Sharp LC-46LE831E

Sharp LC-46LE831E review

Last year saw the debut of 3D TVs from major manufacturers, but one or two of the big brands lagged behind. Sharp, the biggest TV brand in Japan and maker of the LCD panels behind Sony Bravia TVs such as the KDL-40NX703 (to name but one of its customers), had an excuse for lateness; Quattron.Updated to work on its first 3D TV, the Sharp LC-60LE925E, late in 2010, the technology sees its second generation on this 46-inch LE831 series TV. For anyone who missed it, Quattron was a genuinely innovative attempt to take picture quality to the next stage. As the name just about suggests, Quattron is a four-colour system that adds yellow to the normal red, green and blue (RGB) mix in every pixel on a flat screen TV. Four-play over, the Sharp LC-46LE831E has more to tempt in a relatively high-end package. Its chief attraction is 3D, for which Sharp favours active technology. That it's not prepared to sacrifice any detail by employing the potentially lower-res passive 3D tech is hardly surprising, considering its clear obsession with picture quality. And while we're half expecting cheaper passive 3D sets to dominate the mass-market before long (more and more brands seem to be adopting it), the LC-46LE831E seems destined for home cinemas, and therefore can afford to use the more precise and pricier active 3D system.