Sharp LC-60UD20 review

Sharp's back with a vengeance

Sharp LC-60UD20 review
Great Value

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The 60UD20 sees Sharp coming out of what was starting to feel like early retirement with a bang. For a start it jumps on the UHD/4K bandwagon, sporting 3840 x 2160 pixels and up-to-the-minute 4K connectivity, though it sadly falls at the Netflix Ultra HD streaming hurdle.

It's also on-trend with its exceptionally slim design, carries a (limited) smart TV system, and ships with a decently approachable price for such a large 4K TV. I also think its 60-inch size represents a potentially popular compromise between the usual 55-inch and 65-inch screens.

Best of all, once you've worked around some initial backlight problems the 60UD20 delivers a mostly strong picture and sound performance – so long, at least, as you're not a 3D fan…

We liked

2D picture quality is good, the set's design is space-saving but still pretty, it's packed with picture calibration tools, and it's good value. The unusual 60-inch size feels like an attractive compromise between the more common 55 and 65-inch screen sizes too.

We disliked

You have to reduce the picture's backlight quite a bit to counter some backlight clouding, which means the 60UD20 may not be the best option for a fairly bright room. 3D pictures are a mess too, tuner and 3D sources sometimes suffer with audio sync issues, and the set's smart features are currently limited.

Verdict

The 60UD20 certainly isn't perfect. Its 3D is pretty much unwatchable, its smart features are limited, there's no Netflix UHD streaming, and you have to work round some initial backlight clouding issues, at least when you're watching films. But when it's set up right the 60UD20 is capable of delivering genuine 4K thrills – and good HD upscaling, too – for what looks, all things considered, like a pretty fair price.

John Archer
AV Technology Contributor

John has been writing about home entertainment technology for more than two decades - an especially impressive feat considering he still claims to only be 35 years old (yeah, right). In that time he’s reviewed hundreds if not thousands of TVs, projectors and speakers, and spent frankly far too long sitting by himself in a dark room.