Sharp Elite 70" owners. I would like your input

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by WiWavelength

So, is it correct that there will be no second generation Sharp Elite (at least, not LCD)?

Shortly after the Sharp Elite line was announced 18 months ago, I stated here and/or in another forum that the two models would have to remain current for two years to justify their ultra premium prices and that, even then, a second generation was a shaky prospect.

AJ

Sharp is having major financial turbulence. I wanted to see an 80" version - it was rumored - and it never appeared. They want to stay with the regular consumer end for the time being, and I thing their standard 70" and 80" sets are quite nice and a good value. The Elite thing fell flat - the market isn't there, and they're too far back on the curve with OLED and 4K stomping around.

[kesando]

Originally Posted by qwknuf6

It is ok to have personal taste as to what display one LIKES the BEST.

From a professional unbiased viewpoint the Pioneer 9G wins the prize for tops in PQ ,example , Jeff Meier From Accucal rates the Pioneer 9G to have better PQ then the Sharp , D-Nice Rates the Pioneer 9G PQ higher than the Sharp Elite , @ the VE Shootout the Pioneer was ranked above the Sharp , although not officialy in the shootout (2011) , these are trained people with hands on time with several displays brands and have no bias toward one display or the other , they just know what a reference display should look like.

Fair enough. No denying this information My only issue is whether or not one blows the other out of the water which it doesn't.

[kesando]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I wonder if anyone thinks of the word "value" once in a while. The value is not there with the Sharp, not at what they charge. OLED will smoke it, and rival or surpass the Kuro as well.

Sharp will probably be making one, too. Then what.

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

Sharp is having major financial turbulence. I wanted to see an 80" version - it was rumored - and it never appeared. They want to stay with the regular consumer end for the time being, and I thing their standard 70" and 80" sets are quite nice and a good value. The Elite thing fell flat - the market isn't there, and they're too far back on the curve with OLED and 4K stomping around.

Sharp as a whole is in trouble. The Elite line just happens to be going down with the ship. If anything, its the value minded consumers that are keeping high priced, high content sets off the markert. The Kuro met a similar fate due to value minded consumers. Also note that Sharps own "945" series never materialized despite not wearing the "Elite" badge.

As for OLED, Its has potential to surpass both LED and plasma but is still unproven (for now). Also $10-12K won't be a good value in the eyes of most consumers for only a 55" set.

[qwknuf6]

Originally Posted by kesando

Fair enough. No denying this information My only issue is whether or not one blows the other out of the water which it doesn't.

One could say the the Sharp/Pioneer Elite does not blow a Vizio out of the water

[WiWavelength]

Originally Posted by kesando

Sharp as a whole is in trouble. The Elite line just happens to be going down with the ship. If anything, its the value minded consumers that are keeping high priced, high content sets off the markert. The Kuro met a similar fate due to value minded consumers.

This was my admonition some 18 months ago. Sharp borrowed the Elite badge and simply repeated Pioneer's mistakes. Ultra premium priced sets will not sell in feasible quantities any longer. The performance gap between those sets and largely commodity sets has closed so much that the former are terrible values.

AJ

[kesando]

Originally Posted by qwknuf6

One could say the the Sharp/Pioneer Elite does not blow a Vizio out of the water

I agree with you though I would have to ask how well the Vizio stacks up overall. Once you step up to a more premium set, value goes out the window and the law of diminishing returns applys. While I'm sure the twice as expensive Elite LCD/Plasmas will have a better picture, I doubt it will be twice as good as the Vizio.

[scweb13]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I don''t know which Sharp you've seen, but I've seen three, and none of them matched up. The engineers that went to work for Sharp were the guys that blew off Panasonic (who bought most of the Kuro technology) and then didn't go for the Pioneer QC stuff. So they quite carefully broke no patents, and made the Sharp unit.

Sharp, which is still in circle-the-drain mode (they're having horrible sales figures and channel issues) used the fact these folks worked for them, and they definitely upped their game on deliver good QC on these units. This despite the fact that they have noticeable color shift problems, widely noted by many folks. I'm surprised that you didn't notice that when comparing the Kuro to the Sharp - everybody else does. It just isn't there yet.

With OLED coming, it's a tempest in a teapot. Everything will be routinely outdone by OLED. Even the vaunted Kuro. You still have the best set ever widely marketed, and will until OLED shows up. And it will.

Panasonic only bought the patents relating to plasma. Everything else is still owned by Pioneer. Even the legendary FUGA processing.

[mrpink134]

Originally Posted by Disney 3D

I have to disagree with you, I own this tv and the Panasonic VT50. When this Tv is calibrated properly (which in my case, I hired a ISF Certified worker to calibrate both TV's) Sharp just blows out the VT50 out of the water!!! It literally has DARKER BLACK LEVELS, better color accuracy, clearer picture and a much better 3D performance. There's a reason why this TV is called the ELITE

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I own a Pioneer Kuro 60" Elite, and I know why that one is called an Elite. I've seen the 60" and 70" Sharp units, and they do not hold a candle to the Kuro. It is a marketing scheme, to place it in the top tier of pricing.

It is a great television, of course. I wanted it to be, since I heard about the 70" and heard rumors about an 80" version, and I wanted a larger set. After seeing it, I was amazed at the price they were demanding. It is simply not worth that kind of money, just because they stamped "Elite" on it.

Without any "ISF certified calibration", the Kuro eats the Sharp's lunch. This is not bragging - that's simply a fact. Chop two or three thousand off the Sharp's price, and I'll get one. At the current rates - and coupled with the need to "calibrate" it, adding another 8% to 10% of the price - it makes no sense to spend that kind of cash for this set.

I'm glad you like it, there's nothing wrong with enjoying your television. But to tell people that it's a successor to the Kuro Elite is really off the beam.

Originally Posted by Disney 3D

I respect your opinion, but my brother in law has a Kuro and he likes this set better than the Pioneer ( but not by much ).

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I guess everyone is looking for a fight, and I'm not interested. I've seen the Sharp more than once, and the price is the biggest joke I've seen in a while. Has nothing to do with the television - it's all about the marketing.

As for close, and the technical comparisons, again, I'm not much interested. It has to be a blind, subjective comparison, leaving out all the technical reasons how one set compares to another.

I'm not trying to downrate the Sharp in comparison with something I bought (again, at a horrifyingly steep price), but televisions still cannot compare to the Pioneer Kuro, and that is a shame. It hasn't been produces for four years, and still blows everything else out of the water.

The Elite is not a plasma, and you can tell. It simply doesn't have the color saturation, contrast, or black levels of the Kuro, and never will. OLED is now here, and that will perhaps finally match the Kuro, but I haven't seen one in action yet. Time will tell.

If someone wants an LED, the Sony and Samsung units are out there with comparable performance (again, I don't waste time with technical comparisons, or peter-stretching yowling about how somebody spent on ISF calibration), and a price tag many thousands of dollars less. The Sharp is very nice, and if having the word Elite on it is worth $2,000 or more, that's fine with me. Just don't tell people who are sincere about asking for value-to-performance that they're getting their money's worth on a hustle like that.

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

He sounds like a generous, warm, and kind fellow, concerned about his family's feelings. Let me know when he dumps the Kuro for this set. I've always wanted to go ice skating in Hell.

Originally Posted by mrpink134

I'm not trying to pick a fight "I own a plasma and love it" but you are sounding like a snob with your wording. I have seen the sharp elite and IMO it looks great and I have been told by many TV people that it matches or surpasses the kuro.

Originally Posted by Disney 3D

Yeah, that's why he's buying this TV in two months. lol

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I've seen it too, and may eventually get one when they get over 80".

As far as snobbery - the game Sharp played with the Elite name is one of the most bald-faced efforts to pander to "snob appeal" that I've ever seen. It's akin to Ford claiming to release The New Ford Carerra 911 after they hired a few German engineers.

People fall for that, just as they do all that head-nodding about how their televisions aren't worth a hoot until some ISF hustler fiddles around with it. Jeez, what a scam, and the eagerness with which these guys chew it up amazes me no end. But that's just a personal thing.

Look, anybody that tries to be a snob with a four year old television is out of his mind. My problem is not with what anyone buys; it's their money. It's the marketing schemes of manufacturers, who sell the sizzle while they're burning the steak. Anyone buying into that can do what they like, but when they start echoing the same nonsense, I don't like it.

Frankly, it's ridiculous that the Kuro hasn't been matched - it's just a television, there's no magic involved. It should be easy to do, but they're too cheap to spend the money on quality control on a large scale. That's all Pioneer did - the glass for the screen is an amazing story - but anyone can do it.

It hasn't been done since, and Sharp sure didn't do it, nor did they make a plasma or OLED unit.

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

Is that the best guess you can make?

Guess this: OLED is coming out, and will dominate by Christmas. Do you read the news, or just guess what's going on, or how it smells?

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

And not OLED? Why would he do that? Do you think the Sharp LED will beat an OLED they're bound to make?

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7...tv-vs-oled-tv/

Don't show that to him, though. You might have him convinced your set, after some major Wizard of Oz action behind the set by some ISF certified magician, will beat OLED.

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I don''t know which Sharp you've seen, but I've seen three, and none of them matched up. The engineers that went to work for Sharp were the guys that blew off Panasonic (who bought most of the Kuro technology) and then didn't go for the Pioneer QC stuff. So they quite carefully broke no patents, and made the Sharp unit.

Sharp, which is still in circle-the-drain mode (they're having horrible sales figures and channel issues) used the fact these folks worked for them, and they definitely upped their game on deliver good QC on these units. This despite the fact that they have noticeable color shift problems, widely noted by many folks. I'm surprised that you didn't notice that when comparing the Kuro to the Sharp - everybody else does. It just isn't there yet.

With OLED coming, it's a tempest in a teapot. Everything will be routinely outdone by OLED. Even the vaunted Kuro. You still have the best set ever widely marketed, and will until OLED shows up. And it will.

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I wonder if anyone thinks of the word "value" once in a while. The value is not there with the Sharp, not at what they charge. OLED will smoke it, and rival or surpass the Kuro as well.

Sharp will probably be making one, too. Then what.

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

Some people come to this forum to boast, justified or not.

Some people come here with small egos, and small minds, and think that everyone is like they are - small, boastful, and selfish.

But some people come here and answer questions, about extremely expensive equipment. We were all asked a question about Sharp's television; one of the responses was basically an advertisement and cheerleading display for what is basically, a fairly good television. At it's price, it's absurd to purchase it.

I have a television, that I paid a lot for, and I sure wouldn't advise anyone else to spend that kind of money no matter what specifications - or bragging rights - come with it. It's just too expensive. Better gear, at the same or even less price, is coming in just a few months.

So mrpink, if you have something of value to add, please do. So far, you're adding very little at all, especially value.

Now please tell me where you are trying to help the OP? Have you done anything to this topic? Only thing you have done is trashed the Elite and boosted your Kuro. I will say this again I have seen the Elite and talk to people about it and they have stated that the Elite has a better picture than the Kuro.

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by mrpink134

Now please tell me where you are trying to help the OP?

He needs the following facts:

1. The quality of the television he's buying, across the board.
2. The viability of the company he's buying it from, for service and support.
3. The value of his purchase - whether he's getting a great buy, a standard price justified by the performance, or if he's getting robbed.
4. Information on new technology that may replace his current purchase, with better performance.

There are a few other factors, too - I need not go into detail, all of the above and more are in my posts.

Originally Posted by mrpink134

Have you done anything to this topic?

You copied all of them, and didn't read them? Sounds obsessive.

Originally Posted by mrpink134

Only thing you have done is trashed the Elite and boosted your Kuro.

I trashed nothing. I said it was overpriced, and that it is not on a par with the Kuro, something that is generally acknowledged by aficiandos, and the industry. In your world, if it's not yodeling acclamation, it's trashing it, I suppose.

I've actually seen the set three times. I tried to get my wife to look at it; she glanced, and moved on. She doesn't care about price, only how it looks, and chose the Kuro, by the way. She trusts me to find pricing.

One look at the Sharp, and she said, "It sure doesn't match our set," and walked away to go look at the other stuff. When that happens, I can't recommend that someone go out and spend $5,000, $6,000, or more for a television, simply because the badge reminds them of an iconic set that is no longer made.

Originally Posted by mrpink134

I will say this again I have seen the Elite and talk to people about it and they have stated that the Elite has a better picture than the Kuro.

That's fine, especially if you own one. It is a kindness if they do; it is simply an opinion if they don't.

I actually own one of these sets, and was seriously considering getting the other brand as well. Not to exchange them - that would be lunacy, money thrown away. I want to replace my older Sony XBR 70" at some point.

I can't recommend that anyone spend that kind of money if it is an issue. There are Sony, Panasonic, and Samsung sets that are on par with the Sharp, saving $2K to $3K. If I did not have the Kuro, I'd be quite satisfied with one of them.

If money is not an issue, fine. The Sharp does not have the value, to cost more than my Kuro did, and you may want to ask some of these people whose opinion you value about that. The OP wanted to know, and I told him. It's just my opinion, too. Take it or leave it.

[IMAX 3D]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I own a Pioneer Kuro 60" Elite, and I know why that one is called an Elite. I've seen the 60" and 70" Sharp units, and they do not hold a candle to the Kuro. It is a marketing scheme, to place it in the top tier of pricing.

It is a great television, of course. I wanted it to be, since I heard about the 70" and heard rumors about an 80" version, and I wanted a larger set. After seeing it, I was amazed at the price they were demanding. It is simply not worth that kind of money, just because they stamped "Elite" on it.

Without any "ISF certified calibration", the Kuro eats the Sharp's lunch. This is not bragging - that's simply a fact. Chop two or three thousand off the Sharp's price, and I'll get one. At the current rates - and coupled with the need to "calibrate" it, adding another 8% to 10% of the price - it makes no sense to spend that kind of cash for this set.

I'm glad you like it, there's nothing wrong with enjoying your television. But to tell people that it's a successor to the Kuro Elite is really off the beam.

Well said

[HDTV1080P]

The 2011 Sharp Elite’s are now officially discontinued

I was in the local Best Buy Magnolia store in my area on Friday evening. The Sharp Elite PRO-70X5FD and PRO-60X5FD have been discontinued according to Best Buy. The Best Buy warehouse was even out of stock on the Sharp Elites and will not be getting anymore. The Best Buy in my area had a red sold sign on the display model for the Sharp Elite PRO-70X5FD.

It is my understanding that there will not be a second generation Sharp Elite model manufactured. This is disappointing news since the Sharp Elite 2-D picture quality was almost as good as the Pioneer PRO-141FD when viewed from the center seat in the room. Hopefully in 2013 or 2014 OLED screens will be able to match or beat the quality of the 2008 Pioneer PRO-141FD that is still used as a reference display by professional reviewers.

[kesando]

Originally Posted by HDTV1080P

The 2011 Sharp Elite’s are now officially discontinued

I was in the local Best Buy Magnolia store in my area on Friday evening. The Sharp Elite PRO-70X5FD and PRO-60X5FD have been discontinued according to Best Buy. The Best Buy warehouse was even out of stock on the Sharp Elites and will not be getting anymore. The Best Buy in my area had a red sold sign on the display model for the Sharp Elite PRO-70X5FD.

It is my understanding that there will not be a second generation Sharp Elite model manufactured. This is disappointing news since the Sharp Elite 2-D picture quality was almost as good as the Pioneer PRO-141FD when viewed from the center seat in the room. Hopefully in 2013 or 2014 OLED screens will be able to match or beat the quality of the 2008 Pioneer PRO-141FD that is still used as a reference display by professional reviewers.

Agreed.

Considering the inherent flaws of LCD tech, I applaud the effort put forth by Sharp and Pioneer on the Elite TVs. Having always wanting to own a Kuro and being a fan of Plasma tech, I'm am still surprised I ended up with Sharp Elite however I have been very happy with my purchase so far. It looks like the Panny ZT60 could be the new set to beat but I will be holding out for the next 5 years or so for a Flagship OLED set.

[HDTV1080P]

No 2013 Elite TVs Coming From Sharp

The following are word for word quotes from the article:

“Sharp Electronics recently notified specialty A/V dealers handling the jointly administered Sharp/Pioneer Elite TV line that it will not be offering any new models under the premium brand this year.”

“He added the company has sold through inventory on models from the prior year.”

““Due to the unavailability of a component, current 60- and 70-inch Elite LED TVs (model numbers PRO60X5FD and PRO70X5FD, respectively) have been discontinued and are no longer available,” Sharp confirmed in a statement Monday.”

“Sharp-made Elite TVs offered some of the deepest black levels and highest contrast ratios yet seen from LCD technology.”

“In shootouts, the screens had rivaled even advanced plasma sets, including Pioneer’s discontinued Kuro models that some still rank as the benchmark by which flat-panel TV picture performance is judged.”

No 2013 Elite TVs Coming From Sharp