sharp without any of the contrast issues.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Originally posted by: 5150Joker

Originally posted by: OneOfTheseDays
You make good points Imyourzero. I've been using the Sharp as a HT display, and not for PC purposes. I don't think it was ever intended to be used for the PC to be honest. The Westy no doubt was, with its dual DVI inputs and lack of tuner.

My advice to someone looking for a new PC monitor would be to get the Westy at its ridiculously low price. If your someone who needs a monitor for HT and light PC use, then the Sharp would be a better choice IMHO. And I'll do some more investigating on this shifting contrast issue, I definitely noticed it when I first got the set but now that I have it set to USER mode I can't say I've seen it.

How would a display 5" smaller be better for HT use? Imyourzero has both side-by-side and notes the difference in PQ is minimal so logically, the Westy would also be the better HT display since it's 5" larger. Seems to me the Westy is the all around better display since it's larger, cheaper and has IQ on par with the Sharp without any of the contrast issues.

My set has no contrast issues. I'd be willing to bet it's something you would only notice if you used the monitor strictly for PC use.

In my experience, the Westy is not a good choice for HT use because it has poor scaling/deinterlacing circuitry that produces noticeable ghosting on certain 1080i material. Also SD material looks very poor on this set. Additionally it has average black level performance (i.e. grayish blacks). There is also no way to adjust the RGB color values separately.

If you want more information head over to AVSFORUMS and go read the enormous thread on the Westy 37".

P.S. I should add that I am very picky about my displays. Most people would probably be very satisfied with the Westy.

 

[PlatinumPrince]

How does this tv look with standard def. tv? Is it good, great or poor?

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

No LCD set that I've encountered can do a very good job with SD material, the Sony Bravia's are the best......but even still they can't compare to a CRT display.

This set does a decent job with SD material, good enough if you watch occasional SD material. If your content is > 90% SD material then you probably shouldn't be getting an HDTV set in the first place.

 

[PlatinumPrince]

So would a 720p lcd be a better choice for SD tv viewing?

 

[Xab]

I have this LCD and I get this problem (see attachment), does anyone have any idea how to fix this? For some reason it only sees the LCD as native resolution of 1360x768. I need it to be 1920x1080, the overall picture is ok, but in closer detail there is a large amount of pixelation and the text doesn't look as clear as it should. I haven't scene anyone else report this problem. Could it be the display itself it defective? Any ideas would be welcome, thanks

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/223/475681139_dbf2e8e6b2.jpg?v=0

 

[Xab]

Sorry no attachment, I added a link to a photo of what I'm talking about.

 

[gramboh]

Flat panel scaling doesn't work in all drivers for G80 video cards in Windows XP if that is what you are asking. It forces NVidia default no matter what. Major bug.

 

[CuriouslySane]

Originally posted by: liquid51
This whole monitor thing is driving me nuts... Finally someone releases a monitor that looks so promising; all the necessary inputs, nice response, not too big, and a built in hd tuner to boot. "Hey, I know, let's put a nifty little feature in there that automatically screws with the cr whether the user wants it too or not. That sounds like a great idea!"

I've read a *lot* of posts (AVS, HOCP, etc.) in the past few days about the 32GP1U, and I honestly don't know what to make of this dynamic contrast issue. I feel a similar frustration because everything else about the display seems right. The worst part is that there really aren't any compelling alternatives in the 32" range.

I would consider the 37w3 if I could. And for the price, I really wish I could. But I can't see myself comfortably using something that large for general PC use. Going smaller, there are the 2707 and 275T, but in that price range I expect more versatility. Absent HDMI, laggy component...no thanks.

So, I'm left wondering just how big of an issue the dynamic contrast would be for me. And since no local retailer stocks this item, my only option is to buy online where in most cases I'll be stuck with the item whether I'm happy with it or not.

It feels almost perverse to wrestle over these issues when in the interim I'm making do with a 19" CRT, to which any of these displays would be markedly superior, but for the expense and the amount of time I know I'll spend using whatever I ultimately purchase, it's hard to compromise.

 

[HopJokey]

Originally posted by: CuriouslySane

Originally posted by: liquid51
This whole monitor thing is driving me nuts... Finally someone releases a monitor that looks so promising; all the necessary inputs, nice response, not too big, and a built in hd tuner to boot. "Hey, I know, let's put a nifty little feature in there that automatically screws with the cr whether the user wants it too or not. That sounds like a great idea!"

I've read a *lot* of posts (AVS, HOCP, etc.) in the past few days about the 32GP1U, and I honestly don't know what to make of this dynamic contrast issue. I feel a similar frustration because everything else about the display seems right. The worst part is that there really aren't any compelling alternatives in the 32" range.

I would consider the 37w3 if I could. And for the price, I really wish I could. But I can't see myself comfortably using something that large for general PC use. Going smaller, there are the 2707 and 275T, but in that price range I expect more versatility. Absent HDMI, laggy component...no thanks.

So, I'm left wondering just how big of an issue the dynamic contrast would be for me. And since no local retailer stocks this item, my only option is to buy online where in most cases I'll be stuck with the item whether I'm happy with it or not.

It feels almost perverse to wrestle over these issues when in the interim I'm making do with a 19" CRT, to which any of these displays would be markedly superior, but for the expense and the amount of time I know I'll spend using whatever I ultimately purchase, it's hard to compromise.

Reading through the GP1U thread on AVSForum, the general vibe I've been getting is that this dynamic contrast issue is probably firmware related (i.e. the dynamic contrast is not disabled when certain settings tell it to do so) so maybe down the line this will get fixed. It's a shame though that one cannot update the firmware themselves (via USB or similar method).

 

[T9D]

Well this is a bummer. I was going to get that exact sharp panel in a month or two. There is no way I could live with anything but the picture being constant all the time. Changing contrast would drive me nuts. Hopefully there will be better alternatives in a couple months.

 

[CuriouslySane]

Originally posted by: HopJokey
Reading through the GP1U thread on AVSForum, the general vibe I've been getting is that this dynamic contrast issue is probably firmware related (i.e. the dynamic contrast is not disabled when certain settings tell it to do so) so maybe down the line this will get fixed. It's a shame though that one cannot update the firmware themselves (via USB or similar method).

That's what I'm hoping. From a reading of the manual, it really sounds like a bug, but then you see posts like this one and have to wonder. The good news is that it looks like Best Buy is starting to carry this, so I may eventually be able to try it locally after all.

 

[allies]

I wonder if it would be worthwhile to email sharp and ask them if there are any plans for future products without the dynamic contrast. If this LCD HDTV fell to say $1000 by next winter, it might end up on my desk (barring the dynamic contrast problem).

 

[HopJokey]

Originally posted by: allies
I wonder if it would be worthwhile to email sharp and ask them if there are any plans for future products without the dynamic contrast. If this LCD HDTV fell to say $1000 by next winter, it might end up on my desk (barring the dynamic contrast problem).

Almost all new LCD TVs have dynamic contrast modes now (including the other AQUOS like d43u), but you don't hear any issues about those regarding the dynamic contrast modes; thus I really hope the problem with the 32/37 GP1U/d62u is that there is a bug with their firmware that doesn't allow the dynamic contrast to be properly disabled.

I really like the 37D62U, but this dynamic contrast issue really worries me. I could just get the Toshiba 32/37HL67, but it's resolution is only 1366x768; I prefer to have 1920x1080 resolution (thus the 37GP1U/D62U would be perfect) as I will be using my next (first) LCD TV purchase as my main computer monitior at home as well as a great TV. Maybe I should check out the Westy 37LVM-w3...

 

[ra990]

Originally posted by: CuriouslySane
I would consider the 37w3 if I could. And for the price, I really wish I could. But I can't see myself comfortably using something that large for general PC use. Going smaller, there are the 2707 and 275T, but in that price range I expect more versatility. Absent HDMI, laggy component...no thanks.

Give it a try. I had the same fear when I bought the 37w3, but the size is just perfect. The text is so sharp and it works flawlessly with my PC as a monitor. HD-DVD and upscaled DVD's look amazing from my PC. I keep the monitor about 2-3 ft away from my face and I got used to it after a day.

I think the 37w3 is worth every penny, if not more.