Tour & Design

The LC-52BD80U has a glossy black frame with a gray strip of plastic running along its bottom. The power LED is set towards the right side.

The *LC-52BD80U's front looks a lot like most TV's fronts.
*

**Sides**

The left side of the LC-52BD80U is fairly unremarkable, but the right side is where you'll find the Blu-ray player and its controls. You'll also find the on-TV controls on the right side, and some easy-access ports.

The right side of the device has a

Blu-ray player and on-TV controls.

**Stand/Mount**

The LC-52BD80U can be wall mounted, but it also comes with a stand that lets the TV rotate.

 

Aesthetics

The LC-52BD80U is an average-looking set. It has a glossy black frame, which is what most TVs have nowadays, and a gray plastic strip running along the bottom edge. The TV is pretty thin, which bumps its cool factor up a bit. Since thin TVs are quickly becoming the norm, we're not sure how quickly the novelty will wear off. Overall, however, the TV looks nice, it just doesn't look exceptional.

Performance Features

Display Size & Technology

The LC-52BD80U has a 52-inch LCD display. LCDs have the potential to be brighter than plasma screens and are also a lot more energy efficient. Their backlight also means blacks might look more washed out than on plasmas, which means their contrast ratio won't be as impressive as on a plasma screen.

This model also comes in a few different screen sizes: 52, 46, 42, 37, and 32 inches. The serial numbers of these TVs are all in the format LC-**BD60U, where the ** is the screen size.

True to its display technology, the LC-52BD80U looked

bright, but didn't have particularly deep blacks.

Format & Resolution

The LC-52BD80U's format is 1080p, which means its resolution is 1920x1080. It has an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Brightness, Blacks & Contrast Ratio

We checked the press release, and didn't see a contrast ratio listed for the LC-52BD80U. The press release assures us it is a high ratio.

Refresh Rate & Motion

We didn't see any problems with jitteriness or motion blurring on the LC-52BD80U's screen. Of course, this is a simple observation made on the show floor; we couldn't bring our testing equipment out to CES with us. The television does features 120Hz refresh rate, however, which usually produces better motion performance thant the standard 60Hz rate found on most televisions.

Viewing Angle

The manufacturer-stated viewing angle is 176º. We think this estimate is a bit optimistic, since we did notice some slight desaturation towards the 60º mark, but overall we thought the LC-52BD80U had a great viewing angle for an LCD. Typically LCDs solarize or desaturate significantly as your viewing angle changes from perpendicular.

Color

The colors on the LC-52BD80U didn't seem quite as vibrant as on other TVs we've seen at the show, but they weren't overly desaturated either. The colors seemed evenly emphasized throughout the screen, even towards the edges. We'd guess the LC-52BD80U would get an average or slightly above average result on our lab tests, but we'll wait for our results before we assert this with any degree of certainty.

Connectivity & Media

Audio & Video Ports

The right side of the LC-52BD80U is where you'll find the ports, either on the side or on the back, but close to the edge. On it you'll find four HDMI ports, two composite video ports, four analog audio ports, a service port, an analog RGB PC in with a 3.5mm audio port, an RS-232C input, a digital audio output, an S Video port, two composite cable ports, and an analog cable input. There is also a single BD Storage / Service port on the Blu-ray player.

All of the ports are easy to reach behind the right side of the device.

Media & Other Connectivity

The LC-52BD80U has a Blu-ray player slapped on its back. On the Blu-ray player you'll find an eject button a BD Storage / Service port, and basic playback controls (play, stop, scene skip).

Although the Blu-ray player might look a little silly jutting

out of the back of the TV, its placement seems great for usability.

 

Placement

Both sets of ports on the back of the LC-52BD80U are fairly easy to get to. The one issue is that they're set a few inches from the edge of the TV, so you have to reach a bit to get to any of them, even the side-mounted ones. Adding to ease of access, the TV sits on a swivel stand that gives it a rotation arc of about 120º.

Audio

The LC-52BD80U's speakers are located on the back of the device. We don't have information on their wattage.

Controls, Menu & Remote

Remote

Remotes were a no-show at Sharp's booth.

Controls

The LC-52BD80U's on-TV controls are located on the right side of the device. From top to bottom, you'll find the power, menu, input, channel, and volume buttons.

The LC-52BD80U keeps most of its features on the right side.

Menu

We didn't get a chance to look at the TV's menu.

Conclusion

The LC-52BD80U looks to be a nice combo device. The TV itself looks to be of a good quality, the Blu-ray player is positioned well for ease of access, and the ports seem easy enough to get to. There is a concern with such combination devices, however. If the Blu-ray player fails it's not easy to replace, for example. The only other question now is how much the device will cost, and if that cost will make purchasing this TV a better deal than buying a TV and Blu-ray player separately.