Sharp LC-32GP3U review

Available at Fry's Electronics now per their website.

I guess we're still not sure dynamic contrast can be switched off? (People getting conflicting results?)
 
Unfortunately, dynamic contrast still there. I don't see anyway to disable it completely. I didn't notice it until someone ask me to test it. I have been using this GP3U for a month now, it didn't bother me at all.

SH1 said:
Available at Fry's Electronics now per their website.

I guess we're still not sure dynamic contrast can be switched off? (People getting conflicting results?)
Click to expand...
 
FINAL REPORT
(my new 2008 32" 1080P Sharp LG-32GP3U):

My screen-colors do NOT randomly "change intensity" or "change color" when I'm Gaming or using GP3U as a PC Monitor. Colors stay rock-steady at whatever I set them to.
Why? Cuz. using the hand-held Remote, I turned off "Active Contrast".
Here is a walkthru, telling how to do it....
Point your Remote at TV screen, and hit "menu" button. A Menu bar opens on screen. On left side, you see in b-i-g letters the word "DYNAMIC". Below it is a vertical list of Menus.
Toggle-down the list till you reach "Advanced.'" Hit 'Enter' and a new Menu opens. Toggle-down that new menu to "Active Contrast" A window automaticaly opens.
It has a message that tells u what "Active Contrast" does ("Adjusts black level & white level of images"). It also has 2 Big Buttons (one says "ON" the other says "OFF").
Using Remote's arrow-keys, make the OFF button "light up". When it is, hit 'Enter' button. "Active Contrast" is now turned OFF (voila! no more "shifting colors"). You are Done.
(Note ... If you like to see colors shifting to 'lighter or darker' when you enter lighter or darker scenes, (like when you play games or watch tv) then OK, go turn Active Contrast On).

Continuing my "FINAL REPORT".....

The Option to turn 'dynamic contrast' On/Off is new. It was sadly-missing in last year's GP1U.
Also, it's not the only Improvement the GP3U has over last year's GP!U.
(Note: In 2007 Sharp had four 1080P models: the 32" & 37" 1080P GP1U ("for Gamers") and 32" & 37" 1080P D62U).
This new GP3U "Gaming" TV is not a "minor tweak-up" of last year's GP1U----it's a major upgrade. You want more detail? Do this....

Go to AVSforums, and look for the huge GP1U 32" & 37" Series Discussion. I think the posts run into hundreds maybe thousand.
One of the tekky-types there, a savvy guy, discusses the new GP3U in detail (he describes it beginning somewhere about 30 pages from end of Thread).
He apparently works in TV Industry (that big Thread is a year old, comes to first AVS forum page frequently then is buried by other threads, so u may have to search for it).
Anyway, he says when Sharp built the new 2008 GP3U they did not use any of the 2007 GPU1's circuits.
They totally-gutted the GP1U, replacing everything with new hi-speed integrated circuits and all-new software for controlling it.
Only the bare panel is from last year, cuz its a good panel.
Sharp then put their new baby in a new Frame (it smoothly-swivels left, right, at touch of your hand) available in 3 colors: Black, Red, White.
(I chose the nice hi-gloss Black w/ matte screen).

SUMMARY:
I love my new 2008 Sharp 32" 1080P LG-32GP3U.
The "30-Day Return" (JR.com) expires in 2 more days, but no-way will I send it back.
Oblivion Gaming is an incredible experience. The colors are awesome at 1920x1080x60hz rez and combat is fluid (twin 7900GT vid cards).
wow, a 32" screen sure gives Gamers a huge, immersive "Gameworld", the sheer size of it never fails to amaze me .....
I'm standing outside Imperial City under a sky filled with gold-and-red Sunset, watching Lightning-flashes in clouds and hearing their Thunders over great mountains ...
and the details in nearby clumps of Grass and swaying Leaves, are incredible.
Oblivion's stone-paved streets are shown in awesome fine details, even to stains on stones when you get real close.
Palace walls show mildew green-spots in places, and there are tiny cracks in stones that you dont see till you get up close. This wonderful GP3U "shows it all".
Uh, oh, 'nuff said .... I'm all alone here outside the City walls and somethin' real big with teeth n' claws is coming my way fast .....
Also, when its used as a "working PC Monitor" the screen Text at 1920x1080 rez is sharp, clear. Text is a pleasure to read.
Whether used in Gaming, or Surfing, or PC Work-----my GP3U is always running full-screen 1920x1080x60hz rez ("1080P"). Very nice.
:D My year-long hunt for big, fast, hi-rez "PC-Monitor & Gaming Panel" is now finally over .... :D good luck to all, hope you find yours :D
 
Are you talking about the "AV MODE" in the flipdown compartment. If so, what mode do you have it set on. I'm guessing "DYNAMIC (FIXED)"?

I'm learning new things about this HDTV as I go. Seems like there are a lot of options. I find "MOVIE" mode too red of a shade
 
junglicious said:
Are you talking about the "AV MODE" in the flipdown compartment. If so, what mode do you have it set on. I'm guessing "DYNAMIC (FIXED)"?
Click to expand...
Thanx for the question Jungle, No I have never even opened that "compartment".
Reread my post. cuz I edited it just a minute ago, to make the procedure a little clearer.
You do this: Point your hand-held Remote at the screen, and press the 'Menu" button,
Then u see the screen that I described above.
Follow my instructions from there. Good luck, holler if u have problem, I'll answer it if I come back this way again. Cheerio....
 
Zak said:
Thanx for the question Jungle, No I have never even opened that "compartment".
Reread my post. cuz I edited it just a minute ago, to make the procedure a little clearer.
You do this: Point your hand-held Remote at the screen, and press the 'Menu" button,
Then u see the screen that I described above.
Follow my instructions from there. Good luck, holler if u have problem, I'll answer it if I come back this way again. Cheerio....
Click to expand...

I thought you were talking about the picture menu option because you stated "advance" which in the "advanced" option of the picture menu does not state dynamic contrast. You should try the "AV MODE". There is an "DYNAMIC (FIXED)", very bright, and disable all the options in the picture menu.

As for the OPC off/on, all I notice is the backlight or brightness being affected, not the color or color shifting.
 
Thanks everyone for the info.

I also cannot discern any dynamic contrast/color issues with "Active Contrast" off. (If it's there, its too subtle for me to see...)

My CRT is having issues and this panel is an improvement over previous ones. And LCD does have one advantage over CRT, it's huge... :)

Looks like it's got one bad pixel so far, but its right up against the top edge and of no consequence. Anyway, have a 30 day return policy. Will be deciding if this is the one...
 
SH1 said:
Thanks everyone for the info.

I also cannot discern any dynamic contrast/color issues with "Active Contrast" off. (If it's there, its too subtle for me to see...)

My CRT is having issues and this panel is an improvement over previous ones. And LCD does have one advantage over CRT, it's huge... :)

Looks like it's got one bad pixel so far, but its right up against the top edge and of no consequence. Anyway, have a 30 day return policy. Will be deciding if this is the one...
Click to expand...

I have like 3 dead pixel on mine and I can't even tell. It does help that one is small and two are very faint (sp). Even when its the black background I can't see them unless I put my face close to the screen and even then I have to search for them. If there is any color background beside black you can't find them even if your up close.

The "AV MODE" has present options that help a lot. There are maybe at least five of the top of my head.
 
junglicious's pictures and all the reviews were the deciding factor in me purchasing this TV/monitor. I can't wait to get it and be able to post in the Show your LCD thread. This will be a major upgrade from my 19" HP. Hopefully it arrives in one piece in 3 days.
 
Indeed...I think the AV modes could be quite helpful creating settings for different activities.

I just used the nVidia wizard to adjust the gamma. Looks quite a bit different now...more saturated.

And looks like Medium is the closest temperature to my CRT at 9300K.

Is this set equivalent to 64 series? If so, looks like Low and Active Contrast are key with TV mode...

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/hd...dtv-specifications-and-conclusions-page2.html
 
Dishpointer said:
junglicious's pictures and all the reviews were the deciding factor in me purchasing this TV/monitor. I can't wait to get it and be able to post in the Show your LCD thread. This will be a major upgrade from my 19" HP. Hopefully it arrives in one piece in 3 days.
Click to expand...

It seems nice so far... :)
 
Just got my 32GP3U. Came in perfect condition with no dead pixels (despite some rough packaging). I must say, this monitor looks terrific. The better response time and contrast ratio over my 2407WFP was instantly noticable. I was concerned going from 1900x1200 on a 24" to 1900x1080, but I haven't really noticed a different yet. Games like The Witcher, HL2 E3, Portal, Oblivion and Bioshock look absolutely stunning. I was toying with getting a Gateway XHD3000 (for $500 more), but very glad I went with the GP3U. Unlike some others, my text is clear and color conformity is good. Wanted to get it from J&R (I've been shopping there since a kid), but in NY. Got it from Fry's tax-free.

Thanks Zak for the settings - those worked perfectly for me. The factory backlight setting was blindingly bright...

That said, I do have one issue: I cannot play Crysis in fullscreen mode at any resolution. Upon launching the game, the screen seems to adjust resolution, then goes to black, and the error "An incompatible video signal was received. Check your settings." I then cannot restore the display and must reboot. Strange, because windowed mode runs fine in Crysis, as do all other games I've tried. I've tried adjusted the resolution in the game to many levels, but the error still appears. I suppose I could just play in windowed mode, but the edges continue to annoy me.
 
harmattan said:
Just got my 32GP3U. Came in perfect condition with no dead pixels (despite some rough packaging). I must say, this monitor looks I terrific. The better response time and contrast ratio over my 2407WFP was instantly noticable. I was concerned going from 1900x1200 on a 24" to 1900x1080, but I haven't really noticed a different yet. Games like The Witcher, HL2 E3, Portal, Oblivion and Bioshock look absolutely stunning. I was toying with getting a Gateway XHD3000 (for $500 more), but very glad I went with the GP3U. Unlike some others, my text is clear and color conformity is good. Wanted to get it from J&R (I've been shopping there since a kid), but in NY. Got it from Fry's tax-free.

Thanks Zak for the settings - those worked perfectly for me. The factory backlight setting was blindingly bright...

That said, I do have one issue: I cannot play Crysis in fullscreen mode at any resolution. Upon launching the game, the screen seems to adjust resolution, then goes to black, and the error "An incompatible video signal was received. Check your settings." I then cannot restore the display and must reboot. Strange, because windowed mode runs fine in Crysis, as do all other games I've tried. I've tried adjusted the resolution in the game to many levels, but the error still appears. I suppose I could just play in windowed mode, but the edges continue to annoy me.
Click to expand...

I have this problem too. There is away around this. If you want to run full 1920x1080 mode, select it in system setting in crysis, apply. Once it gives you the error switch to windows mode and then back to fullscreen mode. Do not wait for it to go to windows mode when you switch, its a back to back switch with no pause. I might be off but it something like that. The highest I can play and is fine with me since it gives me better fps is 1400x1050 dot by dot without giving me that error. Remember to do dot by dot once you are in the game so it doesn't stretch the image.

dot by dot have separate settings once your in the game and back to the desktop. So once you leave the game at 1400x1050 dot by dot the hdtv will go back to 1920x1080 dot by dot. I thought this was a neat feather.

I ask the others and it seems like this might only affect vista user or vista x64 user.

G'luck and be patient with the hdtv, you'll learn new things everyday that will make it better. try out "av mode" in the bottom copartment of the control. Also, hdmi input 4 has different picture setting than 5 and 6. The sittings are not as bright as hdmi 5 and 6 but you can change input 4 as you wish.
 
I found resetting the gamma correction via nVidia's set up wizard made the picture much more saturated.

(Something I guess I should have done before, but hadn't after the last driver update or two...)
 
Any one know how to get the sound from the build in speaker to use with the computer soundcard?
 
Hmmm... I was thinking the same thing. I almost always use my AC-1 headphones, but it would be nice to use the speaker once and a while. And I don't feel (read: G/F won't let me) hook up my Z-5300 speakers. I haven't looked if there are any audio inputs on the TV yet, but I assume this isn't possible. I have a buttload of different audio outputs on the back of my Razer AC-1, but unless there's an input on the back of the monitor they are useless.

There is, however, a ray of hope as most next gen video cards will have an hdmi output that carry both audio/video (Not sure about ATI, but I think 9800 X2 will be the first...). You could just use one hdmi cable in that case from your PC, much like a DVD player or PS3.
 
There are audio inputs on back to allow for non-HDMI hook ups. (If stereo is enough...)
 
Unfortunately, those audio input only work for that particular input. HDMI (input 4, 5, or 6) doesn't have any audio input option :(
I was hoping there are some work around. It's no big deal, many people probably either use a headphone or external speaker.

SH1 said:
There are audio inputs on back to allow for non-HDMI hook ups. (If stereo is enough...)
Click to expand...
 
duckymcse said:
Unfortunately, those audio input only work for that particular input. HDMI (input 4, 5, or 6) doesn't have any audio input option :(
I was hoping there are some work around. It's no big deal, many people probably either use a headphone or external speaker.
Click to expand...

No digital input with analog audio jacks available?
 
This seems to be the perfect monitor/TV for me, except it's 2" too tall to fit in my computer hutch. Could I put a different stand on the TV? If so, does anyone have a suggestion for the best adjustable stand. Thanks for your help!

Ted
 
not sure of a stand but your best bet would be a wall mount if the back panel of your hutch is removable. The mounting holes in the back are 12" by 12". For some reason the only mounts that will fit this tv is 37-63" and up, universal. I was going to get one at monoprice but they are out of stock until the end of the month and there are like 348 people waiting for it. This is for the one I want, they have others that are instock. they have good price, good enough to consider maybe two mounts if i wait features. let us know what you decided to do or how it works out.

also does your hutch have a removeable top (light bridge) or is it part of the frame? if you can remove the light bridge then it would work out.
 
The way the hutch is setup, I can't remove the back. Is there any TV stand that can be fit that will lower the unit a couple of inches? I can't seem to find anything that will work.

Thanks
 
I just ordered mine this weekend after having JR.com price match a competitor. It should be here by Friday.
 
Anyone hooked this up to a Wii and know if there's any upscaling lag or not? I hooked up my Wii to an LG lcd via component and it lagged like crazy (well maybe just a little bit but there was no way you could play Wii Sports)

Dishpointer said:
I just ordered mine this weekend after having JR.com price match a competitor. It should be here by Friday.
Click to expand...

Who did they match it to? I've been looking for a cheaper price (and hoping for free shipping) from them since if I have issues, I can just bring it to them to exchange. So far cheapest is 6ave. Called them and they offered $1130, but I don't think they have a return policy on 32"+ tv's (though not sure about exchanges).
 
I used pricegrabber.com to find a good deal and they price matched Electronics Expo since they were an authorized Dealer. If you are a good car salesman, you can actually get them to beat their price like I did. Let us know how you do.
 
Just a heads up for anyone wanting a wall mount for this HDTV. I got one at monoprice, the 37-63" mounts. Works great, I'm using the black low profile right now. Just make sure you have two studs to mount on the wall because two studs are require. Free's up so much desk space with out the feet and I can have it a little further back.
 
Tipycol said:
Anyone hooked this up to a Wii and know if there's any upscaling lag or not? I hooked up my Wii to an LG lcd via component and it lagged like crazy (well maybe just a little bit but there was no way you could play Wii Sports)



Who did they match it to? I've been looking for a cheaper price (and hoping for free shipping) from them since if I have issues, I can just bring it to them to exchange. So far cheapest is 6ave. Called them and they offered $1130, but I don't think they have a return policy on 32"+ tv's (though not sure about exchanges).
Click to expand...

Yes, works fine with Wii and upscales. No lag noticable as far as I can tell.
 
just a quick question: how'd you manage to connect this to your PC with 1920x1080 resolution?

i connected it with a DVI-VGA adapter, then plugged a VGA cable into Input7.

the max resolution i have is 1600x1200. do i need a DVI cable for full 1080p output?

and rukawa: i got this in Vancouver, Canada for 1000$ cdn+tax from a small Asian store in Richmond, BC

they offer the black, white, or red models, i got the red one

if u want sharp's top-of-the-line, the SE94 series in 46 and 52inches are coming soon from this store too. their price for the 46 is 2500$ CDN i think
 
I found a review of this TV. http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/Sharp_LC-32GP3U.html

I like this kind of review that actually do some measurement instead of evaluate from a subjective point of view. It is kind of hard to find reviews for HDTV that are evaluated the same way as most website evaluate computer monitor (measure the actual color gamut, response time, brightness, etc), which I think is important for people that plan to use one as a PC monitor.
 
I received my Sharp last Thursday and man am I impressed. I changed the settings according to this thread and man what a beautiful picture. I only sit about 2 1/2 feet away and I barely notice the larger pixel size compared to my 19" display. I am definately impressed and am very happy you guys talked me into it. :D
 
iamgosu said:
just a quick question: how'd you manage to connect this to your PC with 1920x1080 resolution?

i connected it with a DVI-VGA adapter, then plugged a VGA cable into Input7.

the max resolution i have is 1600x1200. do i need a DVI cable for full 1080p output?

and rukawa: i got this in Vancouver, Canada for 1000$ cdn+tax from a small Asian store in Richmond, BC

they offer the black, white, or red models, i got the red one

if u want sharp's top-of-the-line, the SE94 series in 46 and 52inches are coming soon from this store too. their price for the 46 is 2500$ CDN i think
Click to expand...

What kind of video card do you have and does it support up to 1900x? It could be that you need a HDMI to DVI and not a VGA to HDMI?

Dishpointer said:
I received my Sharp last Thursday and man am I impressed. I changed the settings according to this thread and man what a beautiful picture. I only sit about 2 1/2 feet away and I barely notice the larger pixel size compared to my 19" display. I am definately impressed and am very happy you guys talked me into it. :D
Click to expand...

You'll like it even more when you find out all it has to offer. Like every sitting are independent when you switch to PC or TV mode. All input have two independent settings for PC and TV mode. Kind of don't really want to go into detail about it but you'll see what I'm talking about once you play around with it some more. Try out the preset "AV MODE" in your bottom remote compartment. You can customize all of those AV MODE besides the DYANAMIC (FIX) mode. Now if this thing came with an espresso maker I would be set (joke).
 
junglicious said:
Try out the preset "AV MODE" in your bottom remote compartment. You can customize all of those AV MODE besides the DYANAMIC (FIX) mode.
Click to expand...

I learn something everyday. That is a nice little shortcut from what I have been doing. Thanks for the tip!
 
junglicious said:
What kind of video card do you have and does it support up to 1900x? It could be that you need a HDMI to DVI and not a VGA to HDMI?
Click to expand...

My friend's brand new 8800GT should definitely support 1900+
i'm guessing its cuz of VGA, not DVI -HDMI cable.

Even though VGA should be able to support full 1080p, but i guess not lol
 
iamgosu said:
MSRP is 1600$ USD, i got it for 1000$ Cdn +tax
Click to expand...

hi.
I finally saw your post up there.
do you know if they have website or something else?
I'm in montreal. so I don't think I could make it there...

thanks for your info tho.
 
I am ordering mine as soon as i get paid on thursday! Getting it from pcnation for $1207 shipped with free 3 day ground! I am so excited about getting this display and will post my thoughts as soon as I can
 
edifyingkarma said:
I am ordering mine as soon as i get paid on thursday! Getting it from pcnation for $1207 shipped with free 3 day ground! I am so excited about getting this display and will post my thoughts as soon as I can
Click to expand...

Awesome. You will not be disappointed with this choice.
 
rukawa said:
hi.
I finally saw your post up there.
do you know if they have website or something else?
I'm in montreal. so I don't think I could make it there...

thanks for your info tho.
Click to expand...
no they don't have a website, and it's owned by a Taiwanese family

would you like their phone# and ask if they ship across Canada?
 
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