Anyway, the TV was very good when it worked, but I will definately think twice before buying another Sharp product.

Hope this helps someone.

Very Few Existing Reviews:
Costco.com had this set for $2499 with free White Glove shipping, so I decided to read more on this model. The only reviews I could find were from one person. Every review website had the same negative review, so I decided to take a chance and get the TV.

HDTV Tuner:
This set is my first HDTV set. I purchased it 12-05-05. I only have basic cable, so I don’t receive HDTV signals. I tried an amplified Terk HDTV antenna, but nothing happened. Turns out having separate connectors is an awesome plus. You can have basic, analog cable or a TV antenna connected to one and a digital signal connected to the other, such as a UHF HDTV antenna. One negative aspect of this TV while using an HDTV antenna is if you don’t receive an HDTV signal, the TV tells you nothing different from if you had no antenna connected at all. I tried a large Channel Master UHF antenna and put it upstairs using a 50′ cable. I went back to the DTV input selection and the Digital tuner found 15 digital channels, 5 of which were HDTV.

Inputs:
Switching between inputs is very easy and intuitive on the remote (my wife has no problems either).
There are 3 AV inputs; two in the back and 1 on the side of the set which is very convenient! The AV inputs come in RCA and S-Video.
There is a SVGA (15-pin D-sub) input for connecting a PC (If your PC doesn’t support HDMI output). You’ll also need an audio cable to go from the headphone jack to a left and right RCA plug.

Picture Quality:
WOW, the picture is SHARP. I actually watched some of the Winter Olympics (yes, they were this year and they are over now) Using my UHF HDTV antenna. At 65″, this TV still looks sharp with an HDTV signal. Regular cable and A/V signals are not too crisp, but thats what I expected going from a 27″ to a 65″ screen (you get used to it). DVD using component video inputs (red, green, and blue RCA) is best using Progressive Scan. Interlaced mode is darker and looks less crisp. Watching DVDs on a PC connected through the SVGA input look as good as progressive scan, component input. The only input I haven’t tried is the HDMI input. We will be buying a DVD player soon with component and HDMI. The view modes on this TV are cool to have, but getting the screen ratio correct is sometimes annoying. Side Bar mode is basically a 54″ diagonal viewing box on the 65″ screen. Since the aspect ratio of most TV programs and some videos (non HDTV) is around 4:3, more often than not, you are NOT getting all 65″ of this TV. You can use the stretch or zoom view mode, but it either warps the image or cuts off some of the picture on the top and bottom respectively. If you have an XBOX 360, you’ll love playing on this set. We played Condemned, Madden 2006 and Call of Duty 2 and the picture is crisp, sharp, bright and the detail was amazing. Edges on details in the environment were very well defined despite the screen size. At about 8 feet or more viewing distance, the set is perfect.

Sound Quality:
Built in sound is pretty much the best you can get with 2 speakers.

Operation Manual:
The instruction manual is ok. The manual has decent physical interface details, but functional details are lacking. I’m an Electrical Engineer, but I don’t read the manual unless I get really stuck. For example, the manual doesn’t explain the functional difference between the digital vs the analog F-connector on the back of the TV. For someone that is new to digital inputs and HDTV, It takes some internet browsing to really hook up everything correctly.

Closing Notes:
There are high-rpm cooling fans inside this set and I worry about them failing or wearing out based on that other review, but I’ll deal with that when the time comes. Also, The remote lights up when you press any button. Despite that other guy’s bad luck and the lack of other reviews, I recommend this TV! BTW, Costco delivery was very slow, but when the TV got to my house, their White Glove service was very good (they took all packing materials).

Costco’s return policy is excellent – basically, you can return it at any time you want for any reason or no reason at all. I know of someone who returned a TV after 2 years of owning it. I’m not a Coscto representative, so don’t hold me to it The return policy is the main reason I’m thinking of buying this from Costco.

On the expiration date, they keep moving it, so I think they’re gonna keep it going till they run out. I’m guessing.

FJ

HD2