Sharp Aquos LC-40LE700UN

Black Level (7.12)

The Sharp LC-40LE700UN performed adequately in the black level test, which tests how deep a TV is able get its blacks. As you can see from the chart below, the Samsung UN40B650 is the best of the bunch. The Sony KDL-40NX700 was not quite as good, and the Sharp LC-40LE700UN was trailing behind the Sony.

Note that there are some settings on the Sharp LC-40LE700UN that allow the black levels to get darker, but those settings may adversely affect other aspects of the picture quality. More on how we test black level.

Read Reviews of Comparison Products
Sony Bravia KDL-40NX700	Samsung LN40B650	VIZIO VL420M

Peak Brightness (6.70)

The Sharp LC-40LE700UN had a surprisingly dark picture, considering how big a deal Sharp makes about the ‘UltraBrilliant LED System.’ The company claims a brightness of up to 450cd/m². In stark contrast, we measured a brightness of only 188cd/m² after our calibration procedures. Even with all the settings tweaked in favor of brightness, we couldn’t get it much brighter than this.

By comparison, the three competing TVs were much, much brighter. More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast (6.39)

The contrast ratio of the Sharp LC-40LE700UN was dampened somewhat by the low peak brightness test. However, the 1257:1 performance was not too bad. Certainly, the Samsung UN40B650 and Sony KDL-40NX700 did better, but the Sharp still came out ahead of the Vizio. More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast (9.97)

The Sharp LC-40LE700UN performed well in the tunnel contrast test, which means you can expect a consistent black level regardless of how much shadow is on the screen. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff (9.96)

The Sharp LC-40LE700UN also did well in the white falloff test, which means the white levels remain consistent regardless of what’s on the screen. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity (8.25)

The Sharp LC-40LE700UN’s screen showed an excellent uniformity. When an all-white display was viewed, we couldn’t see any problems – just a smooth, flat white expanse. With an all-black screen, we frequently see blotches of pale white, or flashlighting in the corners. Fortunately, there were none to be seen on the LC-40LE700UN. More on how we test white falloff.

Greyscale Gamma (5.89)

The Sharp LC-40LE700UN showed a decent, but far from spectacular, performance in the greyscale gamma test. The graph below lays out the story. That flatter area of the curve on the left side, those are the shadows. Ideally, this would be a steady slope upwards. The flatness of it indicates that the LC-40LE700UN is losing detail in the shadows. The rest of the curve is fine, though it doesn’t have the ideal slope. We’re looking for a curve of 2.1 to 2.2. The slope of 2.88 is a bit steep. More on how we test greyscale gamma.

Other Models in the LC-xxLE700UN Series
For more information on other models in this series, check our Series Comparison Page.
Sharp Aquos LC-32LE700UN 32 in.	Sharp Aquos LC-46LE700UN 46 in.	Sharp Aquos LC-52LE700UN 52 in.