Sharp LC-LE745U

Although not quite Elite level in its seriousness, this Sharp TV is likewise all business. I appreciate the narrow frame around the image -- which does thicken up a bit along the bottom--and its matte black coloring. That frame is, unusually, made of actual metal, for a higher-end yet still understated feel. The corners have little plastic bumpers that unfortunately spoil its shape a bit, but are probably there to prevent freak accidents caused by the sharp corners.

Unlike the stand of the 640U, the 745U's has a swivel on the 60-inch version (not the 70-inch, however) and a textured matte finish, not glossy on the base. The 745U is definitely a nicer-looking TV on the outside, but the improvements are subtle.

Thinner and longer than most clickers, Sharp's wand is plagued by lack of backlight and insufficient differentiation between the mostly too-small keys. One great feature, however, is the trio of programmable buttons that provide instant access to your favorite apps. Another, new for 2012, is the big red Netflix button.

Sharp didn't change much about the menu system from last year, and it's serviceable if unremarkable. Navigating among the choices along the main top strip could be snappier, and I prefer overlays to Sharp's method of reducing the picture size to make room for its menus.

Features

Compared with the entry-level 640U, the main step-up on the 745U reviewed here is 3D and an improved Smart TV suite. Meanwhile the yet more expensive 847U gets the extra yellow pixel of Quattron , which in past reviews did nothing to improve picture quality, and a 240Hz refresh rate. Given these differences, spending more for the 847 doesn't seem worthwhile. Note that unlike last year, the 70-inch Sharps for 2012 are all edge-lit, not full-array .

Sharp doesn't include the active 3D glasses necessary to view 3D sources on this TV, and since it lacks compatibility with the full HD 3D standard , your most economical recourse is Sharp's AN3DG20Bs, which cost $50 each.

A couple of other extras are unique to Sharp. IP control is designed to interface with custom installation remote control systems, such as Control 4, AMX and Crestron, that can operate over Ethernet as opposed to RS-232. Aquos Advantage Live is Sharp's excellent live help feature, which I described in 2009 . I appreciated the full onscreen manual--a carbon copy of the PDF version, complete with table of contents. Many makers today skimp by not including a full paper manual as well, but not Sharp.

Smart TV: The 745U series offers a couple more apps than the step-down 640U models--namely a web browser, Hulu Plus, Skype and Film Fresh. Sharp told me the 640U would not get these apps, nor would it receive the browser or gallery mode.

If you're comparing by content, Sharp falls short of most major-name competitors, missing Amazon Instant, sports services like MLB.com, and even Pandora and Napster (the latter two were available on 2011 Sharps ). There's no streaming audio at all in fact, and miscellaneous apps come courtesy of Vudu Apps, where Twitter, Facebook, Picasa, and Flickr are the standouts.

The interface is clean and simple, although navigation felt slow by today's standards. Hitting the Smart Central remote key summons a launcher bar along the bottom listing all of the "favorite" apps -- I liked that I could order them at will and delete unused ones. There's also a Gallery mode that lists all of the apps by category and allows you to add or delete them from the launcher.

The browser is, as usual, worse than any tablet, phone or PC browser, and Sharp's is worse than the TV browsers used by LG and Samsung. Load times were long and formatting was often incorrect, but the most annoying part was having to use the normal TV remote control to navigate. Not fun.