Sharp Aquos

[wierdbeard65]

Hey Folks,

I'm thinking of getting a 60" Sharp Aquos TV (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sharp+-+AQUOS+/+60%22+Class+/+1080p+/+120Hz+/+LCD+HDTV/1348076.p?id=1218252650535&skuId=1348076) for my main viewing area. I've been trying to get information as to RS232 control options etc, but so far, no joy :-(

Has anyone else got one of these yet? If so, comments?

[Techstyle]

I have another Sharp Aquos and it is excellent, most of them do have RS232 for control.  Mine is plug and play.

My advice is to run down to the store and have a look, see if there is a RS232 port and that it says Control/Service and not Service Only.  I just checked and my local store has them in stock.

It is funny though that you cannot find the manual on the Sharp website?

[JanM]

have a look here: http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Sharp_Aquos_LCD; that might be helpfull

[wierdbeard65]

Thanks for the responses.

I have another Sharp Aquos and it is excellent, most of them do have RS232 for control.  Mine is plug and play.

That's useful to know. It seems to be a large range of TV's, but at least I now know it's possible  I read some reviews that say the sound quality is bad. How do you find it? I will probably get an amp and stuff eventually, but for now....

My advice is to run down to the store and have a look, see if there is a RS232 port and that it says Control/Service and not Service Only.  I just checked and my local store has them in stock.

My local store does too, unfortunately, they don't have that model on display (only the one with the built in NetFlix that's about $800 more!)

It is funny though that you cannot find the manual on the Sharp website?

I looked, but there seems to be something wrong with their website. That model isn't listed (maybe it's end of life, which would explain the price at BestBuy) and, although I can find it in a search, the links to the pdf manuals seem to be broken 

have a look here: http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Sharp_Aquos_LCD; that might be helpfull

Humm, I already did a search of the wiki, and found nothing. I followed your link and it is a "this page doesn't exist yet, please create it".........

[Techstyle]

I read some reviews that say the sound quality is bad. How do you find it?

I just tested it and it I think it depends what you are used to, it does to me sound poor to OK but I listen through a reciever all the time.

My local store does too, unfortunately, they don't have that model on display (only the one with the built in NetFlix that's about $800 more!)

Best Buy have a good return policy perhaps buy it and try it.  Pay by Credit card not debit/cash/check because they refund Credit cards directly the others are sent a check for refunds over $500.  I may be in Best Buy later if I am I will check for you.

I looked, but there seems to be something wrong with their website. That model isn't listed (maybe it's end of life, which would explain the price at BestBuy) and, although I can find it in a search, the links to the pdf manuals seem to be broken 

hmm, I can still find mine.

[wierdbeard65]

Thanks, T-S

I'm planning on getting finance for it (at this point in the year, I don't have a spare $1200 kicking around...) If you get a chance to see one and can report back, that would be most helpful

Yeah, I tried a few otehr manuals and none of them would load for me Maybe a temporary glitch, I'll try again later.

[Techstyle]

I didn't get chance today but I might get chance tomorrow

PS.  How you liking your transfer over here so far?

[wierdbeard65]

PS.  How you liking your transfer over here so far?

We (my family and I) are absolutely LOVING it over here in the US. In our experience, most things are better here and the standard of living is much higher. Obviously, the United States is a huge country compared with England, so it's a real case of YMMV! But here in Indiana (just North of Indianapolis) we're having a great time.

I'd be VERY interested in hooking up with other MCE users in this area. I'll start a new thread soon!

I did suggest some time ago that we install the Google Maps extension to the Wiki. What that allows you to do is to optionally put a tag on your user page that gives your location (either general or specific). You then have a single page that you can visit that shows a Google Maps view of where everyone is. Would be great for folks who want to make contact with others nearby and would also give a feel for the general spread of users around the globe.

[Techstyle]

Glad you are enjoying it.  Our time here has given us chance to visit many places all over the US and see how diverse it can be.

I think the google maps thing is a great idea.  We are in Milwaukee, WI and know of another LMCE user around 1hr south of us but apart from that no idea

[christineb1979]

Any tips on using sharp aquos

[totallymaxed]

Hey Folks,

I'm thinking of getting a 60" Sharp Aquos TV (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sharp+-+AQUOS+/+60%22+Class+/+1080p+/+120Hz+/+LCD+HDTV/1348076.p?id=1218252650535&skuId=1348076) for my main viewing area. I've been trying to get information as to RS232 control options etc, but so far, no joy :-(

Has anyone else got one of these yet? If so, comments?

If I were looking into a new TV now I would be looking for some additional features that the Aquos model you mention above does not seem to support;

- UPnP-AV support (both as a Renderer for playback & as a NAS Server for locally stored media but also to allow a UPnP control point to control the TV...)
- Support for a good range of media containers/formats; mkv/iso/m2ts/mp4/h264 etc etc
- RJ45 NIC

We're just announcing some exciting UPnP capabilities for Dianemo/Cascade this week & I expect these to be in the public svn early in the new year. So if your buying a new TV this is a 'heads up' about what you might want it to support for 'future enjoyment' ;-)

All the best


Andrew

[wierdbeard65]

Andrew,

I'm looking at this one because of it's price. The one with ethernet (and NetFlix and stuff) is about $800 - $1000 more expensive!! For that price, I can get an MD and hide it behind 

[totallymaxed]

Andrew,

I'm looking at this one because of it's price. The one with ethernet (and NetFlix and stuff) is about $800 - $1000 more expensive!! For that price, I can get an MD and hide it behind 

Well thats your decision of course - but I wanted to highlight that you might want to be aware that TV's with those features will become simple to integrate in the immediate future.

All the best


Andrew

[wierdbeard65]

It's certainly worth noting! If I had more $$$'s to throw around, I may well go that way (in fact, I may wait a while and see if the cost comes down)

What makes of TV have you tested? The "4-colour" thing seems impressive, but I do wonder if it's a bit of a gimmick and if the sample stuff they show is designed to make it look much better than it actually is.....

[totallymaxed]

It's certainly worth noting! If I had more $$$'s to throw around, I may well go that way (in fact, I may wait a while and see if the cost comes down)

What makes of TV have you tested? The "4-colour" thing seems impressive, but I do wonder if it's a bit of a gimmick and if the sample stuff they show is designed to make it look much better than it actually is.....

Were investigating some Sony models and in Jan we should have tested several other brands too. We'll post here on the Forum about all of the UPnP devices we have tested and will begin to create Wiki pages too and hopefully others will contribute to this too.

We are just about to start testing the Popcorn Hour C-200 and the WD line of Media Players are already well tested and we are also working with the Asus O!Play too currently. There are a few rough edges in there firmware still but overall they are impressively good - and WD in particular seem active in enhancing & improving their firmware on a regular basis.

Andrew